SHUYAK ISLAND PACKRAFT TRIP 2022

Paddling packafts in from Eagle Cape on the Big Bay Neketa Bay Loop.  Shelikof Strait is in the background.  (photo credit Trevor Davis)

SHUYAK ISLAND, KODIAK ARCHIPELAGO, ALASKA, JUNE 21-28, 2022

THE CREW:

Doug Armstrong

Jim Bennett

Kristin Davis

Trevor Davis

Steve Ford

Wally Hufford

Julie Stephens

LOGISTICS:

We flew to and from Shuyak Island via Northwind Aviation's floatplane based in Homer, Alaska.

ABOUT SHUYAK ISLAND:

Shuyak Island is an island in the northern part of the Kodiak Archipelago located just north of Afognak Island.  It covers an area of 65 square miles and has only one tree species-the Sitka Spruce.  Shuyak was designated a state park after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.  It has miles of rugged coastline, beaches, and protected waterways.  "The Shuyak experience is one of wilderness."

Source:  Wikipedia

DAY 1: (6/21/22)

At 9:30 AM we departed Homer, Alaska on Northwind Aviation's floatplane bound for Shuyak Island.  The weather was exquisite and would remain so for the duration of our trip.  The flight was fantastic as we watched the mountains of the southern Kenai Peninsula pass under the plane.  Open water was next and shortly thereafter we flew over the Barren Islands.  Just minutes later we caught our first glimpse of Shuyak.  We landed at Deer Haven Cabin and unloaded gear onto the beach then moved into the cabin.

After lunch we inflated our packrafts and paddled around Carry Inlet.  Along the way we saw Black Oyster Catchers and curious sea otters.  Later in the evening we held a slingshot competition.

Northwind Aviation's Otter.  Our transportation from Homer to Shuyak Island.  

Gear and people (that's Trevor in the photo) loaded and bound for Shuyak.

Jim Bennett takes aim during the evening slingshot competition.

DAY 2:  (6/22/22)

Most of the group spent the day exploring the trails around Deer Haven Cabin.  We walked a good portion of Skiff Passage and took several side trips with "Side Trip Steve."  Along the way Jim lost his 'Adventure Croc' in the mud while crossing a plank.  After several minutes of searching in the muck up to his elbows he found it!  Trevor and Kristin took off on a beach camping adventure while the rest of us returned to the cabin.  

Later in the afternoon we decided to pack up our gear and head for a beach at Big Bay where we would spend the night in tents.  Julie sprained her ankle as we were making the move and spent a good portion of time soaking it in cold water in efforts of making the swelling go down.

One of the cabins we used during our trip.  They were all essentially the same size, design, etc.

Doug Armstrong and Julie Stephens plan the day while looking at maps on Doug's iPhone.

Jim displays his 'Adventure Croc' after it had disappeared in the muck and mire.

DAY 3:  (6/23/22)

After breakfast we packed our gear and left Skiff Passage bound for the Eagle's Nest Cabin.  As we paddled along we saw a hole in a rock so we stopped for photos.  We arrived at Eagle's Nest cabin just as a group of State Park Interns were anchoring their boat and heading into the woods to place new signage along one of the established trails.  Shortly thereafter Trevor and Kristin arrived and the group was together again.  

Later that afternoon we took a hike to 503, which is evidently the tallest location on the island.  Some of us turned around before the steep climb, but Trevor, Kristin, and Doug made it to the top and said the views were spectacular.

Our beach camp at Skiff Passage near Big Bay.

Packrafters paddling past a hole in a rock.

DAY 4:  (6/24/22)

We were all looking forward to this day because we planned to paddle the Big Bay Neketa Bay Loop in our packrafts.  It was exciting because we would be traveling along the outer coast of the island into the open water of Shelikof Strait.  The weather was perfect for it as the skies were clear and the winds calm.  So we set off from Eagle's Nest Cabin looking forward to an invigorating paddle.  It took about an hour to get to the open water and we found it glorious!  There was a slight ocean swell, kelp beds all around, and sea life everywhere.  Sea otters, seals, sea lions, and birds of all sorts were in great abundance.  

