Sunday August 15th was a busy day. We enjoyed a beautiful sunrise on the gravel beach of Point Adolphus, Chichagof Island just south of Gustavus, Alaska. This was the last day of a three day sea Kayaking trip with Alaska Discovery (Mountain Travel Sobek). Over the course of that day we would finish the trip, break camp, boat to the mainland, grab a shower and head to the airport for the 5 o'clock flight to the town of Kodiak by way of Juneau and Anchorage.
The hotel in Kodiak was pretty Spartan but it was the cheapest place in town. When we booked it 10 months earlier we figured that after 3 days of camping the worst room in Kodiak would be a welcome sight. The room was clean and it had a working shower so we'll call it good. An open window provided adequate ventilation and when gun shots rang out that night probably made us feel closer than we probably were…
Monday morning we called Andrews Airways to get the schedule for the flight out. They would pick us up at 11:00 am for a noon flight so hopefully we had time for breakfast and a load of laundry. It turns out that fitting the laundry in was a little tight when you factor in the 2 mile round trip hike to the laundry mat. In the end everything worked out and we made it back just in time for the shuttle to Andrews.
Andrews is located on an island just east of down town. They have a couple of float planes and Munsey's uses them exclusively to shuttle guests back and forth from Kodiak to the lodge at Amook Pass about 60 miles due west of town. Any time you get a chance to take a float plane trip, do it.
We arrived at Andrews about 11:40 and the plane was waiting. We jumped on the scale and they took our gear to the plane. We went inside to pay for the ride and met the other 2 folks flying with us that day, Pat and Wally from Kona, Hawaii. Pat is Mike Munsey's mother so this would prove to be an extra special trip.
We all left the office and made our way down the dock to the plane. Our pilot today was Phil. He was a tall lean guy with a dark tan and a long pony tail. Pilots seem to all have a good sense of humor and maybe even more so when they're BS'ing with tourist. They love to tell you that they haven't ditched a plane this week... yet, and its only Monday.
Phil was fun to fly with. I asked him what he did in his off season and he was quick to reply that he lived on a sailboat currently docked in Fiji. I'm obviously doing something wrong...
The weather was cloudy and rainy with light wind. We took the northern route to the west side of the island as it required passage through the fewest mountain passes. In no time we had swung south and were headed down Amook Pass for a smooth landing at Munsey's.
When a plane arrives at Munsey’s a shuttling process takes place. There are 3 floating docks at camp connected end to end to end. There are usually at least 3 passengers, luggage and boxes of groceries on the plane. Mike, Robin and Marcia are on the outermost dock to meet the plane. Luggage and boxes are going off, guests are getting off and saying hello. Other guests are saying goodbye and loading on to the plane. Its a mixture of joyful/tearful chaos at its best.
This year when we got to camp there were 2 gentlemen already there. Renee' was a photographer from Switzerland and Dick was a retiree from Maryland. We had met Dick at Munsey's last summer. He's a regular in camp and is very much a part of the Munsey family. Both men had been here for the previous week and Dick would be here for a few more.
Once the plane leaves Mike shows everyone their quarters and invites them to the house for lunch. After lunch you take go out on the Mary Beth for fishing or sight seeing.
This year Pam and I shared a cabin with Pat and Wally. We each had our own bedroom and bathroom and we shared a great room that had a heater. Mike and Robin built the cabin from a kit a few years back. It was quite an undertaking and they did a great job.
The Mary Beth is a 43 foot boat that they use for trips to the mouth of the river to see bears or to the upper end of Uyak Bay for whale watching or fishing for silver salmon and halibut.
After lunch we headed north for fishing. I'll never understand quite how you pick a spot on hundreds of square miles of water to park a 43 foot boat for fishing. I'm glad that its not my job. Monday we stopped in about 130 feet of water not far from shore and started jigging for halibut.
To halibut fish you have a metal lure about 8 inches long with a big treble hook on the end. You put a piece of cut fish (herring) on the treble and bounce it off the bottom. The thing weighs about 8 ounces and sinks with no issue. The rod and reel combo is a very heavy duty setup that gives you sufficient power to pull almost anything you can catch up from the bottom.
