The Trekking Transcendentalist: Stepping Off the Baranof Wind and into the Wild

After a couple of peaceful nights in the Glacier Bay Campground, a short hike around Bartlett Cove, coffee in the intertidal zone (the area that is flushed by the extreme rising and falling of the tide), and several orientations, our kayaking exploration was about to begin.
Prior to heading out in the kayak, Gavin and I prepared our gear by making it 'waterproof.' We stuffed the bear barrels with plastic bags and designated specific barrels for each type of product. One barrel housed our toiletries, another held the coffee, rolled oats, and dried fruit; a third had as much cheese and hard salami/pepperoni that would fit. A fourth container had dried soup mix and bouillon cubes, and a fifth contained trail mix, nuts, and dried apricots. In addition to prepping the bear barrels, Gavin and I practiced stuffing our dry sacks with clothing, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, and our tent--all items that must be kept dry. With our gear organized, we fell asleep to the comforting spouts of whales in the cove and set our sights to tomorrow's exploration.

Our alarm went off at 4:15 AM and we awoke to rain and a dripping tent. All last year when we explored America and its campgrounds during our cross-country road trip, we had never experienced a leaky tent. Then again, our tent had never experienced an Alaskan downpour. We quickly tried to protect our sleeping bags and began stuffing everything into dry sacks. After about an hour breaking down camp, and zipping up in our Gore-tex, we wheeled our gear to the Bartlett Cove dock and prepared for our departure into the wilderness.
At 6:30--in 48 degree weather and a steady rain--Gavin and I hauled our kayak and all of our gear onto the Baranof Wind, a tour boat that takes lodge visitors on a six hour journey through Glacier Bay. Gavin and I sat on board the ship wearing our PFDs unaware of the drop-off procedure. In my mind, the boat was a simple ferry that would carry us to our drop-off point, leave us in the wilderness, and would carry the remaining, jean-clad and umbrella-toting passengers on a scenic tour of the park. Little did we know that we, too, would be traveling on a four-hour portion of the tour and would be fed, kept warm, and provided all-you-can-drink hot beverages.
On the boat, Gavin and I met a lot of wonderful people. The first kind folks we talked with were an older married couple who were on a month-long tour of Alaska. We delighted in sharing stories of past trips and we were warmed with each others' company. The next group of helpful people were the wonderful staff members on the Baranof Wind--namely Jared, Lauren, and Megan--who gave us helpful tips and advice about where to paddle, where to camp, and what to see. The final group of people with whom we chatted was a group of twelve kayakers that we picked up from Mount Wright, a pick-up/drop-off location on the East Arm of Glacier Bay. The kayakers were a school group that was lead by a seasoned kayaker, Alison. In a fascinating twist of events, Alison revealed that the school group was from a New Jersey high school--information at which my ears perked up and I desired to ask which one.

"The Lawrenceville School," was her response, and the information was almost earth-shattering.

The reason I was so taken aback was this--here Gavin and I were, in the middle of nowhere Alaska, cruising Glacier Bay, waiting to be dropped off in the wilderness, and there's a group of students from a school located only minutes away from our Ewing, New Jersey residence. What are the odds? After reeling back from the shock of this 'small world' interaction, Gavin and I sought more advice from Alison and began to feel comforted about our upcoming excursion in the Alaskan backcountry.
The Baranof Wind cruise was truly remarkable and it allowed for us to see territory we would not be chartering in our kayak. While aboard, Gavin and I saw humpback whales, sea otters, seals, sea lions, mountain goats, a brown bear, and the calving Margerie Glacier. With an exception to the mountain goats, Gavin and I would see many of the other creatures during our paddle throughout Glacier Bay and within the Icy Strait.

When it came time for us to begin prepping for our drop-off, the wind was still whipping, the rain was still steady, and it was still only about 50 degrees. Being left, beached, as the boat pulled away was not looking too exciting. The Baranof Wind approached our drop-off point, Sundew Cove, located on the West Arm of the park, and all of the tour passengers ogled us as we prepared to 'fire line' our gear to the shore. We began passing bag after bag through a line of people to the beach where we, too, would soon set foot.
After all of our gear was stashed on the beach, well above the tide line, we unloaded the kayak. As per a suggestion by the Glacier Bay Sea Kayak owner, Leah, Gavin and I sported 'water shoes' out of fear of having our rubber boots top over with water. So, we stepped our sandal-clad feet into frigid Glacier Bay, caught the bow of our kayak, and hauled it on shore. As soon as all of our gear was off the boat, the kind folks on the Baranof Wind wished us safe travels and the lodge people snapped photos of us, frantically waving as the boat pulled away.
Watching the warm, sheltered ship pull away from the beach where we were stranded in search of adventure, was somewhat stress-inducing. After a brief moment, Gavin and I snapped back to reality and began to load our kayak. Our adventure was underway. No rain, no wind, nor cold conditions would stop our exploration. Day one in Glacier Bay had begun.