Nick said he was going to keep a day-day journal of his experiences during this trip and here it is! Jeff (expedition Leader) has also added his perspective and is noted in Orange. Its incredible to read the 3rd persons perspective on the days events. It seems that being a guide offers a great deal of satisfaction as he watches his novice explorers flourish in the wilderness. I find that notion massively compelling.
I think anyone who knows Nick, and this is meant in the nicest possible way, will know that gushing emotions are not exactly Nicks cup of tea. But reading this, I get the feeling that the connection with the Alaskan wilderness has softened the paddling bear up a little... Yeah I just called Nick Healey a little soft! Hahaha!!
Joking a side, the apprehension is clear in his early text but as the experience grips him and as days go on, his scribbles clearly highlight a huge affection for Alaska and the Wild. The boy within seems blown away by the experience and the man coming home on Saturday I think will be all the richer for his ESUP experience... I can't wait to start extracting the stories from the horses mouth. I'm already wanting to get on a plane and get out there!
(Jeff) Went with Nick down to the sea to trial the SUP with load attached, bit late for trial and error but truth be known we were both happy to commit to this project regardless of trials, all went well
Day 4,
>Today is the day: we get picked up at 8 and dropped off at Whittier Fjord. I am feeling quite Anxious, hence it's now 3.30am and I cannot sleep. We're as ready as we're going to be. I've got this real feeling that you can't just wonder into this situation and just think everything will work itself out. I'm ready, we just need Mother Nature to be a little bit kind to us.. And let us be on our way. I feel confident having Jeff as a fellow paddler. He brings a massive amount of experience. This is what he does.
> It's 330, here in Anchorage. There's very little wind and its warm.
Day 5.
>It's morning of the expedition and there is no need for me to be up this early, but the adrenalin will not let me sleep any more.
> We drive an hour to Whittier and load up, To arrive to snow capped mountains and not too much wind.. That was a relief... Awesome day paddling and setting up camp near trebenkof glacier surprise cove black stone point.
> Camp fires, awesome food, much needed and bear bags up trees. Great night sleep. But cold..
(Jeff) So its all a bit of a question mark really, is the weather going to be kind, the SUP board up to the task, is Nick too fast, to slow, too cold? What is his equipment like, how’s it going to hold up, how’s this going to go? Things I do know, Nick’s fitness, enthusiasm, skill and dedication won’t let us down, but he isn’t really fat enough and he eats way-way too much, he’s going to be food dependent and he also runs much faster than me, so if there is a bear encounter I’m going to have to find some way to nobble him so I can sneak out the back door before the bear tucks in to British Beef cake, only joking, we are setting the agenda, there’s not too many open crossings and we have four days of extra food with us And then there’s the Salmon, we’ve been told they’re about to run...
Day 6
>woke up, saw a bald headed eagle. excited about making a camp fire, coffee and breakfast.
> Epic epic day. Paddled up to Beloit Glacier, it was calving off big sections sounds like a cannon going off. I paddled towards the glacier getting a little closer, it calved off a good section, I turned and paddled away sharpish. Defiantly scared myself when that one carved off.. The glaciers are beasts. And very unpredictable. Then onto Blackstone glacier, even bigger. Paddling through blocks of ice, with some seals also floating by. Quite interesting on an inflatable paddle board... Now set up camp. Camp fire on the beach. With a view of both glaciers, Beloit and Blackstone. Oh and pitched the tent next to some Bear pooh...
(Jeff) So today we made the Glaciers, always a thrill, always a gamble, you never really know when they’re going to calve, thrusting upwards, or allowing gravity to add impetus to their incredible weight and mass and descend downwards or explode outwards, but you still get drawn in ever closer, the electric blue becomes a magnet, I watch Nick paddle forwards, I call to Kathy to come back a bit, I’ve never gone this close, we are 150 meters off and the left hand face calves into the sea, hundreds of tonnes drop into the sea, not enough volume in the shallow water to kick up to much wave action as the tide is out, but I haven’t mentioned this to the guys, allowing the tension to hold, Nick puts in two quick sweep strokes and does a rapid 180, is he lining up for a surf, or is this nerves? Either way it’s the right reaction, we heed the glaciers warning and move further back.
