FIFTEEN YEARS OF FJORDS

Paddling into Punchbowl Cove, Misty Fjords, Alaska 2005.

The blog post is tardy this week because I opened a can of worms; a big can of juicy misty worms. Once I started reviewing our fifteen years of kayaking in Misty Fjords I discovered that they couldn’t be contained within paragraphs, at least not without annoying overuse of superlatives. There is simply no way to capture the magic of a cup of coffee on a misty morning in Punchbowl Cove, or the exhilaration of paddling beneath the towering granite cliffs hearing nothing but the dip of your paddle and the cry of the loon. My blog post started to look like something by Marcel Proust. Instead of a thousand words, I give you this photographic celebration with many thanks to our guests and guides for all of the miles paddled, trails hiked, evenings of laughter around campfires, friendships formed and that one broken nose (mine.)

What’s Next?

We are always trying to improve on what we do here at Southeast Sea Kayaks, so at our annual meeting (that’s Greg and I having breakfast at the Pioneer Cafe) we asked ourselves how could we make the Misty Fjords better? Clearly the Fjords themselves need no improving, but we wanted to focus on providing the best possible experience of the Misty Fjords. What we do best is guided trips, we also love creating partnerships with other Alaskans who share our passion for great guest experiences. So we reached out to one of Alaska’s master guides, who we came to know during his years as a Misty Fjords Kayak Ranger and we are pleased to announce that Nathaniel “Natcho” Stephens will be leading our Misty Fjords Expeditions in 2014. Natcho is an ACA/BCU certified kayaker and instructor and Alaska wilderness EMT.  Don’t let all the letters scare you; he is also an excellent camp cook and incredibly knowledgeable about Southeast Alaska and, having spent 3 years as a Kayak Ranger, he is uniquely qualified to guide in Misty Fjords.

Nathaniel Stephens has been guiding in Alaska for over 10 years.

For 2014, Natcho and I dreamed up our ideal expedition: 6 days/5 nights beginning at Walker Cove, ending at Winstanley Island with a stop in Rudyerd Bay and a floatplane pick up at the end. The new itinerary includes the highlights of our much loved 5 day trip with the addition of Walker Cove. The 6 day expedition will be a kayaker’s trip with plenty of paddling as well as several hikes. There are great opportunities to see bears in both Fjords and marine wildlife in the Behm Canal.  Aren’t you pining for the Fjords? We hope that you will join us this summer! Check out the trip details and dates.

Happy Paddling!