Monday afternoon Pam caught a halibut and a silver (coho) salmon. Wally caught a skate (looks like a sting ray) and I caught 2 skates.
At Munsey’s after you return from the day’s trip you’ve got some time to get ready for dinner and then we meet in the house about 15 minutes early for conversation and possibly a drink before dinner.
The food at Munsey's is top notch. You’ll gain weight here. Don’t worry about it. Its going to happen. When you budget for the trip, throw in a couple of weeks of cardio after you get home and then just enjoy being there .
Tuesday was our first day of bear viewing. After breakfast we all boarded the Mary Beth and headed south to the mouth of the river. Once we got to the south end of the bay we boarded a smaller boat and Robin dropped us off at the bank. This area is a huge tidal flat. It is heavily grown up with sedge grass (approximately 3’-4’ tall) and when high tide comes in this area would be under water. When the tide recedes salmon get trapped in some of the tidal pools and creeks allowing the bears quick access to food.
We worked our way along the edge of the flat and the base of a ridge that ran uphill into the timber. As we were making our way we suddenly came upon a large bear sleeping directly in front of us. Mike stopped and we all backed and looped around further into the flat where we immediately bumped another feeding bear that stood up to see what we were.
The hotel in Kodiak was pretty Spartan but it was the cheapest place in town. When we booked it 10 months earlier we figured that after 3 days of camping the worst room in Kodiak would be a welcome sight. The room was clean and it had a working shower so we'll call it good. An open window provided adequate ventilation and when gun shots rang out that night probably made us feel closer than we probably were…
Monday morning we called Andrews Airways to get the schedule for the flight out. They would pick us up at 11:00 am for a noon flight so hopefully we had time for breakfast and a load of laundry. It turns out that fitting the laundry in was a little tight when you factor in the 2 mile round trip hike to the laundry mat. In the end everything worked out and we made it back just in time for the shuttle to Andrews.
Andrews is located on an island just east of down town. They have a couple of float planes and Munsey's uses them exclusively to shuttle guests back and forth from Kodiak to the lodge at Amook Pass about 60 miles due west of town. Any time you get a chance to take a float plane trip, do it.
We arrived at Andrews about 11:40 and the plane was waiting. We jumped on the scale and they took our gear to the plane. We went inside to pay for the ride and met the other 2 folks flying with us that day, Pat and Wally from Kona, Hawaii. Pat is Mike Munsey's mother so this would prove to be an extra special trip.
We all left the office and made our way down the dock to the plane. Our pilot today was Phil. He was a tall lean guy with a dark tan and a long pony tail. Pilots seem to all have a good sense of humor and maybe even more so when they're BS'ing with tourist. They love to tell you that they haven't ditched a plane this week... yet, and its only Monday.
Phil was fun to fly with. I asked him what he did in his off season and he was quick to reply that he lived on a sailboat currently docked in Fiji. I'm obviously doing something wrong...
The weather was cloudy and rainy with light wind. We took the northern route to the west side of the island as it required passage through the fewest mountain passes. In no time we had swung south and were headed down Amook Pass for a smooth landing at Munsey's.
When a plane arrives at Munsey’s a shuttling process takes place. There are 3 floating docks at camp connected end to end to end. There are usually at least 3 passengers, luggage and boxes of groceries on the plane. Mike, Robin and Marcia are on the outermost dock to meet the plane. Luggage and boxes are going off, guests are getting off and saying hello. Other guests are saying goodbye and loading on to the plane. Its a mixture of joyful/tearful chaos at its best.
This year when we got to camp there were 2 gentlemen already there. Renee' was a photographer from Switzerland and Dick was a retiree from Maryland. We had met Dick at Munsey's last summer. He's a regular in camp and is very much a part of the Munsey family. Both men had been here for the previous week and Dick would be here for a few more.
Once the plane leaves Mike shows everyone their quarters and invites them to the house for lunch. After lunch you take go out on the Mary Beth for fishing or sight seeing.
This year Pam and I shared a cabin with Pat and Wally. We each had our own bedroom and bathroom and we shared a great room that had a heater. Mike and Robin built the cabin from a kit a few years back. It was quite an undertaking and they did a great job.
