17 Days Til Launch - Paddling Film Fest Tonight

The reality of stepping away from my life for a month is hitting harder everyday. My youngest daughter turned eleven today and we are planning several celebrations of her birthday over the next few days. Today is also the local paddling film fest, that I am partially resposible for helping to oraganize and host. I'm excited to share my Inside Passage expedition plans and inspire others to get involved in volunteering with our club. The film fest is always a fun night and a great event for our club and community.

I am finished editing my "lists" and am now packing all of my sods and sorts into bags to be packed and repacked into my kayak.As I check off errands on my to do list I feel the anxiety waning and the excitement rising. There are still many things I must accomplish before setting off including filing our club's funding applications this week, presiding over our annual general meeting next week, and teaching an introduction to sea kayak rescue skills course days before our launch. (Not to mention buy a few last minute items, get USD at the bank, celebrate Easter, mail food to Wrangell, upgrade cell service & InReach, and more) I really want to get a few long training paddles in too!

Leaving my everyday life feels like the hardest part of the expedition planning. So many things could happen while I am out there and unable to do anything for the people I love most. I can only have faith that I have planned for the things I could and trust in my loved ones to take care of each other and be well when I return. It is hard to tell my own daytimer that is normally crammed with appointments and deadlines that I am unavailable for the month of May. It is a mental challenge for this matriarch to leave the nest unattended for such a stretch. I'm not even at the Inside Passage and yet I am conquering my first major challenge. 

Trials of Training: 24 Days to Launch

 Portage Cove, Haines Alaska April 6, 2019

The plan was to circle the Chilkat Peninsula over two days, allowing ourselves the opportunity to work out gear packing subtleties and talk about last minute expedition planning. My paddling partner and I haven't spent a lot of time together over the last few months as we have very busy lives and schedules. This weekend was to be a chance to discuss our shared gear, our packing strategies, and shared food. We drove the five hours to Haines on Friday to set out early Saturday morning.

The marine weather forecast was not predicting friendly waters. Seas were at six feet on Friday when we arrived and settled enough on Saturday to two feet with a stiff wind of fifteen knots to allow for paddling. We put in with gentle wind waves that grew to three feet against the incoming tide. We enjoyed our surf session and soon the wind settled and our paddles carried us around Seduction Point. We chose not to camp at Seduction Point based on a nasty marine forecast for the next day and proceeded north up the west side of the peninsula. After a nautical mile we encountered our first whale spouting in a bay across from the Davidson Glacier.

We finished in Leitnekof Cove as the tide was going out and we were unsure how much further into the bay we would be able to paddle without getting stuck on the mud flats. A quick ride into town with a local to collect the car and we were back camping at Portage Cove for the night; after a bite to eat in the Bamboo Room as both of us were happy to not be rehydrating meals just yet. Having a meal made for us after 36km of paddling was a great luxury.

The next morning, taking advantage of the calm befoe the storm, we paddled north up the Lutak Inlet past the Haines Ferry terminal. We paddled slower, and closer to shore to enjoy looking at the inter tidal zone and the variety of life found there. After a few short hours as the wind was collecting itself, we returned to the car and made the long drive back to Yukon.