Admiralty Crossing – Packraft Style

Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska is known as Kootznoowoo to the native Tlingit.  It means “Fortress of the Bears.” It’s an apt title as the island holds the largest concentration of Brown Bears on the planet. Knowing that, you would think a rifle might be a better packing choice than a can of bear spray if you went for a visit. But in our experience, you would be wrong. Despite containing one bear per square mile, it was surprisingly difficult to spot one of these enormous creatures.

We paddled and hiked 36 miles of saltwater inlets, temperate rainforest and pristine lakes in the heart of Kootznoowoo and were never granted an appearance of Ursus arctos. Despite the lack of bears, the trip is incredible and makes for one of the best packrafting adventures in the country. A string of National Forest Service cabins make for some fantastic “glamping” along the way.

Boarding the ferry for Angoon

The man who picked us up and drove us to the other side of the island said we were the first hitchhikers he had ever seen in his 60+ years in Angoon.

Racing to inflate the packrafts and catch the flooding tide into Kootznoowoo Inlet

Having lost the trail and spent hours trying to find it, we decided to pitch our tarp and wait for the bears to join us for dinner.

Inside one of the cozy Forest Service cabins

Getting a little help from the wind

Couldn’t have said it better

Wild Blueberries

There is no time for niceties or a safety briefing when the tide is dropping. Just get in and go.