The Mary Beth is a 43 foot boat that they use for trips to the mouth of the river to see bears or to the upper end of Uyak Bay for whale watching or fishing for silver salmon and halibut.
After lunch we headed north for fishing. I'll never understand quite how you pick a spot on hundreds of square miles of water to park a 43 foot boat for fishing. I'm glad that its not my job. Monday we stopped in about 130 feet of water not far from shore and started jigging for halibut.
To halibut fish you have a metal lure about 8 inches long with a big treble hook on the end. You put a piece of cut fish (herring) on the treble and bounce it off the bottom. The thing weighs about 8 ounces and sinks with no issue. The rod and reel combo is a very heavy duty setup that gives you sufficient power to pull almost anything you can catch up from the bottom.
Monday afternoon Pam caught a halibut and a silver (coho) salmon. Wally caught a skate (looks like a sting ray) and I caught 2 skates.
At Munsey’s after you return from the day’s trip you’ve got some time to get ready for dinner and then we meet in the house about 15 minutes early for conversation and possibly a drink before dinner.
The food at Munsey's is top notch. You’ll gain weight here. Don’t worry about it. Its going to happen. When you budget for the trip, throw in a couple of weeks of cardio after you get home and then just enjoy being there .
Tuesday was our first day of bear viewing. After breakfast we all boarded the Mary Beth and headed south to the mouth of the river. Once we got to the south end of the bay we boarded a smaller boat and Robin dropped us off at the bank. This area is a huge tidal flat. It is heavily grown up with sedge grass (approximately 3’-4’ tall) and when high tide comes in this area would be under water. When the tide recedes salmon get trapped in some of the tidal pools and creeks allowing the bears quick access to food.
We worked our way along the edge of the flat and the base of a ridge that ran uphill into the timber. As we were making our way we suddenly came upon a large bear sleeping directly in front of us. Mike stopped and we all backed and looped around further into the flat where we immediately bumped another feeding bear that stood up to see what we were.
When this bear splashed away the first bear woke up and lumbered up the hill away from us. We were finally able to continue on up the bear trail to our first viewing spot; a steep hillside above a small creek.
For the next couple of hours we watched bears feeding along the creek in front of us. This year we saw several mature males. They would approach our position until they got wind of us and then they would turn tale and run. They acted completely different that the sows and sub-adult bears.
After we ate some lunch we headed back out into the flat to photograph some bears fishing along the edge of the shoreline. As we approached the flat one bear came running directly towards us at a full gallop. About 100 yards out she slowed to a walk and began to feed on sedge grass.
She was a smaller-framed bear than the rest on the beach and had long hair that waved dramatically in the breeze. Mike told us later that she had somehow adopted him. She was a great photographic subject for about 20 minutes and then she wandered back down to the shoreline.
Next we headed south across the mouth of another large creek. As we approached the creek another bear stood up in front of us and after determining what we were it turned and quickly left the beach.
For the next couple of hours we watched bears feeding along the creek in front of us. This year we saw several mature males. They would approach our position until they got wind of us and then they would turn tale and run. They acted completely different that the sows and sub-adult bears.
After we ate some lunch we headed back out into the flat to photograph some bears fishing along the edge of the shoreline. As we approached the flat one bear came running directly towards us at a full gallop. About 100 yards out she slowed to a walk and began to feed on sedge grass.
She was a smaller-framed bear than the rest on the beach and had long hair that waved dramatically in the breeze. Mike told us later that she had somehow adopted him. She was a great photographic subject for about 20 minutes and then she wandered back down to the shoreline.
Next we headed south across the mouth of another large creek. As we approached the creek another bear stood up in front of us and after determining what we were it turned and quickly left the beach.
Our plan from here was to cross the creek and make our way out to a point where Robin would pick us up in the skiff. It had been especially rainy this summer and the creeks were flowing fast. This particular creek was braided into 3 channels. The creek bottom was smooth gravel so footing was not an issue but the water was quite swift and we were all carrying packs containing more camera gear than I care to think about.
