Angoon

Greetings from Angoon, AK. Nick and I have arrived safely to our second resupply in the small Native community of Angoon. We came in early yesterday evening in the pouring rain and were incredibly fortunate to stumble upon the warm and inviting Kootznahoo Inlet Lodge, and it is by their graces (through the owners home computer) that we can add this post to the blog. Thanks Albert and Sally!!

We have had a fabulous two weeks and find ourselves warm, dry well fed and overall very prepared. We spent a week in Glacier Bay under clear skies and unseasonably warm temperatures. We took a charter boat from Park headquarters halfway up the Muir Inlet, and took a few days to paddle to the terminus of the Muir Glacier. This where our journey south would begin (and also the furthest point for home). We had a spectacular tour in the Bay and saw icebergs, puffins, humpback whales, sea otters and all the other usual stuff (YEAH!).

From Glacier Bay we crossed Icy Straight on nearly glassy seas and landed on Pt. Adolphus, a notorious humpback whale feeding ground. We were not disappointed in our viewing. When we set off to paddle away from the point, four humpbacks came up for breath no more than 20 ft. from our boats and headed straight for us. We must have taken them by surprise and they escaped collision only by diving right beneath our boats. It was a special experience but feel bad to have spooked these docile creatures.

We stopped in Hoonah for the Fourth and shared a rib feed with the community and then watched fireworks from a small island just out of town. We then paddled down Port Frederick to attempt the portage into Tenakee Inlet. It was easy going despite the quarter mile drag down a small creek.

One morning on our paddle out Tenakee Inlet, we were treated with a classic mist hanging from the hills, a rainbow and a pod of Orca whales actively working their way up the inlet. We made fast time on the glassy seas and arrived in Tenakee by noon. We tied our boats to the sea plane dock and wandered into town where we quickly found the harbor master sitting in front of the cafe sipping coffee. Tenakee is known for it's hotspring bathhouse and you bet we put our time in soaking our bones. Most of the down is built on stilts and hangs over the intertidal, such as this privy. Tide comes in, tide goes out.