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Big 5 Kayak Challenge #5: Update 6 Are we there yet?...
This update comes to you from Juneau, Alaska’s capital city. The weather has not changed, we are still enjoying the long hot days.
Martin and I arrived here on Tuesday, two days ahead of our kayakers scheduled arrival. Tuesday evening, we were joined by Dave Gordon who will be joining the kayakers for the 'glory leg' in Glacier Bay. Thanks to the Alaskan Tourist Industry Association, we have been staying at the historic Baranof Hotel in the centre of downtown Juneau.
We have been closely monitoring the progress of the team since they departed Petersburg a couple of days ago. Having cancelled the rest day in Petersburg, reaching Juneau in the scheduled four days was always going to be a very tall order. Richard, Geoff and Aisling were all in need of some rest, and Rob was a little unsure of his ability to cover the 35 miles a day required.
I am pleased to say that the first three days all went as per the schedule, and the team were on course to reach Juneau Thursday evening. However, the half mile portage at the end of the Seymour Canal was still to be negotiated. There was supposed to be a narrow gauge rail track and trolley to help with the portage, but we had received conflicting information as to whether this still existed.
I am pleased to say, I have finally done some 'wild camping' myself. Wednesday evening, Dave and I hired an open canoe from Juneau Kayak Rental and paddled out to the nearby Coghlan Island. A deserted island just a mile or so from Auke Bay, Juneau. We built a fire and even ate the Be Well expedition food that has been sustaining our team on these long days of paddling. When the weather is as good as this, camping wild is a fantastic experience, though it certainly helps knowing that the small Coghlan Island has no bears. Thursday afternoon, Dave and I hired a 20ft aluminium boat to go and meet the team at the end of their portage, and follow them on to Juneau. We had hoped to help with the portage, but unable to find a suitable landing spot, we were forced to wait in Olivers Inlet for the team to emerge from the forest at the end of their portage.
Finally they emerged, nearly three hours after exiting the water at the tip of the Seymour Canal. The good news was the rail track and trolley was still there. However, the track was not designed with this unusually hot weather in mind. The lack of expansion joints had caused some of the rails to buckle due to the heat. On a few occasions, Geoff and Rob had to try and lever the heavy steel trolley back onto the tracks. Nobody thought the portage would be easy, but even with the trolley it proved to be far tougher than expected. Portage complete and back on the water, it was great to meet up with the team again. There had been no major problems over the previous three days, and everyone was holding up pretty well. Rob was suffering with blistered hands, and was just reaching the four day point that the rest of the team found so tough back in week one.
At 10pm, the team arrived in Juneau. Dave and I had to return the boat and were running a little late due to rough sea conditions. At 10.30pm we headed back to the hotel, expecting to see everyone checked in and resting up. We were greeted by Martin, he was watching the SPOT tracker and believed the team were still 6 miles away. With a little investigation, it appears Juneau is not quite where it should be on the Google map page, and the team had indeed arrived. We quickly headed to the harbour to try and find the team. Martin found Richard, Aisling and Rob, but there was no sign of Geoff. Geoff had arrived about 45 minutes before the rest of the team. We found his kayak, but no sign of Geoff. We had visions of him roaming around Juneau looking for us. Fortunately, he had called into a coffee shop for a hot drink and was back with us a few minutes later. Had we not found him, he had already been offered a bed for the night on one of the boats moored up in the harbour. Just another example of great generosity from the people we have met along the way.
The following morning, a team meeting was held to discuss the options available. Not sure if the team were able to continue kayaking all the way to Glacier bay, we had arranged some fall back options. The option of getting the ferry to Gustavus, the entrance to Glacier Bay was discussed. After a day of deliberations, it was decided that Rob and Dave would get the ferry to Glacier Bay that evening. This would enable them to spend more time paddling in and around the glaciers. Richard, Geoff and Aisling have all paddled this expedition from day one and as tempting as it may have been, they decided against the easy option. They felt they had enough energy left to continue paddling onto the final destination of Glacier Bay. It should take them two days to cover the 70 miles which will take them to the entrance to Glacier Bay. All going well, they will have two days paddling in Glacier Bay before being ferried back to Juneau to begin their journey home.
Saturday morning, the team were invited for breakfast at Suzanne’s house. Martin met Suzanne a few days earlier and she and her husband had been extremely helpful and interested in the expedition. We all enjoyed a fantastic smoked salmon breakfast in Suzanne’s beautiful waterfront home. Just what was needed to prepare the team for their 35 mile paddle. They are now well on their way to Glacier Bay and it looks like the good weather will last for the remainder of the expedition. Richard, Geoff and Aisling will meet up with Dave and Rob on Monday morning, they will then enjoy three days of paddling around Glacier Bay before heading back to Juneau to make their final journey home.
Wildlife spots since the last update include humpback whales, one of which nearly hit Richard and Geoff. The whale was just a metre away when it finally dived down under the kayaks. The team had a memorable encounter with a Grissly bear near the Pack Creek observatory area. The bears around Pack Creek are used to humans being around and the team paddled past just 10 metres away from a mother and cub.
Martin and I will be heading back to the UK before the team arrive back in Juneau. Richard will be writing the final update.
You can follow the teams progress via the live SPOT GPS tracker on http://www.spotadventures.com/user/profile?user_id=43684
To sponsor the team and find out more about this and our previous challenges, visit www.big5kayakchallenge.com
Until next time
All the best
Simon Bevan
Expedition Manager (Posted on the 14th Jul 2009 by timb) |
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