Kayaking at Sitka, Alaska

Guess it won't be quite the same-- launching a kayak into the polluted Willamette River at Portland-- Oregon's Katlian Bay

very own super fund site-- not after 10 days of paddling in the pristine waters around Sitka, Alaska. When my Alaska Airlines flight dropped below the clouds all I could say was "wow-wow-wow!" (not very articulate, I know) at the sight of the huddled town, the bays and sounds and channels and straits, the myriad islands everywhere cropping up, and the whole of it enclosed in a semi-circle of snowy mountains.
                Besides the beauty of its setting, what makes Sitka an excellent place for kayaking is its great logistics. I got this idea from "Guide to Sea Kayaking in southeast Alaska," by Jim Howard (highly recommended) and then proved it for myself on the ground. One thing you don't really need here is a car. Just leave it at home.
                I sent my folding kayak ahead as freight a couple of days before my flight and it was waiting for me at the cargo office right next door to the terminal. I had strapped the frame together tightly and used clothing to cushion each end. The hull rode in its own bag with a few miscellaneous pieces. The ribs I took on the plane in a carry-on bag.
                Kayaks can be launched right from town at one of several harbors, or from the shore of Starrigavan Campground 8 miles north of town. Once your boat is in the water there are limitless places to paddle. Routes are quite well protected by outer islands in most places and in most conditions.

Some of Sitka's accommodating features:

Starrigavan Campground. Perfectly located for kayaking all the areas north of Sitka. I just rolled my kayak down to the beach on a boat cart. Campsites can be buggy with no-see-ums and the dreaded white sock on the attack at times. Try to select a site as far as possible from boggy areas of salmon brush, devil's club, and skunk cabbage. At one end of the campground there is an artesian well spouting terrific tasting water that, needless to say, does not need to be filtered. Only $8 a day in 2001.
Sitka Youth Hostel. Nice, accommodating hostel close to the grocery, laundromat & showers, and Thompsen Harbor launch site. They even let me bring my kayak inside on nights that I stayed there! I assembled my boat when I arrived in Sitka and did not have to disassemble it until it was time to leave. You can even camp behind the hostel for $1 a night. Otherwise, about $13 a night in 2001.
Baidarka Boats. Coincidentally, I had bought my folding kayak online from this shop-- impressed by the helpfulness and the good deal offered by owner Ken Schaeffer. When I found myself in Sitka I dropped in to say hello. Baidarka Boats can furnish everything for kayak trips around Sitka. Let it be clear that I've received nothing for saying this-- but this is one fine kayak shop. To access their web page click here. Tragically, Ken Schaeffer was killed in a kayaking accident a few months after my trip. He was one of the nicest guys I had met in a long time, did me inumerable favors while I was in Sitka, and was a true lover of the beauties of the outdoors. I was quite shocked when I heard the news.
Sitka Volunteer Fire Dept. They loaned me a VHF radio and monitored my trip plans when I went out alone to make sure I returned on time, free of charge. Now that's a great service.

Sitka: A Beautiful and Friendly Town

            People were so friendly in Sitka that it almost came as a shock. From the Sitka Tours bus driver who picked me up at the airport and gave me all kinds of help and advice, to the staffs at the Sitka Youth Hostel and Baidarka Boats, the Fire Marshal, and just people on the street and passing by on bicycles. Local people driving downtown are actually careful and considerate of the tourists who disembark from cruise ships and at times clog the intersections.
            Perhaps the fact that I am even marveling at such friendliness shows that I may have acquired a certain bunker mentality over the last 15 years of urban living?
            The town is beautiful even in gray, drizzly weather, but when the skies clear it is so stunning that it is almost impossible to take it in. The first time this happened I burned a roll of film in a half hour, taking pictures in all directions.
            On gray days, the islands in the Sound are black and apparitional and the water is slate-gray. On clear days, the islands are richly green with thick spruce and hemlock growing right to the water's edge and their bows hanging out over the water. Then the water is deep blue and glittering.
            The mountains keep revealing and concealing themselves with each change of the weather and refuse to be taken for granted.
            At sunset on clear days, Sitka town and Sitka Sound are purely canonized with a beautiful, fractured light.
            You can't go wrong here.

Here are some Sitka kayaking trip photos. Click on
thumbnails to enlarge.

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