Mike led the way followed by me and then Pam. Renee’ was next and then Dick. Mike sensed Dick was having trouble so he waded back to help. I crossed the first channel and then laid down my pack and went back for Pam. In the mean time, Dick took a dip in the creek ruining his camera and getting soaked from the waist down. Did I mention how cold Alaskan creeks are??? I waded back out and helped with Dick. We took our time ferrying camera gear, tripods and people across until we all made it to the south side of the creek and then out to the point for the pickup. All in all, we’ll call it a successful first day of bear viewing.
The plan for Wednesday morning was bear viewing along the river. Dick would stay on the boat halibut fishing while Mike took Renee’, Pam and myself up the river. It was a good day for it because the wind was howling out on the water so fishing where we fished Monday would be a rough proposition.
This trip involves a bit of a hike in but it offers a chance to see bears chasing salmon up the river. This is what I initially came to Munsey’s for. There are no falls that corral the fish and make for easy pickings for the bears. The bears really have to work if they want to feed. Sitting on a bank watching an 800 lb bear running like a quarter horses through a river chasing salmon is an incredible experience.
The hike up the river takes you up a gravel shoreline and then up the side of the mountain covered with alder. It is hard to describe exactly how dense an alder thicket can be. You’re walking in on a trail that can only be described as a bear trail through some of the thickest vegetation you can imagine. It’s a surreal sensation to say the least.
We broke out of the alders in a grassy meadow and left the bank of the river cutting the corner of the meadow heading for a tidal creek. When high tide comes in the creek is flooded allowing salmon to make their way up river. As the tide goes out some salmon will become trapped in pools of water as the tidal creek returns to the state of rocky creek bed. We took our first vantage point overlooking a pool of trapped salmon.
Upon setting up it became apparent that a bear was asleep in the sun on the opposite bank. We couldn’t tell much about the bear so we just kept an eye on the knoll where it lay sleeping.
The wind may have been howling out on the bay it felt great where we were at. The sun was out and I felt like stretching out just like the bear and taking a nap. Pretty soon though a very large boar waddled out onto the tidal creek and started heading our direction.
All bears are big but when you see an exceptionally large bear you just know it. They’ve got a big pumpkin shaped head and it looks like someone’s piled an extra layer of fat on their forehead. They move slowly and they’ll walk around logs rather than having to climb over them. They look like a cask with feet. The big bear made his way towards us and then sensed something wasn’t right and left there in a hurry. When he hit the bank of the creek I guess the sleeping bear heard him and awoke. Things got interesting here. He could see us but not smell us. I guess he assumed we were smaller bears.
He immediately went into posturing mode. He made himself look big and then jumped with his front end and came down post-legged causing the bank to give way under him. I really felt like if we had started moving away he’d have followed. We held our ground and he swaggered by showing us his profile as if to say, “Look how big I am!”
He finally made his way to the alder patch on our side of the creek and we didn’t see him anymore. Hopefully he caught our wind and wondered off. Hopefully…
We didn’t give him time to visit again. After he left we gathered our things and headed further up stream to another spot that gave us a good view of the river. We saw several bears that day as well as lots of sea birds and eagles. That being said, the salmon seemed much smaller than it had been the previous year.
The hike to this particular spot follows a bear path. These paths are several inches deep and really narrow. When hiking in rubber knee boots you really have to watch where you step or you can get caught up and twist an ankle. That’s exactly what happened to Pam on our hike out. Mike was leading followed by me then Pam and Renee’ brought up the rear. We hear Pam cry out and looked back and she was down on the side of the trail. She said that she would be ok but that she needed a minute before continuing on. Concerned about her condition Mike offered to shoot her as leaving her behind overnight in the bear infested wilderness would border on inhumane. Pam thanked him for his graciousness but said that she felt like she could hobble on. She endeavored to persevere and we slowly made our way back to the pickup spot.
While we had been looking for bears Dick caught a halibut around the 40 lb mark in shallow water.
We were accompanied back to the lodge by a fin whale feeding along side the boat.
