Sunny Cove Sea Kayaking, Seward, Alaska

Seasons change... fall into winter

2011-11-04T18:45:00.000-07:00

Seasons are changing… fallis sliding into winter. Mountain tops are turning white and life is slowingdown. The Seward Harbor is quiet.

Trees and grasses along Exit Glacier road reflect the movementfrom fall into winter.

Even lower elevations are seeing frost.

Birds are migrating south

Fall tides are some of the highest we experience. At Tonsinabeach the tide floods into the area behind the beach allowing us to paddleareas normally hiked.

This is usually grassland. The beach is beyond the trees. Its rare to be able to paddle here.

The high tide fun extends to new paddling opportunitiesthrough sea stacks.

On the mountain tops winter has arrived. First day ofbackcountry skiing Oct 24.

It was a bit of a hike toget to the snow but worth it. This time of year allows you to ski one day andpaddle the next.

John

Beach bumming in faraway Northwestern Fjord

2011-08-02T00:44:00.000-07:00

July 17th-24th: Northwestern Lagoon, at the head of Harris Bay, is one of those special places left in the world that remains as remote as it is majestic. It's a destination only accessible by half-day boat ride around rocky capes and across open ocean waters. Few people get to witness its beauty firsthand. Fewer still embrace the isolation and stay overnight. But for those willing to brave the elements, the reward is a glacial landscape newborn and unspoiled -- a sanctuary in which to worship the full spectrum of Nature's sovereignty and splendor. And the only viable means of exploring such obscure coastline is via kayak.

Southwestern encampment: You'd be hard-pressed to find a campsite anywhere in the world with a better view of multiple, actively-calving glaciers -- their presence immense and humbling. Somehow able to lull even the most tireless mind to quiet introspection.

Mother Nature's pendulum was swinging fortuitously in our favor on this five day excursion. We passed time leisurely with humpback whales, harbor seals, icebergs, and glistening waters. Three straight days of sunshine and warm temperatures inspired gratuitous loafing and impetuous napping. With our group of seven, the journey was the destination. Their was simply no passing up the rare occasion for genuine Alaska hedonism...

...supplemented with a little Sunny Cove-style epicureanism.

Our second campsite, somehow more divine than the last, was not only a springboard for further exploration, but became a temporary home for a temporary family. Fellowship of the sort is inevitable when surrounded by such pristine wilderness.

"Standing here, with facts so fresh and telling and held up so vividly before us, every seeing observer, not to say geologist, must readily apprehend the earth-sculpturing, landscape-making action of flowing ice. And here, too, one learns that the world, though made, is yet being made; that this is still the morning of creation." - John Muir

Dall's Porpoise on Grand Day Tour July 6

2011-07-25T00:19:00.000-07:00

The Grand Day Tour takes kayakers out to Aialik Bay's Holgate Arm in a small tour boat. Along the way it is common to view humpback whales, orcas (killer whales), Stellar sea lions, puffins, and the fastest marine mammal, Dall's porpoise. This porpoise is named after American naturalist W. H. Dall, averages 6-7 feet long, weighs approximately 300 pounds, and can reach speeds of up to 35 mph. Here they are playing in the bow wake of the Stellar Explorer on our way out of Ressurection Bay.

Holgate provides a humble retreat for a group from Japan

2011-07-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

The end of July spelled the beginning of rejuvenation for six adventurists from Japan. A small travel company brought their company owner and an outdoor chef that is renowned in Japan. All brought years of paddling experience to the cockpits of our new fiberglass boats. Audrey and I had a workout while the six of them styled every stroke. After moving in to Holgate cabin, the group joined Audrey and I on an evening paddle up to Holgate glacier (see below photo).

The water was calm as glass and every creak, growl, and moan of Holgate and Surprise glaciers could be understood in Japanese as much as every language. We had a late evening meal and arose the next day to spectacular weather! The water was flat and only small patches of bristle thin clouds found their way into our sky. Shortly after rounding into Aialik bay, a "kuma" (bear) appeared on a beach. We watched the solitary black bush stomper clamber its way up a scree slide and disappear into the alder patch and continued to Pederson Lagoon. Entering the lagoon shortly before high tide gave us time to enjoy our picnic lunch in the sun with wonderful views all around. There were tracks from a black bear that were perhaps left shortly before we had arrived. With bellies full, we entered the ice-sanctuary where Pederson glacier spills into the lagoon (below).

