Great video! Thanks for sharing. You have so many great shots. It looks like such a memorable trip. My wife and I paddled from Seattle to Juneau 11 years ago and this brought back so many great memories.
Thanks for the feedback. Yes I really enjoyed this trip and will probably be doing it again next year. Seattle to Juneau is a long paddle. I have done a couple of week long sojourns in the San Juan Islands and have had a good time up there as well.
Yeah, the San Juan’s are really nice! We are planning a trip to Glacier Bay for the second half of June. Did you have a good experience renting from Glacier Bay Sea Kayaks? Also, are there any spots you really loved on your trip that you would recommend? Any tips would be a big help, thanks!
Glacier Bay Sea Kayaks was quite accommodating. Their boats worked well. One challenge was having camp fuel for our stoves given you can't bring it on the commercial airlines. We ended up stocking up at the store at the Glacier Bay Lodge, and ended up buying most (about 3 cannisters) of what little inventory they had at the time. The rental company ended up also having some extra fuel that returnees leave in the shack of what they have left before getting back on a flight. I would recommend the East arm when paddling Glacier Bay. It is more intimate than the West arm. The Adams inlet was very nice, as it seems to be a spot for the humpback whales to gather in. We camped two different nights along the shore and would regularly see them breach in front of us. The McBride glacier is a must-see with bergs drifting out of a tight inlet of its inner bay as the tide goes out. Not sure if it is still as exciting given how fast things have been changing, glacier-wise. Next time I want to get further up the inlet to Muir Glacier, as we ran out of time before having to make our boat pick-up two days later.
@@sfischerphotography Thanks, that’s great information! Having those little bits of knowledge is so valuable in the trip planning process. Really appreciate you taking the time.
Hi Stephen, Very nice shots and videos. We went and took the boat tour last year, and then we decided to go back this year for an up close and personal kayaking trip in two months. However, we plan to go to the West arm instead, possibly staying for a few nights in Reid Glacier. So when you said East arm is better, would you mind sharing the specifics? Is it because the whales prefer staying in the lower part of the channel? Or the mountain ranges are higher and more wildlife to enjoy during the stay? Thanks.
When I did this, after being picked up by the boat, we did the boat tour of the west arm. From my observations, it seemed the west arm is more open, less sheltered, and busier with boat traffic, which I think are all factors that to me seem less friendly for kayaking it. But this is just my anecdotal comparison of the two.
Now that we have finished the trip, thank goodness in one piece, I may have to agree with some of your explanations, that the West Arm is more open and more traffic than the East Arm. Even the water seems to be rougher due to the wake from big boats or tidal currents. It definitely has more wake than what your video shows in the EA. For one thing, it was our first time going on our own in sea kayaking, maybe we were over our heads that it could be more or less the same as us doing canoeing camping in BWCA Minnesota every year. Even though we had studied the tide and many other things, the feel is different from the inland lakes. Don’t get me wrong, we have paddled on rough lakes with white caps on canoe too, but on a kayak is a different story. Still, quite a great experience for us. We had a great time for sure. My gf has already talked about trying the EA in two years, ha!
Excellent! Beautiful photography and video of one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Great video! Thanks for sharing. You have so many great shots. It looks like such a memorable trip. My wife and I paddled from Seattle to Juneau 11 years ago and this brought back so many great memories.
Thanks for the feedback. Yes I really enjoyed this trip and will probably be doing it again next year.
Seattle to Juneau is a long paddle. I have done a couple of week long sojourns in the San Juan Islands and have had a good time up there as well.
Yeah, the San Juan’s are really nice! We are planning a trip to Glacier Bay for the second half of June. Did you have a good experience renting from Glacier Bay Sea Kayaks? Also, are there any spots you really loved on your trip that you would recommend? Any tips would be a big help, thanks!
Glacier Bay Sea Kayaks was quite accommodating. Their boats worked well. One challenge was having camp fuel for our stoves given you can't bring it on the commercial airlines. We ended up stocking up at the store at the Glacier Bay Lodge, and ended up buying most (about 3 cannisters) of what little inventory they had at the time. The rental company ended up also having some extra fuel that returnees leave in the shack of what they have left before getting back on a flight.
I would recommend the East arm when paddling Glacier Bay. It is more intimate than the West arm. The Adams inlet was very nice, as it seems to be a spot for the humpback whales to gather in. We camped two different nights along the shore and would regularly see them breach in front of us. The McBride glacier is a must-see with bergs drifting out of a tight inlet of its inner bay as the tide goes out. Not sure if it is still as exciting given how fast things have been changing, glacier-wise. Next time I want to get further up the inlet to Muir Glacier, as we ran out of time before having to make our boat pick-up two days later.
@@sfischerphotography Thanks, that’s great information! Having those little bits of knowledge is so valuable in the trip planning process. Really appreciate you taking the time.
@@uptrack5235 Did you end going on this trip last summer. If so, thoughts and tips?
Hi Stephen, Very nice shots and videos. We went and took the boat tour last year, and then we decided to go back this year for an up close and personal kayaking trip in two months. However, we plan to go to the West arm instead, possibly staying for a few nights in Reid Glacier. So when you said East arm is better, would you mind sharing the specifics? Is it because the whales prefer staying in the lower part of the channel? Or the mountain ranges are higher and more wildlife to enjoy during the stay? Thanks.
When I did this, after being picked up by the boat, we did the boat tour of the west arm. From my observations, it seemed the west arm is more open, less sheltered, and busier with boat traffic, which I think are all factors that to me seem less friendly for kayaking it. But this is just my anecdotal comparison of the two.
Now that we have finished the trip, thank goodness in one piece, I may have to agree with some of your explanations, that the West Arm is more open and more traffic than the East Arm. Even the water seems to be rougher due to the wake from big boats or tidal currents. It definitely has more wake than what your video shows in the EA. For one thing, it was our first time going on our own in sea kayaking, maybe we were over our heads that it could be more or less the same as us doing canoeing camping in BWCA Minnesota every year. Even though we had studied the tide and many other things, the feel is different from the inland lakes. Don’t get me wrong, we have paddled on rough lakes with white caps on canoe too, but on a kayak is a different story. Still, quite a great experience for us. We had a great time for sure. My gf has already talked about trying the EA in two years, ha!