The Lake on Bear Glacier - big floaty ice bits!

I received an email out of the blue from Ron, the kayak guide from Backcountry Safaris who showed me around Bear Glacier on my recent travels to Alaska. He’d just returned after packing down his camp in the woods for the Winter, and had a couple of photos of our trip. Now I know I’ve probably bored you all to death with all my Alaska photos, but it reminded me what a truly spectacular place it is, and how handy it was to have my Folbot Cooper with me.  Plus, it’s my site so I can do what I like – haha!  Cheers – FP

Looking at Bear Glacier, the Harding Icefield's biggest chunk of moving ice.

Panasonic Lumix Life Photography Exhibition, Sydney

I recently submitted ten of my Alaskan kayaking photographs to a competition and won a place in their final exhibition, held in the Global Gallery in Paddington, Sydney. For a whopping four hours too – haha! I took my family down there to have a look and it may well be that we were the only ones who saw it, so to make sure some other people saw it too we took a few photos. So here it is – and a huge thanks to everyone who voted online for me, I know I harrassed you all too much!

Bloody big Panasonic flat-screens with photos of Alaska

Exhibitor collage - my photo of the Alaska Railroad featured prominantly

A perfectly nice picture spoiled by some fat bloke...

Sunset on the Alaska Railroad

To finish off my Alaska series, I wanted to mention the journey between Anchorage and Seward via the Alaska Railway. This magnificent railway trip, whilst for me a matter of transport to the watery beauty of Resurrection Bay, is also a tourist Mecca for visitors to see the wonderful mountainous and glacial landscape bordering the Harding Icefield.

I had my Folbot Cooper folding kayak “Tabasco” in  a backpack with me whilst speeding through the Alaskan wilderness, awaiting its maiden journey. I was admittedly impatient to get myself, and my new kayak, onto the waters of this harsh yet beautiful place. But even in this state I was drawn to the windows and the views of the incredible landscape, and moose, and trains smashed on the side of the tracks after the previous Winter’s avalanches!!

Enjoy the pics, and a huge thanks to the people of Alaska who made my trip simply amazing.

The view from the train window - Alaska

Opaque glacial lakes, and extremely cold water!

My last Alaskan sunset, Anchorage

Kayakers Cove, Alaska. Look closely, there's a cabin in there!

My final kayaking experience in Alaska took me to the south-east end of Resurrection Bay and a hostel known as Kayakers Cove. This cabin in the woods is really basic – no power, no plumbing, a shared dorm etc – and has a backdrop of snow-capped mountains directly behind it. There I met a range of other papplers staying there, both locals and visitors.

What sets it apart is it has been designed with paddlers in mind. There are a range of kayaks available for cheap hire, as well as masses of miscellanous paddle gear such as hand-pumps, PFDs, paddles etc.  A stony ramp leads directly into the water from the cabin and makes a great launch area for kayaks.

Amazing coastline, Resurrection Bay Alaska

The paddling was impressive. The area is surrounded by mountains and steep cliffs plunging into the fjord, and holds a tidal range of no less than 18 feet. In terms of wildlife, the area is rich in fauna. The water is teeming with fish and lion’s mane jellyfish (the biggest species of jellyfish in the world). Crazy-looking Puffins fish around you. Sea-otters float past lounging on their backs. Pairs of bald eagles sitting in the tree-tops watching the world carefully. And at one point, I found myself paddling in the middle of a pod of white Beluga whales.

Mountains, forrest and clouds. Beautiful Alaska.

A few kms from the Cove is a small creek and waterfall system that serves as a spawning ground for pink salmon. As I paddled up the creek I found myself surrounded by thousands of these massive salmon during their spawning cycle. And keeping a watchful eye on my progress, a family of otters nearby chattered wildly as if telling me I didn’t belong there!

This area is beautiful and seeing it all from my kayak was a perfect way to finish my Alaskan paddling experiences. If you’re thinking of doing a kayak expedition to Alaska, believe me when I say you won’t be disappointed.

Majestic mountains everywhere. Alaska.

The rugged coast of Resurrection Bay

Alaska is a huge state with a small population, 75% of which live in one town, Anchorage. The rest of the state is remote and largely inaccessible unless you have a plane, a helicopter, or a specialised boat. My main paddling destination, Bear Glacier, is one such remote area.

There are only two ways to get to Bear Glacier; by helicopter (at times dangerous in the incredible winds that can be produced over the ice-fields) , or via a specially designed boat which can travel in both big seas and shallow streams. And there is really only one of these, operated by Matt from Aquetec LLC.

The shallow passage to Bear Glacier

Matt and his wife Heidi, who helped me organise most of my trip, are the type of people you hope to find on your travels. Open, knowledgeable and incredibly helpful, they went way beyond your average tour operator by making sure I saw the wilderness and wildlife so unique to Alaska, without being surrounded by the myriad of tourist-packed cruise ships so prolific in south-east Alaskan waters. Their knowledge of local animal and birdlife is incredible (in fact Heidi works at the nearby Alaska Sealife Centre and has a Masters of Ornithology) and the un-scheduled tour of the outlying islands off Resurrection Bay (and their various colonies of Puffins and Steller Sealions) was simply incredible.

Small remote island (and Steller Sealion haul-out) on the southern tip of the Bay

Close-up of the Steller Sealions, HUGE animals!

The experience I had with these guys was sensational, and unexpected, since I had thought their role was literally going to be one of transport. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Matt and Heidi are true ambassadors for their state, and I wish them all the very best on their “next adventure”.

Matt & Heidi on their 75' boat "Cathy G". Source: www.sewardwatertaxi.com