Our progress was glacial as we sat and observed the wonder of bergs and seals. As we left the land of incandescence we passed four other parties ready to crowd what we experienced humbly to ourselves.

The next day was too windy to paddle so we enjoyed resting and exploring near the cabin. We had an adventure to find water and found over 20 bear scats. Chocolate lilies and chipmunks brought us some fascinating observations. The final day was again serene. Our early morning paddle took us across Holgate arm to find oystercatchers, auklets, and lots of ice floating in the placid waters. Once we found ourselves as near the face of the glacier as safety allowed, we sat in awe at the calving and rumbling resounding between the narrow fjord walls.

After cleaning up camp, the sun allowed us to relax in warmth on the beach as we waited for our pickup. A few of us tested our ability to float in the frigid waters and bath in the sun in just our shorts. Just to top off the day, and the trip, we had a show from the AK pod of resident orca on the ride back to Seward! All said and done, the trip was a relaxing and brisk rejuvenation for everyone involved and excitement for the next trip has already set in for the entire group. Domo arigato goazaimasu Alaska!

Drought Makes Fox Island Seem Tropical

2011-07-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

Upon arriving in Seward, all the word was "the rain is coming...the rain is coming...are you prepared?" I have to admit, I was considering calling NASA to see what they use to stay dry. As it has turned out, the weather in Resurrection Bay has been warm and sunny, allowing Sunny Cove to stand up to its name. I had heard many people on the Fox Island trips comment on how Tropical the spit appeared.

A view of the Fox Island spit / Paddle talk on Fox Island (right)

August is nearing and the weather for the moment has returned to the typical Seward drizzle, and yet people are still loving the adventure of our three hour trips!

Season's start

2011-06-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

It's spring... snows melting, fiddle head ferns are sprouting, whales breeching and the cottonwoods blooming. Sunny Cove guides are busy training.

Guide training involves 10 days of intense activity. Kayak instruction skills is just one topic.

We also focus on natural history, getting acquainted with the birds like the tufted puffin above. Many of our guide staff come to us with a natural history background.

We spent an afternoon at the Alaska Sealife Center checking out the displays and doing a behind the scene tour of the facility.

Our three day kayak camping trip was a great way to get guides acquainted with the area and Sunny Cove food. We ate well.

The rest of Seward was also celebrating spring. Luna Dance Circle performed in front of our reservation office at the Small Boat Harbor.

We've been enjoying some great paddling with lots of wildlife. Yesterdays outing included sea otters, sea lions, a humpback whale and a swimming bald eagle.

The eagle had selected a fish a bit to large to fly with and had to swim to short to land its meal. Red salmon for dinner.

March Adventures - Lowell Point Paddle/Hike

2011-03-29T17:02:00.000-07:00

It's been an odd March in Seward. Most of the month has been cold and sunny with very little new snow. Skiers have found themselves ice skating, hiking, and paddling. We've taken advantage of the weather to do some combination paddle/hike trips up the drainage's along Resurrection Bay.

Starting at Lowell Point we paddled down to Tonsina beach. Landing at Tonsina we grabbed our ski poles and started up stream towards a rumored waterfall in the back of the valley.

An hour creek walk brought us to this spectacular waterfall. This is an area that would require bush bashing/stream wading to get into during the summer.

Nothing like a picnic lunch on Tonsina beach. The trees are ghost trees killed by the 1964 earthquake. When the land here dropped approximately 6 feet the tree roots were exposed to salt water. This killed the trees and preserved the standing deadwood.

On the paddle home we encountered a sea otter, two sea lions and a seal. They all checked us out. They don't see many winter paddlers and seemed more curious then usual. Another beautiful Seward day.

