In July of 2004 I spent two weeks in Alaska on an Outward Bound kayaking expedition. We paddled and camped on beaches, carrying all our supplies with us. There were 8 students and 2 instructors. The emphasis in Outward Bound is teamwork; to get to your next destination everyone must work together.

Camping in the Alaskan wilderness is challenging. The mosquitoes can bite you through a tent wall. (No kidding!) Bears are always a concern - you never leave or cook food near camp and you always carry bear spray. We only saw one small black bear but large grizzly bears are known to be in the area.

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Map of Kenai Peninsula area Our first meeting at Fourth Of July beach Paul and Eric with one of the boats Wet-exits in the 45-degree water of Resurrection Bay Dinner at base camp in Seward
At the dock in Seward, waiting for our ride Small mountain of gear on the back deck of the boat Stellar Sea Lions on the way to Aialik Bay

We were transported from Seward to Aialik Bay where we learned more wet-exit and self-rescue techniques
in the kayaks and learned how to pack sleeping bags, tents, clothes and two weeks worth of food in a
kayak. The next day we headed further into Aialik Bay to Abra Cove.

A quiet morning at Bear Cove Soaking up some warmth after more wet-exit practice Getting the boats ready to travel Getting the boats ready to travel Our durable campsite. Rocks are considered 'durable' in OB
Heading out of Bear Cove on our way to Abra Cove On the way to Abra Cove On the way to Abra Cove On the way to Abra Cove Water break!
Abra's beautiful waterfalls A good place to fill canteens More waterfalls

We did see on black bear at Abra. He wasn't very interested in us.

The next day we were supposed to paddle across Ailaik Bay and camp next to the glacier on the other side but the winds
were very strong and we had to bail out on a rocky beach. Outward Bound loves rocky beaches to camp on since they're a
'durable' surface and you will not leave much trace, but rocks are not very comfortable to sleep on!

The only bear we saw on the trip We watch the bear watching us Shelly imitates an otter Setting up camp in Abra Couldn't make it across
Thank god for Therma-Rest

We were able to make it across the next day and camped on a sandy beach next to a calving glacier. Pieces of ice
weighing tons hit the water, sounding like far-off thunder.

Hiking on the galcier Majestic backdrop Tidal flat camp - sand is better than rocks! Having dinner while listening to the thunder of the glacier A nice spot for a meal

We spent the next few days paddling along Aialik Bay and after a really long 17-mile paddle we rounded the corner and
pulled into Harris Bay. We were pretty tired that night!

On our way to Quicksand Cove the next day The crew silhouetted by ocean and mountains Eric takes a break Pulling into Quicksand Cove Getting boats ready at Verdant Cove
Shelley and Paul making dinner Ryan at the water's edge View into Harris Bay was spectacular 500-foot waterfalls on a foggy mountain Wet, cold, tired and hungry after the 17 miles from Verdant
There was no shortage of gnats at Solo Beach

The next day we landed at an un-named cove futher down in Harris Bay. We found a stream that was strangely
warm. Most streams are ice-cold since they're all glacial melt. We followed the stream up to a lake that was
fed by a hot spring and was 80 degrees warm. We all enjoyed a swim, quite an improvement over Outward Bound's
sick tradition of swimming in near-freezing sea water at 6:00 AM every day.

Setting up camp Following the stream uphill... David and Ryan making their way up the stream Steve pauses mid-stream What a nice swim!
80-degree water!

On our last couple of days we paddled around Harris Bay and went down to Striation Island, We weren't able to land on the
island; there was no place to pull up the kayaks. We diverted across the bay for lunch, then paddled up to our last
campsite and pickup point.

Day paddle to Striation Island Plenty of ice in the water from the calving glaciers It's as cold as it looks! A beach across from Striation that we stopped and had lunch at L to R: Ryan, Shelley, Yanli, Eric, David, Josh, Paul, Steve, Jocelyn
Pair of Bald Eagles in a tree Northwest glacier fjord, from the pickup boat Harding Ice Field waterfall in a 500-foot groove Looking back at Striation Island Paul, Yanli and Shelley eat lunch aboard the Stellar Explorer
Harris Bay in our wake Another tidewater glacier on the way back to Seward A pod of Pacific Whiteside Dolphins in Resurrection Bay


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