As we rounded Eagle Cape we ran into Julie coming from the opposite direction and a few minutes later we looked up to see Trevor and Kristin atop the bluffs taking photos.  They had hiked out on the Eagle Cape Trail from the Ranger Station and timed it perfectly to see us from above.  We paddled to a small cove where we all met up for lunch and conversation.

Packrafters in the ocean and hikers on the bluff at Eagle Cape.  (photo credit Doug Armstrong).

The view from a packraft looking out toward Shelikof Strait.  (photo credit Doug Armstrong).

Stephen Ford packrafts the Big Bay Neketa Bay Loop.

Lunch break during the Big Bay Neketa Bay Loop packraft paddle.

DAY 5:  (6/25/22)

Different objectives led the group in three different directions on this day.  Wally and Jim hiked the Eagle Cape Trail while Doug, Julie, and Steve paddled packrafts around the Big Bay Western Inlet Loop.  Trevor and Kristin departed for some paddling around the area and another night of tent camping on the beach.  

The trail to Eagle Cape was awesome and followed the edge of land along a bluff above the water.  During the hike we could hear loud noises like an explosion every once in a while.  As we neared Eagle Cape we saw a whale in the distance slapping the water with its tail and we knew where the sounds came from.  The destination was an overlook at Eagle Cape which provided splendid views of Shelikof Strait, Afognak Island, and part of Kodiak Island.  In the water we could see seals, sea otters, and all types of bird life.  It was a unique perspective to see everything we had seen the day before, only this time it was from land.

These markers helped identify established trails.  Animal trails crisscrossed all over the place and it was easy to  inadvertently start following one of them.  These markers helped keep us on the right track.

DAY 6:  (6/26/22)

For a change of scenery Wally and Jim moved to the Salmon Cove Cabin while Doug, Julie, and Steve remained at Eagle's Nest and spent the day hiking the Eagle Cape Trail.  Trevor and Kristin were still out camping, so we all kept in contact with each others whereabouts by using our inReach devices.  

The hikers had a wonderful afternoon and stayed at Eagle Cape for three hours enjoying the scenery and watching the wildlife.  On their way back they saw a sow and cub brown bear near the Big Bay Ranger Station.  The bears were evidently a common sight around the station and the rangers had seen them often.  Trevor and Kristin arrived at the Salmon Cove Cabin later in the afternoon and spent the remainder of the evening there.

Trevor and Kristin making a breakfast cake on a camp stove.

Big Bay Ranger Station.  There is a small Visitor Center in the front of the structure which has some good information about Shuyak Island.

Sow and cub brown bear.  They had been hanging out near the Big Bay Ranger Station.  (photo credit Julie Stephens).

DAY 7:  (6/27/22)

The group from the Eagle's Nest Cabin, Wally and Jim reunited on the water between the Salmon Cove and Eagle's Nest cabins and began the paddle back to Skiff Passage where we would portage our gear back to Deer Haven Cabin.  Trevor and Kristin portaged their gear from Salmon Cove Cabin to Deer Haven Cabin via the Deer Haven Trail.  

The paddlers took it nice and easy because the tide had to fill the cove with water before we could enter with packrafts.  Once the paddle and portage(s) were complete we spent the remainder of the afternoon drying and packing gear for the floatplane trip back to Homer.  

Later in the evening Trevor received a message on his inReach from Northwind Aviation saying they would be there at 8:00 AM the next morning to pick us up.

DAY 8:  (6/28/22)

Everyone got up bright and early this morning so we could be ready for our pickup.  Right on schedule the floatplane taxied up to the shore and we began loading our gear.  Then, as we were going across the lake Trevor said, "There's a bear on the shore."  We looked over and sure enough there was a bear.  Once aloft Jim and I saw a deer running down the beach.  It was a great send off.  An hour later we were in Homer.

Loading the Otter for departure from Shuyak Island.

Shuyak Island under the wing of our departing floatplane.

The official map we used to plan and follow our packraft routes and hiking trails.