Alaska 2017
MISTY FJORDS NATIONAL MONUMENT, WALKER COVE
DAY 7 : FRIDAY SEPT 29, 2017
Misty Fjords National Monument seems to gather all of the dramatic beauty that we had been experiencing all week into one place. With amazing fjords, 900+ m (3000 ft) vertical cliffs rising from the water, beautiful lakes, amazing waterfalls, and snowcapped peaks, it is an amazing place to explore.
Some of us took the opportunity to get up very early (yes, I actually got up early myself - again!) to explore the region by kayak. We had a quick breakfast on board and then launched our kayaks off the back of our ship to head up the fjord. We would later join our ship, which went ahead of us.
I was joined in my two-person kayak by another fellow traveler. She was super accommodating, letting me take photos while she helped keep us in place. As we headed up the fjords with our fellow kayakers, we often took side routes to tuck up close to the shore, watching for birds and small mammals along the shoreline and even gliding to just in front of steep, narrow waterfalls.
Water was plunging down the cliffs all along the way, with thin mist layers straddling the sides of the cliffs above the waters. We saw steep waterfalls and also ones that seemed to cascade gracefully over gradual rock slopes.
Once we were nearly caught up with our ship, we had an option to return to the ship directly or keep paddling up a side stream with our guide. Around half of us decided to keep at it. It was so worth it as we were able to watch a black bear on the other side of the wide stream, ambling along while exploring the water’s edge. I was happy to capture some of it in a short video clip on this page along with a few still shots. You have to look closely to see it as unfortunately I didn’t have my larger camera with me.
When all was done, it was time to enjoy another great lunch - we had really earned it after a long morning of wonderful kayaking!
For the rest of the day, our ship continued heading around Revillagigedo Island towards our final stop the next day in Ketchikan. The views never stopped.
At the end of the day, which was the end of our excursions, I captured the collection of water/mud boots which had served us so well during the entire trip. And of course, closing out a great excursion, one has to toast to an important crew member, my bartender and standing paddle board friend.
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SHORT VIDEO CLIPS
Watching a black bear on the far shore from our kayaks - no sound
PHOTO SHOWCASE
- click on any panoramic image for a larger view
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1709290003POne of our kayaking guides (only ones with one man kayaks) gets us ready to start into the fog over the water -
1709290004POur kayak group starts up towards Walker Cove to eventually catch up with our ship -
1709290005PEach kayak is free to do some extra exploration along the shoreline as we cruise up the fjord -
1709290009PWater falling over rock ledges and cascading down sloped stone into the fjord -
1709290011PMy kayak partner keeps us steady as I capture a photo of our fellow kayakers -
1709290012PMore waterfalls plunging over cliffs back up in the dense forest above the fjord -
1709290017POur kayaks head up the fjord passing cloud shrouded cliffs and approaching a very long waterfall -
1709290020PA short side paddle took us in to see this beautiful smaller waterfall -
1709290022PGetting in for a different angle it turns out there are two falls side by side -
1709290024PApproaching the very tall falls that we had been viewing for a while -
1709290028POne of the kayaks pauses for the view with the massive granite cliff, the waterfall and the clouds -
1709290031PTime to move past the long waterfall to see what’s around the next bend -
1709290033PAnother short trip to a crack in the shoreline to find, surprise, another waterfall -
1709290038PA different angle of the very tall waterfall reveals that it consists of several parallel streams of water plunging down the cliff side -
1709290046POur kayakers continue on to find more waterfalls, cliffs and amazing views -
1709290052POne of the kayaks pauses to take in yet another dramatic waterfall -
1709290054PAs we get closer to our waiting ship in Walker Cove, we take in yet another falls along with the ‘typical’ forest, cliffs and clouds -
1709290056PFor about half of our group, we join our guides for a short paddle up a side stream before joining the ship -
1709290060PJust to the right of the blue skiff we see a black bear walking along the stream shoreline -
1709290062POur guide takes a photo of the bear while the rest of us keep our distance -
1709290065POur kayak adventure is about done as we head to our waiting ship in the distance for lunch -
1709290066NAfter lunch, our ship leaves Walker Cove to continue through Misty Fjords National Monument -
1709290069NAs usual, waterfalls continue to be everywhere -
1709290070NSome of our passengers enjoy the view from the ship’s front, with a massive cliff in the distance that was cleaved off by a glacier -
1709290072NA small water plane flies overhead, possibly ferrying people to/from isolated cabins -
1709290073NOur ship’s wake leaves a nice pattern in the fjord’s waters -
1709290074NMore waterfalls, cliffs, forests and clouds (what else is there to say about never ending beauty) -
1709290090NMore waterfalls, cliffs, forests and clouds -
1709290091NMore waterfalls, cliffs, forests and clouds -
1709290092NTwo parallel narrow waterfalls plunging into the fjord -
1709290093NA shallow ‘valley’ near the top of the mountain feeds streams down toward the fjord -
1709290104NA shallow ‘valley’ near the top of the mountain feeds streams down toward the fjord -
1709290105NA shallow ‘valley’ near the top of the mountain feeds streams down toward the fjord -
1709290106NMore waterfalls, cliffs, forests and clouds -
1709290108NAn advantage of our small ship is that we can get in close to the shoreline -
1709290109NWe came across a medium size cruise ship -
1709290110NWe came across a medium size cruise ship which wasn’t able to go everywhere we did with our smaller vessel -
1709290112NThe clouds almost hide a waterfall behind the trees -
1709290115NAnother pair (or 3?) of separate waterfalls -
1709290117NFellow passengers brave the damp chilly air on the deck to enjoy the view -
1709290118NWe came across another small daytime touring boat - Misty Fjords is a popular destination -
1709290119NA waterfall breaking out of the trees -
1709290122NPatches of clouds cling to the mountainside above the water -
1709290133NAnd a final shot of two separate waterfalls -
1709290141PNow that the excursions are over, all the water boots have been cleaned and turned in for the next group to use -
1709290143PAnd a final cheers from our bartender and my standing paddle board friend