John

Five days in wonderland

2010-08-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

A magical morning welcomed our third day of paddling. Friend Harry Brod was back for another Northwestern adventure bringing with him the Tuttle and Singer families and his girlfriend Courtney Cox.

We got to experience a mix of weather. Good rain gear is a must for a comfortable trip.

We didn't let a bit of rain limit the fun... The fjord was absolutely beautiful with mist, waterfalls and bergy bits.

We had a sunny day to break camp for a move to a new campsite closer to Harris Bay.

It's amazing to think this was all under ice 75 years ago...

Beach time... Jack and Allan brought guitars...

Two serenity shelters kept bugs to a minimum.. Really good food kept us fueled.

It seemed all to soon that we were packing up for our charter boat to pick us up. Another great trip.

John

Northwestern Fjord 7.26-7.28

2010-08-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

The first day of our 3-day adventure arrived with low clouds and rain, enshrouding our camp in a beautiful mist.

The rain didn't stop us from paddling. We just threw on our rain gear and headed down the coast! Audrey shows us the way...

The next morning, we peered out of our tents to see the clouds breaking!

Audrey and I put the coffee on before heading out for a full day paddle.

We headed out towards Anchor and Ogive glaciers making our way towards Northwestern Glacier.

Heading towards our landing for lunch.

Sun...smoked salmon...and the view!

The afternoon was filled with curious harbor seals...

and crackling bergy bits.

Eventually we had to head back to camp (even though we didn't want to).

Day three we packed up camp before paddling a short distance to the beach at Southwestern Glacier.

Pictures just don't do justice for the size of this thing!

Eventually we had to head back to load our gear onto our ride home.

Goodbye Northwestern Fjord!!

-Stephanie

Aialik Bay Exploration

2010-07-28T16:17:00.000-07:00

Ice and mist welcomed our second day of paddling in Aialik Bay. Holgate Glacier had been especially active during the night so the ice was thick.

Kat and I were excited to have Mark and Joan Strobel from Minnesota up for the third year of paddling.

It was a beautiful day on the water. We paddled from Holgate Arm to Pederson Lagoon enjoying the sunshine and flat seas.

It was a spectacular afternoon at the Lagoon.

Not every day is sunny. Our third morning dawned dark and wet. Despite the rain we had a great paddle. Nothing like paddling through bergy bits and slush.

We spent the morning exploring the coastline... what a beautiful place.

John

Return to the Heartland - Northwestern Fjord

2010-07-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

One of the most magical places on earth... Northwestern Fjord. After a five year absence it felt like I was going home.

Unbelievable ice !! Waiting for a caving event.

Visiting the natives of the area- cute harbor seals.

Anchor glacier and Erratic island what a contrast!

Looks like my collapsable hoop works just fine. This is a first... glacier hooping. I do wish I could live here.

Joellyne

Seward 4th of July celebration and the Mt Marathon race

2010-07-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

Few places celebrate July 4th with more enthusiasm then Seward. One of the big draws is the Mt Marathon race.

This is the 2nd oldest foot race in the United States. Up to 30,000 spectators visit Seward to witness
the 3 mile long and 3000 vertical running/climbing event. Top time for the men this year was 44.40 minutes.

This is a pre race view from up on Marathon face. Its an exciting run down. This years winner Trond Flagstad downhill time was 10.34 minutes. Cedar Bourgeois from Seward claimed her 7th victory in the women's race.

Racers flew by the crowded finish line.

There were plenty of other activities for visitors on the 4th including a parade, live music and lots of booths and goodies...

Orca Raising Party

2010-07-08T15:13:00.000-07:00

When first year Sunny Cove guides have completed training and are ready to lead trips independently we have an Orca raising party welcoming the new staff into the pod.

New guides getting their jackets this year include Brian Studiale, Kayti Rowen, Mike McGrath, and Anne White.

To help celebrate we invited a few friends over including the band Salem. For the last couple of years Sunny Cove has been graced by an annual visit from the Colorado based band. Fortunately for us band leader Todd Anders Johnson is into kayaking. Its not often that Seward gets music this good...

The party was a great way to kick off the 4th of July weekend.

Saxophonist Kenny Blackwell getting the crowd dancing.