Day 7
>We slept 1 mile from Blackstone glacier with Beloit alongside. At regular intervals you hear loud, thunder like claps where the ice is calving off the Glaciers..
> Camp breakfast . Another beautiful day. We paddled right up to within 150 Meters of the glacier. Bit too close really. But got away with it.. It draws you in.
> After lunch we headed off for the next camp site. Stopping at a waterfall to replenish our thirst, mid way through enjoying some mountain water my paddle board. Bumped a rock and pierced a hole In the mid length rail. The noise of rushing air was loud. "I'm going down I thought ! Anyway managed to plug the hole with my thumb and Jeff hooked up a tow line. We need a beach fast. We then beached some 15 mins away & now we are sat in the sun, having tried one failed patch. This better work, we are in the middle of the wilderness, no phone signal, on an island, that most likely has Grizzlies on it.
> I think I have a good repair but we'll see in the morning.
(Jeff) I’ve just filled my water bags and suddenly I hear ‘whooooosh’ Oh no, Jeff, I’ve got a hole, Nick’s on it in a flash, his finger fits squarely over the small rip in the side of his SUP, I tell him he’s like the small Dutchman with his finger in a dyke, the joke isn’t really heard amidst the worry of a dip into the freezing cold glacier fed waters of the bay, a short paddle down the beach and Nick is onto the repair, the rest of us now have time to sun bathe on the beach, what the hell is happening with this weather, it’s got to be 30 degrees ish?
Lucas and Tom decide to go exploring, an hour or so passes and the the sound of a blow hole erupting, ‘WHALE’ Kathy calls, we are off, pursuing the whale down the bay, zig sagging after it, playing my flute to try and communicate our good intent, Kathy gets close enough to make out its curved back and raised blow hole, it’s a hump back in all it’s glory, what a day!!!
>Board is still inflated !! Headed off, and was thinking that all all the amazing things we have seen and done in the last few days. Have we done the expedition ? What else could we possibly see.. It was quite a long paddle from our camp site near Willard island up to Blackstone point. We had lunch, then heard the whales. I was up on my paddle board looking down onto the whales back & tale fin. Watching him propel his way through the water. Tale flips some 10 feet away... We followed him for a couple of miles down the coast and he went on his way. We then headed to the north of Culross island. To set up camp. It's so hot it's like being in the Caribbean. Extremely hungry & Jeff had managed to negotiate two whopping Red Eye Alaskan Salmon. And we feasted. Wondering how many sets of Bears eyes are watching. Considering we were told that a strong smell of toothpaste on our breath whilst in out tents could attract the Bears. Being smothered in honey roasted Salmon does tend to make you remember ya pepper spray. !! Another awesome day.
(Jeff) We set off, it’s a down wind run out of Blackstone, the guys can not keep up with Nick as he runs ahead, the board repair is holding, we are several hundred meters ahead of the others when Nick shouts ‘Whale’ three humpbacks are passing us, going in the opposite direction, we follow them, meeting up with Tom, Kathy and Lucas, our paths criss cross, we meet them here, then they’re off then they’re back, so in control of their environment it seems, sometimes just meters from the shoreline. Suddenly one of the whales surfaces just in front of Nick, he could almost surf the wash from its tail fin as it propels itself through the water, incredible!
>The days are starting to fly by. I'm getting used to living in the wilderness. Camping fires. Banter & Exploring. Another day ahead..we paddled down the Colross passage. To Applegate island. Set up a tarp to sleep under and peeled moss from the trees to sleep on. It's a mossy invasion.. Not sure how this is going to pan out...!! Fresh Bear pooh around, it was as good as steaming when we arrived.. !!
