Both Craig and I love the outdoors, so it was only natural we chose to go sea kayaking for our anniversary!! Neither of us have been sea kayaking before. We have kayaked on lakes and rivers before, but that isn’t quite the same as the vast, cold ocean waters.
We started the morning with a beautiful, sunny drive to Whittier, AK–only about 30 minutes from Girdwood.
In order to get to Whittier, you have to drive through a tunnel–a tunnel that literally goes through the mountain range!!
The entrance into the tunnel/mountain.
Inside the tunnel/mountain.
Once we got to Whittier, we found the outfitter – Alaska Sea Kayakers – and put on all of our gear of for the trip. We were decked out in waterproof pants; tall, waterproof boots; the kayak “skirt” that closed off the opening; and a life jacket.
Then it was time to walk down to the harbor to start our adventure.
We loaded our things up. . . .
and were on our way!!
We saw a ton of waterfalls!! Now that the snow is melting off the mountains, waterfalls were everywhere. I love waterfalls!! I also love the sound they make!!
After kayaking for about 1.5 hours, we stopped to have some (much needed) lunch. I am always extremely hungry the day after my long runs, so I filled up on a lot of food.
During our lunch, we had some visitors!!! (Can you spot them?)
Two black bears!! (FYI: My “one-with-nature” husband spotted them.) Luckily they were pretty far away, but it definitely reminded us that we were in the wild!!
On our trip we also saw bald eagles, seals, a seal lion, and tons of birds.
We kayaked for another 3.5 hours after lunch–my arms were extremely tired by the end!!
It was a beautiful day for kayaking in Prince William Sound!! We had a wonderful time on our trip. Our outfitter provided us with top-quality equipment and a great guide, Victor, who was very knowledgeable, kept safety as a priority, and taught us how to kayak in the ocean.
After our kayaking excursion, we grabbed a bit to eat at Varly’s Swiftwater Seafood Cafe. We know the owners from church, so we stopped in to get some food and say “hi.” We had an excellent meal and awesome service!!
Even though the sun made it seem like 3:00 p.m., it was time to head home, unpack, and get some rest.
Questions:
If you came to Alaska, what is one thing you would be sure to do?
If you live here, what is your favorite thing to do during the summer?
My favorite thing to do is travel around the state and hike it’s truly am amazing place and most days even in the winter I can’t believe I get to call it home.
Kevin’s not very impressed with the animal sightings you had. He’s got one question: Did you come across any wild turkeys? Craig, after all, is an excellent turkey hunter!
Oh Kevin!! No, we did not see any wild turkeys on the ocean. . . maybe next time.
What GORGEOUS scenery – I especially love those waterfalls!!