Glacier Bay: Day One

H and I like a little adventure in our lives. (I probably like it a little more than she does. Her caution helps keeps me alive.) So when PB and LB (no relation) asked us to spend some of our honeymoon camping with them in Glacier Bay National Park, we jumped at the chance. Four nights in the vast wilds of Alaska with friends - what could be a better way to honeymoon?
This trip, however, required a little more preplanning than our previous trips. We had to make sure our gear was in order, pre-purchase and send out our food, etc. It was just one more thing to toss into the mix of wedding planning, house purchasing/occupying, and crazy work schedules. Somehow we managed to do an OK job of it. We only forgot a few little things. Fortunately the Bs were much better prepared than we were.

The adventure began at the airport in Juneau. We flew in a small plane to Gustavas, which is the only town near the park's entrance. Space on the plane was limited, so we faced tight weight restrictions. Neither the Bs or the Js were feeling confident that the bags would make it under the 150lb/couple weight limit. We, barely, made the weight cut, but not the size cut. One of the bags would have to fly over on a second plane. Fortunately, we could pick the bag and picked a non-essential one.

I have never flown on a small plane. It was a trip. There was a lot of low cloud cover so the views were not as spectacular as I had heard. However, they were more spectacular than any I'd seen from a plane before. The area between Juneau and Gustavas is empty. All you can see is trees, ice, and water. You could see spots where there had been logging activity, but they were far and few.
Once at the ranger station, the running around began:
We had to watch Don't Feed the Bears: Humans are Bad for a Bear's Digestion.
We had to register with the rangers and get our bear cans.
We had to stuff all of our food into magically bear proof plastic tubes. We sorted the food into sensible categories and H made made a key for future reference.
We had to secure the late arriving bags and lock up any gear we were not taking with us. Since H and I were heading straight to Anchorage after the camping, we had plenty of extra gear.
We had to buy stove fuel and bear spray. Fuel was not a problem, but bear spray was scarce. LB managed to procure some from somewhere.
We had to go through kayak orientation where we were fitted for full-body rubber rain gear and introduced to our transportation for the trip: 4 slightly beat up 17' Easy Rider Eskimos. They are wide, deep and equipped with rope controlled rudders.
We had to pack up the kayaks.
We left later than we had planned and had to fight the current. Tides in Glacier Bay are 10' to 20' and the currents can be pretty significant. The current we fought was not too bad, but being in unfamiliar kayaks added to the strain.
It did not take long for the rudder in my kayak to grate on me. I'm not used to the constant attention a rudder needs to keep straight or the lose foot peddles. I was also having a hard time finding a comfortable position for the size 12 rubber boots I was wearing. So, I pulled up the rudder. The others persevered with their rudders.
A half hour out of Bartlett Cove PB spotted a bear feeding on shore. We weren't sure what kind of bear it was, but we all agreed that we didn't want to get any closer. It is cool to watch a bear from afar. It was a little unnerving to think that there was a chance that we may come face to face with one his brethren.
After an hour of paddling we decided to look for a place to camp. It had been a long day. We found a small island that looked promising. It had some bear signs, but they were old. The island also had a very clear bear path, so we could easily position ourselves and our gear away from it. The site also had a built in early warning system - nesting oyster catchers. We figured they would raise a racket if a bear approached.
We set up our tents very close together. H could exit our tent and hop into the B's tent without leaving cover... almost. The closeness gave us bear novices a sense of confidence. The rest of the camp site was set up in a loose triangle. The bear canisters, with all of the food and toiletries, were hidden in bushes about 50 yards away. The kayaks were tied down closer to the water, but above the high tide line.
The kitchen was set up below high tide line so any waste and scents would wash away. I pulled out my stove, placed the pump in the fuel bottle, and started to pressurize it. As soon as I started pumping, a clear trickle started flowing down the side if the rock... I reset the pump on the bottle to get a better seal and tried again... Same story. A close inspection revealed that my fuel pump had a crack in it.
Fortunately, PB had brought along his new MSR Whisperlight International stove and had tested it out before brining it with him. He fired up his stove and H cooked up some fantastic mac & cheese with peas and ham.
Exhausted and full, we settled into our sleeping bags under the dusky glow of the midnight sun. According to people who don't sleep like the dead, our early warning system proved to be a continual false alarm.
For PB's take on the day read Kayaking Adventures:Glacier Bay Day 1.