(Jeff) Nick’s gone feral, we are all getting nervous, his knife is to big to argue with, he wears a crazy smile, I divert his attention and keep him occupied by showing him how to make a bed au natural, while the others lock their food away in the hatches, pitch their tents and set the locks.
Day 10
>Awoke after a good night sleep in the the tarp shelter. Probably the best yet. Mozzies went to bed about 1. so all peaceful after that. maybe the bear came and had a look, but no signs yet. Fire still going at my feet. And the sea is mirror calm. You can hear the salmon jumping. Snow caped mountains in the background. Perfect .
> Paddling up the west side of Colross island. We passed and went down a tidal race between the island, I was the 1st to go in the water, Strange to be rolling around under water in freezing water with no wetsuit on. A 14ft paddle board with about 4 bags attached to it !!! Then Lucas rolled, it was great fun. We had no way back out between the islands due to the tide racing in. We had lunch and waited for the tide to stop running in and headed for our camp site for the night. Colross bay, Lucas caught two fish on the way. Fires on the beach. And saw two bear caves nearby !!! No signs of bears,, but thick woods behind the tents... There out there !!! One thing that has made landing great is the way we can turn a landing site into our home. Fire, shelter( tarps even if not raining), food, banter.
(Jeff)I remember Tom Pogson telling me about a small tidal rapid that runs on the tide into Hidden Bay, let’s explore this I think, not knowing what to expect, its perfect, just what I wanted to push Lucas’s boundaries, he takes a swim on a sticky eddy line, failing to edge and then roll, but not before Nick took a fall, trying to apply an edge to ferry glide across the streaming tide, full points for commitment, we stop on a small beach, waiting for the tide to turn so that we can exit the lagoon.
Day 11
> Paddled south to north of Colross island. We were given Salmon, by passing fisherman. And beer.. We were eating salmon for lunch and supper.. With 2 cans of beer.. It felt good.. Quite a long paddle.. But with big rewards at the end.
> The paddling has been quite challenging although the distances have not been big , just because we are exploring. These coves, glaciers ice glows. We have been spending around 6 a day on the water. The board is heavy and the kayakers fast even when they are not going for it.
(Jeff) Nick is starting to look at the pro’s and con’s of the SUP and how it can be applied into this environment, whenever there is wind from ahead, he faces twice the windage and this must be having an affect though he’s not showing it, you can see that his position in the group format changes, no complaints, everyone is fully embracing the challenges of the trip and enjoying every minute, including the bear stories……
Lucas is a laugh, he admits that although he didn’t understand the meaning of the word fear, the constant accompaniment of Bear spray when he goes to the loo each day has had a whittling effect upon his nerves and now fear has become a distant relative.
Kath is taking everything in her stride, no complaints and always there attending to business, she loved the whale encounter and has been in heaven ever since, I thought I was going to have to follow her all the way back to Baja the other day. Tom is on a learning curve but is steadily working his way along it, his moral is good, whenever I look him in the eye he grins and smiles-good lad
> We discussed the 5 key elements needed in order to survive; preparation. Determination,
knowledge, discipline, luck. This is the adventure you dream of as a kid and a fully grown immature adult.
Morning of the last day and quite out of keeping we have woken up with our tents pitched at the end if a airport runway ! We were due into Whittier for the pick up on the morning of the 30th but the weather was favourable to get in last night. We had halibut, chips and beer. It was awesome.
31st was spent with Livi and Jessica who are Alaskan and have kindly put us up in their house. We went knife shopping again. That brings my total to 5 bought this trip... We have a pretty impressive arsenal between us.. What will customs think
(Jeff) What a journey, great company in a wilderness setting, beautiful scenery, amazing weather conditions, wildlife encounters to die for, Whales, seals, Otters, Eagles, Sea Lions and a possible Salmon Shark- camp fires by night, winds to cool us and send us on our way back into Whittier where a fish and chip supper and an Alaskan Ale waited, what an adventure! Oh and then there were the knives of course…
