Admiralty Crossing – Packraft Style
- On August 02, 2015
- By Randall Tate
- In Alaska, Camping, Editorial, Trips, Wilderness
0
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.
Da Bears
- On December 06, 2011
- By Randall Tate
- In Alaska, Commercial, Traveling, Wilderness, Wildlife
1
Bears are on the wishlist of wildlife to see for any visitor to Alaska and there’s no better place to see them than at Anan Creek. In fact, it may be one of the best bear viewing sites on the planet. There are not many places where can you see so many bears and be so close than at Anan. The only way to get there is by boat or float plane. Once there, you go ashore with a well armed guide and walk a quarter mile boardwalk to a multi-story viewing platform perched above the creek. During my visit, I didn’t want to leave. The bears are literally within arms reach and the photography opportunities are amazing. If you’ve seen a photo of a brown bear catching a salmon in mid air, it most likely was taken at Anan. A visit here is truly a life changing experience and I recommend it to anyone who visits SE Alaska. Here are a few photos from my visit this summer.
Read More»
Recent Comments