Written by Sasha Calvey
Big hello from Juneau!
After some rest, catching up with friends, and a resupply in Wrangell, we continued on. We left on a rising tide, setting up to cross the Dry Strait—20 miles of mudflats formed from the Stikine River, one of the fastest passable rivers flowing from British Columbia into North America. Thankfully, we got some wonderful local knowledge from Peter and Erin on the best route through the flats and great spots to camp! They also hosted us in their home and made some delicious salmon—thank you very much!
Awe on the Water
We were all in awe, paddling past snowy mountains, glaciers, and turquoise glacial water. I lost count of how many times I said, “This is beautiful!” We continued into Frederick Sound, where the currents and weather stayed in our favor the whole time. There were also lots of humpback whales the entire trip! We had periods of sun and rain—the weather changing constantly. It reminded me of when I was kayaking in Chile’s Patagonia.
We decided to take a day off in Petersburg. I was really struggling with my energy levels—so much so that it was hard to stay awake while kayaking. It was 70 days into the trip, and naturally, we were feeling the buildup of fatigue. It’s really important to listen to your body. The harbor masters in the marina were wonderful and incredibly helpful. It’s always nice when they also give space for sea kayakers! We also met Kevin in Petersburg, who was solo rowing sections of the Inside Passage. It was fascinating to see his system, hear his story, and he even offered us a place to stay and store gear in Juneau at the end of our trip while waiting to transfer ferries.
We proceeded up Frederick Sound toward Read Island. The currents were still with us, and the winds were low. When we got to Read Island, we saw a crab pot, and Billy and Nick tried to hoist it up. Unfortunately, they weren’t successful, but I managed to get a good photo out of it! We also managed to spot a few porcupines. Nick heard a high, quiet sneeze and initially thought it was a bear. He was about to prepare his bear spray, just in case, when he heard the sneeze again. He took a stick and gently pushed the bush out of the way to see a porcupine. Porcupines weren’t afraid of us, which was very strange to all of us.
Before this trip, I dreamed of getting fresh salmon straight from a fishing vessel in Alaska. At McNairy Point, it happened! I paddled up to a purse seiner (a fishing vessel and a skiff that work together dragging a net to enclose the fish) and asked if they had any spare fish. They gave us 2 pink salmon, which we cleaned, filleted, and cooked—it was delicious. Navigating around fishing vessels has been tricky, especially when we fly around a corner with current to see a giant net in front of us.
We continued on towards Stephens passage. There was sun on some days and also 3 inches of rain on another. We celebrated Billy’s 25th birthday by taking a rest day, making brownies and bread, and drinking coffee and yerba matè. A haunted dollar store musical candle kept us entertained throughout the night by randomly turning on.
A Curveball in Holkham Bay and Tracy Arm
On August 10th at 5:45am we woke up to a roar of water while camping on Harbor Island at the entrance of Tracy Arm. A big landslide triggered a localized tsunami (deeper in Tracy Arm inlet the wave was 100ft which dissipated to 15-20ft by the time it got to us) which swept away much of our gear, and rose within inches of our tent despite being tucked back in the forest.
We made a “Pan-Pan” call on the radio, and a private charter yacht, Blackwood, was the closest vessel able to respond. Despite strong currents and a tricky landing spot, they reached us with their tender boat after a few passes to the beach. Onboard, they gave us warm blankets, hot drinks, showers, dry clothes, and incredible food, before bringing us safely to Juneau. We cannot thank Ed, Jon, Erica, and Stephanie enough and the owners John and Annie for everything they did in such an uncertain time!! They took us up Tracy Arm to see the icebergs and attempt to see the glacier, but debris clogged the channel probably within half a mile of us actually being able to lay eyes on the landslide.
After 800 nautical miles and 78 days through the Inside Passage expedition, we decided to end in Juneau. We lost too much gear, and as a good friend and kayak mentor once told me, sometimes you just have to listen when nature tells you it's time to stop. I’ve used that as a guide—respect the signal and stop.
I’m very grateful that we are all safe and able to tell this story—to pay it forward to our future students, when giving patient care, and in life. Paddling the Inside Passage—or almost all of it—was one of the biggest challenges of our lives. Surviving a tsunami also left us humbled, wiser, and with valuable experience for the future. It reinforced our love of outdoor adventures and made us more determined than ever to return to beautiful Alaska again!
- Sasha Calvey
