[Paddlewise] Cross Sound to Glacier Bay Trip Report (Pt 2) Medium long

Part 2: Cross Sound to Glacier Bay
Cross Sound To Glacier Bay, Part 2

One can in fairness say that if May and June are the best weather in 
southeast Alaska one may actually get some. But to say that it will be outstanding 
weather most of your trip is the sea kayaker's lottery. It's 11AM and my Snickers 
bar on Cape Bingham is done and we enjoy the occasional following swell into 
Cross Sound. But really I'm hotter than hell and open up the neck buttons to 
my touring cag. Within the hour the breeze picks up enough to keep things a bit 
cooler. We pause along Soapstone Point looking due north and stare down the 
mouth of the Taylor Glacier, a huge face, 2 miles in width, but no longer 
tidal. The Fairweather range tears at the fabric of haze and sky, awash in ice.

The wind picks up a bit after lunch and small shore break keeps us on our 
toes with a rocky, dumpy landing. A slight drizzle puts the yellow jacket back on 
the weatherman, but in time it too, goes away. We bear toward Three Hill 
Island and ultimately find eddying water on the ebb not slowing our progress. As 
the wind picks up we raft to decide our approach to the Chichigof shore 2 miles 
away. Bob breaks off to head straight upwind and Scott and I weathercock our 
way offwind, then downwind to the Chichigof shore. Bob planned to go upwind 
awhile, then shift across the wind when confident of his angle. Those annoying 
little 2-foot wind waves keep the water slapping at chest and arms. Here there 
is no trough to hide from the wind, just an army ant-like column of liquid 
pests. I conclude Bob's path was best as he beat us to the far shore by 100 
yards.

We all find ourselves in Elfin Cove, Population 32, and Bob phones his wife. 
Scott wants a room, and as I've only been out a few days I suggest how costly 
one would be in prime season. Bob's ok with the idea and we find one at the 
Coho for 38 bucks apiece. The cost issue drowns in the beers we drank down at 
the pub but a fast start in the morning gives us a leg up through the currents 
of the Inian Islands. As cute as the town is and as kind the folks, I want to 
be on our way.

Large bodies of water draining through small passes present 2 problems: 
First, they produce fast currents and when combined with bottom topography lots of 
action packed hydrology. Secondly; the ebbs far outlast the floods. In the 
case of the Inian Island group we were never presented with a flood of greater 
duration than 4 hours within a week or two of our being there. It's that way 
typically in my home waters around Cape Flattery where the waters of Puget Sound, 
Admiralty Inlet and Georgia Strait usually prolong the ebb and shorten the 
flood on the flow of water around the American side of the strait. 

I noticed the potential right away on the charts and confirmed it in living 
room current planning work. So, that creates a timing issue. We need to go 16 
miles from Elfin Cove to Point Carolus at the mouth of Glacier Bay in 4 hours. 
As the speeds in the passes will give us a boost and the general flow of water 
is with us through Icy Strait I see little or no problem, unless the winds 
blow again. Icy Strait is a 5 mile crossing from our approach, and wind and 
ships are primary on my list of concern. The guy on NOAA's weather broadcasts says 
wind can be 5-15 knots from the west, but their accuracy on this trip is in 
the 20% range so I'm thinking bathtub. 

The first good sign is that the swells from Cross Sound in South Inian Pass 
are not as legendary as the warnings. Ok, a few bouncing 2-3 footers and the 
currents are at 2.5 to 3 knots. Even I can shoot a photo at my friends in this. 
Our first Humpback whales come into view. 1 or 2 grows to 4 or 5 as the whole 
of South Passage is filled with spouts and the occasional breach. Sea Otters 
raft up in small groups of 3 or 4. The endless eagles dive in for a catch of 
fish. I hope this place remains as so, or better, always.

At North Passage, the sea conditions are somewhere between bathtub and ice 
rink. If there was a tiny puff of air it had more to do with the whales than it 
did the atmosphere. We aim, conservatively at first, then shoot a bit more to 
the right, directly at Carolus, to save a few strokes. The cruise ship coming 
in from Icy Strait will no doubt fail to see us but she's steaming in so fast 
and distant I doubt we'll even see a wake for quite some time. By the time the 
wake hits us a salmon breach is more lively.

With our crossing past the midpoint and now silent except for the drips of 
paddles I see a collection of fins parting the surface water. Thinking it's a 
fish ball I paddle a few strokes over to take a look. What it was, was a small 
baitfish, lying stunned atop the back of a Halibut. The Halibut, maybe 2 to 2.5 
feet long appeared to be maneuvering it into its mouth, or going in for one 
more tail slap, I don't really know, he didn't say. It's backsliding eyes and 
widemouth were incredible to look at for the moment. I reach out and grab the 
Halibut's tail. It tail slaps my hand and lunges at my boat taking a bite at 
the Feathercraft. (I swear this is true! You can't make this stuff up!) 

*Hey! I yell, a Halibut just bit my boat.* Scott and Bob thought I was 
delusional, but I scooped up the stunned bait fish, as the Halibut had sounded 
already, I had some corroborating evidence of my story. Bob shot a picture but the 
little fish failed to spill the beans on the Halibut and I let it go to do 
what little fish do. We discussed Halibut, their typical roles of bottom feeding 
and the typical depth of 400-500 feet in the area. Still, I know what a 
Halibut looks like and know what bit my boat.

At Point Carolus the sun shines warm and when all is laid out to dry, the 
tents up and lunch down, Scott and I walk the river valley into the interior. 
Tracks of Moose, Wolf and Brown Bear are everywhere. Little things like River 
Otters and Heron mark their time in the mud. As the gallery of greenery closes in 
overhead and my grip on the bear spray grows tighter we turn about and 
contemplate the same tracks leading us back to camp. One more crossing to do: Point 
Carolus to Bartlett Cove, Glacier Bay.
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************