Itinerary
As we leave Juneau, the capital city, we leave behind the busy city life and step into the deep wilderness of Southeast Alaska. The first of our destinations is Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness which contains over 650 thousand acres and is made up of two deep narrow fjords: Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm. Both fjords are just over 30 miles long and much of this area can be covered in ice. In the summer season, warm temperatures cause these tidewater glaciers to calve and the fjords have considerable amounts of floating ice ranging from very small to pieces as large as a house. We will spend our first few days in these fjords exploring the area a safe distance from these towering tidewater glaciers. Midway through our trip we will meet our water taxi and head north to Seymour Canal and the shores of Admiralty Island. Also known as Kootznoowoo as the Tlingit people named it long before the Russians appeared, translates roughly to “Fortress of the Bear”. Located just to the east, Seymour canal, is where we will spend the next few days exploring the coast line of Kootznoowoo and the forest that surrounds it. In the spring, this area historically will see large congregations of herring that come here to spawn. This brings in tremendous numbers of marine mammals and sea birds who are welcoming one of the first large appearances of biomass of the season and which provides great opportunities for these species to feed. Humpback Whales and Orca, along with Stellar Sea Lions and Harbor seals, just to name a few, will appear in these waters in great numbers. Later in the spring and summer, salmon enter the creeks along the shores of Seymour Canal, bringing brown and black bears to their shores and creates wonderful opportunities for bear viewing. In fact this area is home to Pack Creek a world renowned bear viewing area and one of our stops on our adventure in Southeast Alaska
Day 0
Meet your guide in Juneau for pre-trip meeting.
Day 1-3
We will meet in the morning to load our kayaks and gear aboard our water taxi and depart for Tracy and Endicott Arm. Once we arrive in the fjords we will establish a camp which we can use as a base camp for the next few days or we can move each day to a new location. We will spend the next few days paddling amongst ice bergs, exploring the shoreline and observing wildlife both on the shore and in the waters of these fjords filled with ancient ice.
Day 4 & 5
After a hardy breakfast on day 4 we will climb back abord our water taxi and cruise to the north and Admiralty Island all the time looking for wildlife like Hupmbacks or Orca. We will spend the next 3 days exploring the waters of Seymour Canal. We will camp just above the high tide line on gravel beaches or tucked up into the forest to escape a breeze if it kicks up. In the evenings we can relax with a cup of tea or an adult beverage after a full day of paddling or exploring the temperate rainforest of the Tongass National Forest. During our week in Seymour canal we will also have the opportunity to spend a day at Pack Creek giving us the opportunity to watch brown, or Grizzlie Bears, as they are also known, in their natural habitat.
Final Day
We can rise slowly if we like and have one last breakfast in camp. If the weather cooperates today, we will catch our ride back to Juneau via our water taxi, by late afternoon, giving us a good portion of the day to explore, or just hang around camp if we so choose.
Included
Food while in the field
Group camping gear
Tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads
Kayak, paddle, PFD, safety gear
Boat Charter/Water Taxi
Professional guide service
Not Included
Lodging while not in the field
Food while not in the field
Personal equipment
Gratuity for guide(s)
