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

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

Kayaking Resurrection Bay, Alaska in Folbot Cooper

It is very hard to describe Alaska in words. It is a place of extremes, both harsh and beautiful.  Green forests that simply stop part way up mountains, to be replaced by jagged rocky faces. Beautiful blue water that is freezing cold to touch. Locals that can be scary or nice.

I flew into Anchorage from Chicago with a bunch of US soldiers heading up to the military base at Fairbanks (nothern Alaska). From there I had a quick stop over before catching the Alaska Rail train through the most amazing scenery (including seeing moose) to Seward, a small town on the Kenai Peninsula that is the gateway for cruises and tours to the glacier fields.

Once there in Seward I spent the afternoon walking around the entire town, staring stupidly at the enormous snow-capped mountains that surround the town, before getting settling down in the Hotel Seward.

Now today’s paddling plan centered around trialling the Folbot Cooper (now named “Tabasco”). Of course 30 knot winds and breaking waves are not ideal for a test run of a new kayak, but it was my last chance before heading off to the glacier fields and I had to get a paddle in it done to make sure I could handle it before putting it in much more dangerous waters.

So I got a lift down to a rocky beach south of Seward and proceeded to put the kayak together, under the watchful eyes of gathering people.

Folbot Cooper on the "beach", Seward Alaska

And with a gathered crowd intent on watching me take off, I pushed the kayak out into the oncoming waves, jumped in quickly and took off.

Now the first thing that struck me was how much flex there was in the body. As I was riding over the oncoming waves the kayak would feel like it was bending under its own weight. But other than the feeling, the kayak proved to be extremely stable. In fact, much more stable than my Boreal Design Nanook (which surprised me, as I love my Nanook!). I could actually pack the paddle away under the deck rigging and know that I wasn’t going to need it to brace against the side-waves that were buffeting me.

So once I settled in and felt comfortable on the Folbot Cooper, I started to look more around me. And not ten metres away, a curious sea-otter was stretching its neck to get a good look at the fat guy in his red kayak! Well, I scrambled for the camera but in the face of the waves I found it hard. In the end, once I got the camera out the otter disappeared.

In general the snow-capped mountains surrounding the bay are just awe-inspiring. It really is hard not to feel something spiritual about their presence. I’m not sure my photos do them justice but they really do bring a huge smile to my face!

Anyway, after an hour paddling I brought the boat back in and disassembled it on the beach,  again in front of a small and curious crowd.  All up a very successful first paddle of the folbot, especially as I didn’t fall in!

Fat Paddler looking very content on the water at Seward Alaska