Tracy Arm Fjord is one of the most spectacular places I’ve ever paddled. I immediately fell in love with fjord travel and the icy world of northern shorelines. I’m very grateful too, that my paddling partner suggested the fjord as my original plan for the trip involved circumnavigating a coastal island and no fjord paddling whatsoever. Proof that the old adage ‘two heads are better than one’ is very accurate!
Start: Auke Bay
End: Juneau Harbour
Distance and days: 370km over 17 days
My friend Chris and I paddled for 17 days in the fjords and along the coastline of Kootznoowoo - the Admiralty Island in search of grizzlies, whales, and ice. We were lucky and found all three. Our first bear sighting was such a moment of excitement - an emaciated grizzly lazing about on shore while we paddled by in our boats. In the next couple of days we saw another dozen grizzlies including a momma bear and two cubs. The momma was voraciously digging in the beach and eating - what I assumed are gooey ducks - while the cubs frolicked nearby, always keeping a safe distance to her.
We paddled the length of the glass peninsula, chasing whales near the beautiful mole harbour. Rounding the tip of the peninsula was challenging as we encountered incredibly stiff headwinds and had to battle for progress. The next day when we crossed the channel towards Tracy Arm fjord we thought we were approaching a small fishing boat, and discussed in detail the possibility of bartering for some fresh fish! When we finally got near to the ‘boat’, we realized that it was in fact an ice-berg drifting in the changing tide. No fish, but we were excited - for both of us it was our first true iceberg encounter!
The rest of the day involved an incident with bear spray (minor) and a tasty beach dinner. The next morning at 5 a.m. we both woke to a sudden loud noise near the tent. Clapping our hands and calling out ‘hey bear’ caused the huge animal to take off running down the beach. Our next encounter took place in the fjord itself, where a curious bear proceeded to eat Chris’s shoe! I was much more amused than he was.
We ended up camping for nearly a week in the fjord, spending 3 nights beside the Sawyer Glacier - perhaps the most spectacular campsite I’ve ever stayed at. The view was incredible, and the occasional booming groan from the icy behemoth was incredible. We hiked to the glacier one afternoon, and spent hours sitting and watching it calve and crack. This trip beyond any other I’ve done has made me dream of the north. And the west. Pretty much anywhere with ice and bears is on my list.
