... Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 I have two questions for our NSPN community.1. Anyone planning to camp in Prince William Sound, Alaska next summer?2. Could those who have local knowledge about Prince William Sound, PM me? I am particularly interested in the waters between Whittier and Valdez and Glacier Island.I am in the early stages of planning a camping trip of 13 days to cross the sound and camp along the way next July.Warren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Martinsen Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 I spent two summers paddling in Prince William Sound. When I worked for NOLS in 2007, we paddled out of Whittier three times, never out of Valdez. Coolest trip was all the way down to the southwest corner of Montague Island, stuck our noses out into the open ocean, then turned around and headed back. The sound is huge, the scale of it is nothing like the east coast, especially the glaciers. But it's fairly flat and protected water, unless some weather comes in, then it can get choppy. The camping is pretty good with big beautiful beaches, the weather is usually good in July, although if a low moves in expect a lot of rain. Let me know if you have any specific questions. John M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethS Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 I was there about 20 years ago in Valdez, but only did a couple of day trips from there in a kayak. It is stunningly beautiful, I hope to get back there before too long. In the protected bays the water is pretty warm for the first 12 inches (from constant sunlight all summer) then it drops 15 degrees to below 50 about a foot down.... It's hard to know how to dress because the water and air can both change temp rapidly. Personally I would bring both a drysuit and a wetsuit even in summer, but I'm sure you could get by with just a 3 ml. wetsuit and paddling top. We were told to stay at least 1/4 mile away from the calving glaciers (I'm sure you know about this!) Sounds like a fantastic adventure!Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted September 28, 2013 Author Share Posted September 28, 2013 John,The NOLS Alaska program must have been amazing. Your observations are very helpful. One of my main goals for the trip will be to "get out and stay out" so water could become an issue. I do not plan to start out with a 13 day supply of water nor do I want to see civilization to seek water. In July, I can not count on rain storms to collect water during the trip. However, I have been reviewing the topographical land masses on two nautical charts (NOAA 16705 and 16708) and the presence of waterfalls look promising, especially at Point Pigot, Point Ester and Elf Point. What was your experience? Did you have favorite places to replenish your drinking water?Beth, I do feel myself being drawn to places in the world where the vista is grand, the people scarce, and the wildlife abundant. This trip should give me all three and plenty of bald eagles!Warren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Martinsen Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 NOLS does a pretty amazing job with their programs, I was lucky to work for them for a few years, and Alaska was always an amazing experience. That being said, I never went thirsty in Alaska, always lots of water everywhere. We usually camped next to a small stream, sometimes had to walk further upstream to get away from the salt, but could always find fresh water. Doing so you'd have to keep an eye out for black bears, as this is when you could sometimes spook them. I'd recommend making a lot of noise and having bear spray with you just in case. They would often be hanging out next to the streams catching salmon. Never had any issues with the bears (had one right outside my tent one night so close I could smell her and hear her cub snuffling) but we were a larger group, so they would usually split when we showed up. Every evening we would grab enough water to cook with, fill up bottles\hydration systems, and bring about a gallon or so to get started cooking when we hit camp the next day, so we could begin cooking while someone else would go fill up. The students never knew how we would be halfway through dinner while they were still getting enough water to cook with. Rainwater off the tarp was always a treat. A few of the instructors I worked with wouldn't even bother treating the water we got out of some of the better looking streams. A set of topo maps can help finding a water source, and give good detail of campsites. We had access to campsite beta for the entire sound (NOLS has been paddling up there since the 70's) but often we'd just camp wherever made sense to stop and looked good, lots of options. Some places we would camp and have to walk or paddle to find a water source, but that was a fairly rare occurrence. I'd highly recommend checking out a glacier, if you haven't put that on your agenda yet, pretty impressive and worthwhile. Good luck and have fun, great place to paddle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted September 29, 2013 Author Share Posted September 29, 2013 John,Your experiences are amazing and very helpful in adjusting my mind to a whole new world. I do hope I encounter black bears, perhaps from a safe distance! Wolves would be good as well. Yes, I definitely plan to see Shoup and Columbia glaciers. Maybe Meares or Cascade glaciers as well. Did you encounter the sea lion colonies on the south side of Glacier Island? Google Earth is a useful tool in helping to discover sights to see along the way. Next week my first reference book arrives, "Kayaking and Camping in Prince William Sound" by Paul Twardock. Are there others you would recommend?John, I am a little surprised how the current flows are not significant in the sections I plan to paddle. There are a number of live current stations in the northern end of the Sound and yet I do not see speeds much greater than 0.5kts. Originally I thought there might be some value to structuring the journey around paddling with the ebb in the AM and days around a full moon so I could get some added traction with help from the current, but it looks like it is hardly worth the effort. What were your experiences with the current?Warren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcoons Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 Thanks for the great posts about NOLS Alaska. Never heard of instructors cooking dinner at NOLS?? I could not message you offline. Perhaps you could answer offline so we don't clutter up this thread. Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipheb Posted October 2, 2013 Share Posted October 2, 2013 I paddled the sound for 12 days this past July with one of John's ex-colleagues. We left Whittier and headed to Harriman fiord. Awesome spot. Lot's of glaciers there. We camped across from Surprise glacier next to a river. I believe it was run off from Taboggan glacier. It rained for the first 5 days but it was still amazing. The scale was tough to get used to. Everything is so big. We had 8-9 campsites and never had trouble getting water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted October 2, 2013 Author Share Posted October 2, 2013 Hi Chipheb,Thank you for sharing your experience. I checked out the Harriman Fiord on my chart and it looks like an amazing place. Many glaciers and 4 to 5 thousand foot peaks all on top of each other. Upon closer examination I now see all the rivers and streams heading down from the peaks and glaciers. No shortage of water there!This past August I was camping in the San Juan Islands and the scale struck me as being grand compared to Maine. Now as I compare SJI to Prince William Sound on my charts, the grand scale jumps by the power of ten. Should be amazing!I do have a question or two. When you were camping in July, were there many bugs? What kinds?Warren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipheb Posted October 3, 2013 Share Posted October 3, 2013 No bugs the first week due to rain but when the sun came out and wind was light the no see ums were pretty tough. Minimal Mosquitos. We had head nets which I only used once. Bring an umbrella. The bugs don't seem to want to fly under it so it keeps the bugs off your head. The sun gets pretty intense too. Plus you will probably see some rain. We went from 3 layers in the rainy fiord to t-shirts and swimming at Culross Island when the sun came out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted October 3, 2013 Author Share Posted October 3, 2013 Is this the kind of umbrella you used. Seems great for paddlers, keeps your hands free!Warren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipheb Posted October 3, 2013 Share Posted October 3, 2013 Unfortunatley, no. I had a compact umbrella. Worked pretty well. Didn't use it paddling. Good for bugs, wind break/extra water break under tarp and bathroom roof. Potential sail while paddling. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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