A quick update from The Alaskan Sea Cucumbers (Suzy, Bec, Brian, Matt, Martine, Hannah D, Hannah P, Nathan, Aaron, Maryrose, with Instructors Nick and Allison): Sea kayaking! Yay! After an early morning wake up to head out of Prince William Sound, the group caught a nice break with widespread napping as a result of a strong wind delay. Soon after everyone re-awoke, we loaded up the charter boat for a ride out to the starting point of our kayaking trip. While some of us were taking in the views of the emerald waters and otters around us, others went back to sleep or made conversation with the friendly locals on the boat. After we got adjusted to steering and paddling the kayaks, we were on our way to see the mountains and glaciers that had been surrounding us. The first campsite was surrounded by three tide water glaciers! All of the other campsites were just as beautiful. Passing by calving ice and jagged rocks, it was an interesting break from the alpine meadow terrain we were all used to. After a few more days of quick swims, paddling around the most pristine waters, and watching the sun move over the horizon with clear skies every day, the trip came to an end. We finished with a sing-a-long session and then a silent paddle to reflect on all the magnificent sights we saw and all the awesome memories we made!
A quick update from The Supple Salomonators (Anna, Alana, Julia, Michael, Andy, Max, Ben, Keegan, Alex, Ethan, with Instructors Emily R, Emily S, and Ian): To give us a head start on our first day of kayaking, we woke up at 4:40 AM to catch a water taxi to our starting point. After a refreshing nap on the boat, we were ready for a big day of paddling. The wind was blowing hard, but the horizon glowed orange and pink. It was a great sight to wake up to! We kayaked through crystal clear waters, past tiny icebergs, and bald eagles until we got to our campsite. It felt like we were in a manifestation of plus delta land. It was right at the bottom of a glacier, constantly hearing the loud pops of the glacier calving and watching the large chunks of ice fall into the water. The next few days we paddled all day long with brief stops for lunch where we saw several otters and seals which we gave funny names. When we got to our campsites we had plenty of down time to play cards, take some quick dips, or even go fishing, which really paid off when we had some tasty salmon to go along with our dinner. Although the days were physically strenuous, we all have fond memories of our time on the water, time that was filled with singing, laughing, and sharing stories!