Juneau to Sitka

A week with Cathy and Tom:  July 19-26, 2008

Ann's sister, Cathy, and her husband, Tom, boarded Oso Blanco in Juneau for a week long adventure to Sitka, Alaska.  About a 200 mile trip, we covered some old stomping grounds - Taku Inlet and Tracy Arm - and new territory - west of Tracy Arm to Sitka.  If last week was "whale week" in Glacier Bay, this week (so far) is Grizzly week! 

Day one:  The weather on the first day wasn't looking very good.  In fact, had we been able to stay at our current float, we would have.  But we'd already squeaked out an extra day at the Intermediate Vessel Float (IVF) and another boat was coming in to fill our spot that morning.  Being that Cathy and Tom aren't much for sloppy seas, we were a bit concerned.  Tom had the patch on and Cathy was game, so we headed out.  Our original goal was the 40 mile trip to Tracy Arm.  Although the passage wasn't too bad, it was the "worst" we had seen since the open ocean.  (The waves were only 2-3 feet).  So we docked at Taku Inlet (25 miles from Juneau) around noon.  It was a nice day spent watching for bears (we saw one), setting the crab trap and walking the trails.  There was a huge rope swing in the woods that Bear loved.  It turned out to be a good stop.  We got four crab in two hours that we munched on for hors d'oeuvres the first night then made crab cakes for lunch the next day.  Fresh Dungeness is so delicious!  We looked forward to catching more!

Day two:  Seas were back to the normal calm as we made the short hop to Tracy Arm the next morning.  Getting there early afforded us time to travel up the inlet among the icebergs to the glaciers.  The ice was much thicker than the last time we'd been there so we weren't able to make it all the way to either glacier.  We got to the fork where we had previously turned left to North Sawyer glacier.  This time we turned right and went just a short distance to South Sawyer Glacier before we were forced to retreat due to ice thickening.  We were able to glimpse the northern glacier and see most of the southern one.  Then we headed out and to Gambier Bay for the night's anchorage.  On the way out of Tracy, we encountered a few whales.  On the way into Gambier, we got quite the whale show!  One whale breached over and over, so many times that we stopped watching after twenty minutes.  There were several others feeding along the shoreline.

Day three:  Calm seas continued as we cruised to Red Bluff Bay (about 60 miles).  This was a gorgeous anchorage with several waterfalls, high rocky sides and a meadow at the head of the inlet called Bear Meadow.  We ventured out in the dinghy, dropped the crab and shrimp traps, explored a river upstream where we spotted the first grizzly of the evening.  Peering through binoculars, he looked close, but was not really.  When we got back to the boat, we kept our eye on Bear Meadow.  Around 6:30 pm, the Bear party started.  A half dozen grizzlies came to the waters edge to play and eat grass.  A couple teenagers chased each other along the muddy shores.  One of the mother bear's was wary of the surroundings and stood on her hind legs.  These were very big bears!  It was quite the show and made this anchorage well worth it.  Gravy on this train was a dozen six inch+ shrimp in the trap and two dungeness crabs.  Seafood linguine for dinner tonight!

Day four:  A short 15 miles up to Warm Springs Bay at the "town" of Barnoff.  "Town" is in parenthesis because it really isn't much of a town.  Barnoff consists of one general store, 6-8 residences and a lodge.  The main attraction is the hot pools and public baths., which is what drew us there.  It was the nicest day of the week (it finally stopped raining!) and we anchored in a beautiful cove outside of town (the dock was full which turned out to be a plus).  We took the dinghy into "town" and walked to the hot spring pools.  We passed the public baths first and found them quaint but uninviting in their tiny, secluded rooms.  Our first attempt at finding the pools was unsuccessful and we turned back after a mile walk through the woods.  Asking people we met along the way, we learned we had passed them by - twice.  The find was worth the search as the pools sat at the head of massive waterfalls and were hot and hotter.  We were the only ones there and we soaked and drank in the beauty.  To top things off, an eagle glided by low over the falls as we basked in the warmth of the water.  It was idyllic.  On the way back in the dinghy, a small grizzly greeted us in our bay but way shy and high-tailed it into the woods when he saw us.

Upon leaving Barnoff, we noticed many fishing boats pouring in and rafting up.  The gill netter season must have closed and the fishermen were coming in to bathe and chill.  Our timing was just right. 

Note on commercial fishing:  Seasons open and close at the discretion of the Fish and Game Department.  When a limit has been caught, the season closes and the fishermen cease.  We have been watching the TV series, "Deadliest Catch" on DVD which is about crab fishing in the Bering Sea.  Very interesting!!  Then today we saw one of the boats from the series, season one.  Saga passed us in Peril Straight.  We were excited to recognize her!

Day five:   This was a travel day, from Warm Springs to Schultz Bay (about 65 miles), on our way to Sitka.  We saw several whales pass, some very close by.  It was another foggy, rainy, cool day.  Those make for good travel days.  The anchorage was fine and uneventful.

Day six:  We arrived at Sitka around noon (25 miles).  Eric was anxious to get into a slip as gale warnings had been issued beginning that afternoon and could continue for three days.  We also were not guaranteed a slip and it is first come, first serve.  So we were glad to arrive and dock.  Upon coming in, Bear spotted a couple kids on a fishing boat and they waved to each other.  Bear begged to go over to meet them even before we completed docking.  They turned out to be a really nice fishing family of four from Haines, AK (boat name:  Island Girl:  Martha, Michael, Sasha (12) and Nic (10)).  Bear played swords with the kids while we learned all about local fishing from the parents.  It was quite educational.

This area is good for "troller" fishing for Coho (silver) salmon at this time of year.  Trollers put down several lines with up to a dozen hooks here line and troll for the salmon.  Bells indicate a catch and they reel them in.  If they get 8-10 on a string, that is really good.  This season is slow, and at $2.50 per pound, even reeling in one fish at a time is worth it.  Martha and Mike need to catch at least 60 fish per day to cover the cost of fuel.  When we met up, they had only 70 fish aboard to go to the processing plant for three days of fishing.  They are here because of the gale warnings too.  They told us that Coho salmon that is caught on a line rather than with a seine is the top of the line as they are gutting and put on ice right away.  This keeps them fresher.

We walked around Sitka today and it seems pretty nice.  We'll get to know it more over the next few days. 

Day seven:  We really like Sitka.  The people are friendly, everything is in easy walking distance and there is a nice mix of local culture and tourist attractions.  The cruise ships must anchor here so the town isn't bombarded with tourists like Juneau.  We went to a Tlingit Dance show on Friday where a tiny six year old boy stole the show with his rhythm and charm.  

Day eight: Before Cathy and Tom flew back to Juneau, we celebrated Tom's birthday with a gluten-free lunch, complete with gluten-free brownies and ice cream.