Salem does original music - a mix of jazz, funk and afro-cuban rhythms ... Check them out at
http://www.salem-music.com/

Guides Frank Coyle and Anne White were just two of the people with big smiles at the party.

Photos from Lowell Point, Tonsina Point and Caines Head

2010-06-16T18:19:00.000-07:00

Located two miles south of Seward is Lowell Point, an eclectic beach community overlooking Resurrection Bay.

Some are lucky enough to have Lowell Point for a summer home. SC guide Brett Manary heading out for a paddle.

Lowell Point is the end of the road for this side of the Kenai Peninsula and the gateway to Caines Head State Recreation area. Sunny Cove offers 3 hour paddles to Tonsina Point and full day paddle/hike trips to Caines Head.

This Tonsina beach photo was taken last fall.

The tree framing the picture is part of a ghost forest. During the 1964 earthquake Tonsina Point dropped approximately 6 feet putting the tree roots into salt water. The salt killed the tree but preserved the wood leaving us 46 year old standing deadwood.

Caines Head offers great hiking. Trails meander along the coast mixing temperate rain forest hiking with beach walking.

The main trail out to Caines Head is tidally affected with portions passable only at low tide. It’s a great overnight backpack.

Little creeks meander through the Sitka spruce, devils club and blueberries toward the ocean.

It’s possible to find some very pretty waterfalls tucked just off the trail.

North Beach at Caines Head has an historic pier which was built in 1941 to enable construction of Fort McGilvray. The fort was built to guard the entrance to Resurrection Bay and the port of Seward during World War II.

Fort McGilvary sits atop Caines Head 650 feet above Resurrection Bay. Bring your flashlight to explore the underground Fort. The views from eastern gun mount are spectacular.

Sunny Cove staff training

2010-06-03T16:49:00.000-07:00

Season is upon us. As the days grow longer life gets busier. Staff training kicks off startup. Ten full on days of learning, practicing and exploring.

From wind and weather discussions on the Lowell Point beach …

To presentations on natural history on the Resurrection River trail …

Nothing is overlooked … guides even practice cooking for our kayak/camping and day trips.. we’ve got a great new menu. Gunnar, Mike , Nick and Tom cooking.

We also practice rescues both in the pool and in Resurrection Bay. We rarely have to rescue anyone but if needed we’ve got it down.

We got lucky on weather ... Lowell Point flat calm and sunny

We still had a bit of time for fun .. Operations Manager Stephanie Millane showing the latest hoop moves.

Not to be outdone Office Manager Kat Chandler demonstrates orca riding.

Springtime in Seward

2010-05-24T21:23:00.000-07:00

As Spring approaches seasons blend. The mountains are still snow covered and choices for a days activity range from hiking to biking to skiing or paddling.

For this sunny day skiing Mt Marathon was the choice. We climbed into the bowl for some great turns on nearly perfect corn snow.

Hard not to smile on a day like this ...

Long days allow for multiple activities. Early evening paddles are a nice way to finish a day.

We weren’t the only ones enjoying the water that day. Steller sea lions greeted us as they cruised Lowell Point. They appeared to be chasing an abundant run of Herring and perhaps Dolly Vardin. Along the way they found us interesting enough to stop for a moment to check us out. I’m not sure what the sea lions thought.

January in Seward

2010-01-28T15:59:00.000-08:00

We’ve had folks wondering what Seward is like in winter so we’ve promised a few photos. Our opening photo is from Lowell Point, a familiar place to our paddlers.

Seward hosts some great events in January including the annual Polar Bear fund raiser.

If leaping into frigid water not your thing … how about turkey bowling. Yup that’s a turkey that’s being tossed.

We’re starting to see some sun making the cross country skiing on Bear Lake even better.

Backcountry skiing has been excellent.

Moonrise over the mountains. The ski down was superb.

While I was skiing Kat was fishing. Dolly Varden for dinner.

Paddling is wonderful any time of year. Gunnar and Anna out for a sunset paddle.