In spite of Pam’s foot injury the trip had worked out well. The next day the weather was really nice so we headed north to fish. Pam was in no shape to hike so we decided to give fishing another shot. We headed to a likely looking spot and dropped some lines. The limit in this area is 2 halibut and 5 silver salmon a day. Now I’m not certain that it was ever done previous to that day or since that day but I managed to catch a limit of both! I think the other folks caught some fish too BUT NOBODY LIMITED OUT ON BOTH!
It was a great day on the water.
The last full day of the trip we headed further north and then fished offshore on the east side of the bay. The silvers were biting very aggressively that day. Even if you were fishing for halibut on the bottom if you stopped the lure on the drop you were bound to get pounded by a silver. The halibut bite was healthy as well but it seems like we mostly caught smaller than average halibut that day. After a while we headed south to the place where I had limited out on both species the day before (not sure if I mentioned that or not…).
The wind picked up and the bite seemed to slow down. That being said there are worse ways to spend an afternoon.
I love sharing the outdoors experience with other folks so the two days of fishing were great. There’s time for camaraderie and getting to know the other folks on the trip with you when you’re fishing. It’s funny how easy it becomes to give what was a complete stranger grief about missing a hook set or catching a trash fish. I’ve learned that the friendly encounters that I have with other folks on trips like this are often as rewarding as the natural encounters on the trip.
Saturday morning we were greated with a low ceiling and rainy weather. This was a short day as the float plane was scheduled to arrive around 1pm. We took the Marry Beth south and fished for Halibut close to the lodge. Both Pam and I managed to catch the boat anchor. Pam hooked into a good fish but couldn’t get it to the boat. While we were fishing a bear meandered down the beach and strolled towards the lodge.
The bite was slow and try as we may, we couldn’t end the trip with a fish in the boat.
We made the quick return to the lodge for a bite of lunch before the flight out. The ceiling had lifted a little bit and we heard a plane coming in. Our pilot flew in early due to the bad weather. We quickly finished lunch, grabbed our belongings and headed to the dock. Goodbye’s were said quickly so we could try to take advantage of the higher ceiling and get back over the first of several passes on the flight out.
On takeoff this time we headed north. If you can’t make it over the passes you can fly around the coastline on the north side of Kodiak. Phil banked the plane east and we made it over the first ridge. As we made our way closer to the first high pass the clouds just never seemed to open up. Phil throttled back and seemed to float, waiting on the clouds to part. The cloud bank became more dense and finally our pilot relented and banked back towards the open sea. We made our way north to the next passage east. Once again we climbed towards the saddle separating two mountain valleys. The clouds were thick but this time Phil could see blue (ish) sky and darted through the opening! One pass down, one to go…
We turned south and ran up the valley. The valley floor was rising to meet us and the ceiling was falling on top of us. I know these pilots fly this route like I drive to work but I found a new kind of fear in that last 100 yards or so of cloud cover… Finally blue sky appeared and we were in the clear all the way to town.
Once we reached town we said our goodbye’s to Pat and Wally. We dropped our fish at a seafood company that repackaged and froze them. We grabbed some dinner and waited on the late flight back to Anchorage. We were able to check our luggage all the way through to Denver and it’s a good thing. We had to change airlines in Anchorage which meant we had to get to a Frontier Airlines ticket counter and clear security. When we arrived in Anchorage we had about 3 minutes less than we needed to get to the ticket counter, clear security and board the plane.
And just like that the trip was over. The day we left Kodiak was as hectic as the day we arrived.
Notes from Kodiak:
We really enjoyed visiting with Pat and Wally. Pat is a great lady and it was cool to hear her talk about the first days when Park (Mike’s father) bought the camp and the trials and tribulations that they went through out there.
Pat had a nursing background and Pam reaped the benefit of that once she twisted her ankle. We really appreciate the care she gave.
We got to meet Mike’s brother Bob and visit with him some as well. He seemed like a genuinely good guy.
The salmon run this year just seemed off and the big bears were much more present. I guess when food is more scarce they have to be a bit more territorial.
Island Seafood in Kodiak will box and flash freeze your catch for you.
The airline can check your luggage all the way to your final destination if you have the right information for them. We shipped 120 lbs of fish (3 boxes) and 2 pieces of luggage back to Denver from Kodiak for about 60 dollars!
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