Flying To Alaska, Day Six, The Pink Salmon Opener

It was fourth and last day on the water as I paddled up into Shoup Bay to see the glacier and spend the night before heading to Valdez.  There is an actual river coming out of the head of the bay that I can’t paddle up, so I have to wait for after dinner when the high tide overwhelms the river and reverses flow, allowing me access to the glacial bay.  Luckily some salmon fishermen told me this because I hadn’t done enough pre-trip planning to know the high tide will do that.  Fortunately, you just don’t have worry about darkness so a “night” paddle up to see the glacier works just fine.

It was also an “opener” for Pink salmon so on the final paddle back the Prince William Sound was full of purse seining boats and their noisy skiffs, jockeying for position and dropping/dragging their nets around.  I drifted around watching the full cycle of fishing before using the incoming tide and a lucky tailwind to paddle back into the harbor.
I spent the evening sorting gear and flight planning for the second half of the trip starting tomorrow – flying above the arctic circle to backpack in the Brooks Range.

Next: Alaska Day Seven – Denali Flight!