John

Paddling the Exumas

2010-01-28T15:00:00.000-08:00

The Exumas are the Alaska of the Bahamas. October was the month our friends and fellow kayak company owners Steve and Ronda (Adventure Kayaking) could break free for some fun exploring.

Steve and Ronda base in Vero Beach, Florida and when not paddling on Indian Lagoon head to the Everglades and the Bahamas. Kat and I had paddled with them before but this time we all wanted to explore the islands between Georgetown and Staniel Cay.

Warm water and white sand beaches are a winning combination. We loaded up the kayaks and headed out. The sails helped with 14 days of food and a week of water. We were able to refill water mid trip.

This was a gourmet trip. Kat and I gained weight on a camping trip … not an easy thing to do. We’re all good cooks but Steve and Ronda went all out. Shrimp, scallops and lobster were just some of the main courses we enjoyed.

Along the way we encountered some new friends. Both Ronda and Kat took a liking to the friendly iguanas that shared their island with us.

Weather was occasionally rough by Bahamas standards. It didn't stop our group from enjoying each and every day.

Warm water makes even challenging conditions fun.

We were sad to leave our new friends but excited about returning home to an Alaskan winter.

John & Kat

Fall Adventures of John & Kat

2010-01-22T21:45:00.000-08:00

Fall – kayak seasons wrapped up. It’s time to soak up the diminishing heat of the sun and camp one more time before snow. One trip on our short list is a combo hike/paddle from Cooper landing to Seward via Kenai Lake and the Lost Lake trail.

The yellow red colors are rich. The air smells of fall, pungent with seasons' end. We check the weather and decide to begin with the Lost Lake hike.

The snow lines working down but the air has warmth mid day. We’re the only ones hiking the trail that day. Not a marmot, porcupine or bear in sight. Kat checked.

The trail is about 15 miles long. It has some elevation gain/loss at the beginning and end, with the middle 8 or so miles cruising a high plateau. Lost Lake is in the middle and as you can see quite beautiful.

Since we started at the Primrose end of the trail we finish in Seward with an overview of Resurrection Bay. Made even better by late afternoon light.

Next morning comes early with packing and a drive to Cooper Landing. By mid day we are paddling. Sunny and flat, by mid afternoon its an Alaska heat wave (almost 60f). We couldn’t have asked for a better day to end September. We split the distance and camp about half way down Kenai Lake.

We find one of the few remote picnic tables I’ve encountered, perched in a perfect spot. We pitch our tent and settle in for the evening.

The Sunset is spectacular...

As is the moonrise... Three days of reprieve from winters awaking. We toast fall and the wildness of Alaska.

John & Kat

Close encounter of a Orca kind- Northwestern Fjord 8/1-5

2009-08-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

Northwestern Fjord is a special place. A slice of wilderness paradise. Not easy or inexpensive to get to but ... worth it. A 3 hour charter boat ride started the trip.

Travel companions included Harry and Charles Brod and Bill Byers. Sunshine and seals greeted us as we paddled toward Anchor and Ogive glaciers.

Our trip included some bushwacking and glacier morraine hiking. Its an incredible area to explore by foot or paddle.

What a landscape

Everywhere you look is a picture.

Not every day or trip is sunny. We get our share of rain and usually we're compensated on those days with good wildlife sightings. Our paddle day to Harris Bay started with a mellow drizzle. As the wind waves and rain intensified so did our wildlife encounters. First we had humpback whales in the distance then we noticed a pod of orcas coming our way. They were an easy spot with a whale research boat and a Kenai Fjords Tour boat also viewing the orcas. The orcas however were more interested in us. This short clip is just one of the passes the whales made to check the kayakers out. They were curious and at no time did I sense that we were in danger. I think some folks on the tour boat thought we were about to be dinner.

Aialik Adventure - guide training

2009-07-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

Sunny Cove offers pre season training for our guide staff. This year we were again fortunate to have one of the experts on Kenai Fjords join us. Mike Tetreau spent 20 years working as a resource manager for the National Park and currently consults with Kenai Fjords and Olympic National Parks. Peter Waterman, Brett Manary and I spent several days with Mike exploring Aialik Bay. This is our first camp site.

Abra Cove has spectacular waterfalls making even rainy day paddling beautiful.

Quite the campsite

Hiking in Aialik is challenging but offers rewarding views

One of our adventures involved paddling some infrequently visited lagoons. Late spring snow made dragging the kayaks into the lagoons easier

Even the experts have a difficult time telling a sea lion skull apart from a bear skull. We eventually decided it was a bear.

The sun came out to brighten our paddle to Aialik Glacier.

Aialik Bay Guided Rental June 4-7, 2009

2009-06-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

Audrey kicked our season off with a 4-day paddle in Aialik Bay. This trip was a guided rental and the paddlers, Mary, Tracy and Kristen had reserved the Aialik Cabin. Audrey took a lot of photos while on the trip...below are a few.

Audrey

View from Coleman Bay

Aialik Glacier

Aialik Glacier and Paddlers
Pederson Lagoon

Mary in Abra Cove

Guided rentals are a good way to go if you have your own camping equipment and you want to save a few bucks. We offer guided rental options on all of our overnight trips. You bring the food and camping gear, we'll bring the guide and paddling equipment!

Seward Adventures

2009-05-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

Well...I had an opportunity to get out into Kenai Fjords National Park and Aialik Bay another way...by tour boat. While its not exactly the one on one experience you'll get in a kayak it sure is a good way to cover some serious distance. We traveled through Resurrection Bay, along Caines and Calisto Head, into Porcupine Cove, around Cape Aialik and finally to Holgate Glacier before returning.

Before we even made it out of the Bay we had our first encounter with a North Pacific Sea Otter.

Then the Dall's Porpoise made their way over. The Dall's love to bow surf with the big boats.

As we made our way towards Cape Aialik we found ourselves in the middle of a show. Our boat captain had found a group of two pods of resident Orcas and set us up in a good position to view that allowed for plenty of distance to allow the Orcas space. Now, you may look at that picture and think..'wow, that looks pretty close to me!' Well, it is! Three of the Orca's made their way to the boat, swam UNDER the boat and then proceeded to give us a show that lasted at least 15 minutes.

Wow, right! Can't really top seeing something like that....

But, we tried our best and headed over to Holgate Glacier. The glacier wasn't overly active, but the day was beautiful!

Interested in learning more about Orcas? Try this link or this link...

Want to combine a wildlife cruise with a few hours of kayaking in front of Holgate Glacier? Check out our Grand Day trip or email us at kayakak@alaska.net.

-Stephanie

Spring paddle and ski

2009-05-09T13:57:00.000-07:00

Early April offers lots of fun outdoor opportunities. We loaded up the touring skis and paddled out to Tonsina Creek for a ski up the river drainage. Its one of our favorite winter tours.

All it involves is a switch from Xtratufs to ski boots. The frozen Rivers provide easy access to areas which would be much more challenging to visit during summer.

It was a beautiful day to explore. We took a nice lunch and a bottle of wine. Temperatures were in the lower 30s, very comfortable especially when skiing.

It's a couple of miles to the end of the valley. The mountains climb steeply from the valley floor. We passed by several avalanche chutes all showing recent activity. We'll save any mountain exploring for a more bombproof avalanche day.

Winter Paddle in search of a Humpback Whale

2009-02-26T14:57:00.000-08:00

Close encounters with a shore cruising Humpback Whale encouraged us to take a paddle. With temps in the high teens, no wind and bright sun the day was crisp. The water was beautiful. We dug the kayaks out and headed toward Tonsina Creek. My first encounter was with a shy sea otter who was munching a crab. By the time I got my camera out he was gone.

With poggies and layered clothing we were warm and comfortable. The eagles that soared above and the seal that swam near me also appeared comfortable. It was a stunning day.

The Humpback didn’t appear but it didn’t matter. We paddled yesterday and will ski today. It's an incredible time of year and we're enjoying it.

John and Kat

November Paddle

2008-11-12T16:01:00.000-08:00

We woke to sunshine and snow. The choice today was to ski or paddle. Paddling won.

I caught high tide at Tonsina, Four seals were also enjoying the beautiful day.

The mountains are tempting today. Another snow and it will be time to break out the telly skis

What a beautiful place

John

Fall paddle - 10/3/08

2008-10-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

It felt like a mid summer day. Resurrection Bay was flat calm, sunny and absolutely beautiful paddling.

We paddled down to Tonsina Creek to check on the salmon. There were still a few pink salmon swimming. Fish fuel the ecosystem here and the eagles, ravens, and gulls were feasting.

Paddling here is possible year around. We frequently paddle down bay in winter to ski up the Tonsina drainage.

Life is slowing down, days are shorter and the temperatures are dropping. While Sunny Cove is no longer offering tours we're busy preparing for 2009.

Paddling toward Lowell Point

Another beautiful day.

Aialik Bay 7.31-8.02.08

2008-08-04T12:54:00.000-07:00

Our trip was fantastic! We had a great crew...Karl and Craig, father and son, Harry and Susan, seasoned paddlers, Melissa and Ken, first timers to AK, Sarah, solo backpacking through AK and Thom, my brother, kidnapped for a birthday trip.

Here's Jillyin....my co-guide posing in front of Holgate Glacier. We had perfect weather this day with a bit of sun, minimal wind and comfortable temperatures.

Jillyin gets a photo of Sarah and Thom in front of a huge berg in Pederson.

Our second day we paddled into Pederson Lagoon. This is always a highlight, even for the guides, mostly because we can't always make it into this special place. The tide has to be just right for this option to work out in our favor.

Pederson Bergs.

Glassy waters of Pederson.

The crew exiting Pederson Lagoon.

Jillyin with Ken and Melissa in Aialik Bay.

Tufted Puffin

Paddling the sea cave at Holgate Head.

Our third day was a bit soggier than the rest...but that didn't ruin our fun. After a short morning paddle we load up onto the Stellar Explorer for our wildlife cruise back into town.

Sea Otter

Sea Lions basking in the sun.

-Stephanie

Northwestern Fjord - July 11-15 2008

2008-08-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

Northwestern Fjord is one of my favorite places. This July we had 5 great days of paddling and exploring.

Mark and Joan joined Sunny Cove Office Manager Kat Chandler and I for a week of adventure.

One of the residents we ran into was a swimming, rock climbing black bear.

Our serenity shelter provided comfortable surroundings for evening meals and breakfasts.

Lunch locations varied but were always spectacular.

Nothing like having your own beach. Incredible place and trip.

We were mugged by humpback whales!!

2008-07-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

This is a first for us and for the boat captain Tanya. While heading out of Resurrection Bay for a three day Aialik Bay excursion our group encountered two humpback whales. Tanya saw them in the distance and stopped for some whale watching. As usual, she shut down the motors hoping the whales would come closer so that we could all get a good view.

Well, we definitely got a show. These guys wouldn't leave us alone for nearly an hour! Tanya could not start the motors because the whales were underneath us. This was a fantastic opportunity and Gunnar, our guide took advantage of taking some video. Both of our guides, Gunnar and Brett, and their guests, a family of five, were blown away. This was a once in a lifetime experience!

This trip was also able to make it to Pederson Lagoon. Luckily, the tide was just right to get into the lagoon and Gunnar was able to make this awesome video!

-Stephanie

Aialik Bay 5/28-30,2008

2008-06-05T15:57:00.000-07:00

We started off the kayak/camping season with an international mix of adventurers. Karina and Simonette joined us from New Zealand, Adrian and Melissa traveled from Australia and Jerry, Beth and Megan flew in from Kentucky.

Spring in Alaska can hold surprises. Beaches are usually snow free by late May... Fortunately the weather cooperated. Lots of sun and comfortable temperatures made snow camping easy.

Guides Brett and Marika made sure we were well fed. Don't plan on losing weight on a Sunny Cove trip.

Paddling in the Holgate Arm is fantastic... cruising through the bergy bits.

While the days were active there was time to kick back and soak up some of this beautiful place.

The biggest challenge was having to leave. Fun people and a spectacular place made me wish we had another day or two to continue our explorations.