Hiking across Kodiak Island, Alaska

[Philip Tschersich]

I just stopped by Big Ray’s (212 Lower Mill Bay Rd, Kodiak, AK 99615) and they have piles of bear spray in different sizes and shelves of canister fuel in every volume.

[Parke L]

For the Old Harbor to Kodiak traverse, it turns out there is a recently constructed road (part of a new hydro project) that will take you a few miles north out of town. Currently, where it ends there is an ATV track leading off to the south that unexpectedly curves around and gains the ridge on the west side of the valley. It is a cruiser way to get into the high country to start the traverse (though not entirely free of bushwhacking).

Unfortunately a member of our party turned an ankle at the end of day one and we had to bail. Beautiful terrain though, and visiting the island overall was a great experience. Tons of wildlife, awesome people. Hope to make another attempt in the future.

Also, no problems borrowing bear spray from Harborside for free and flying with it on Island Air. You do have to remember to tell them you have it for your return flight though, or they might not bring the necessary containment.

[Philip Tschersich]

We are having a very cool, late spring in Southwestern Alaska. It’s been hard to find a decent weather window to do a trip, but I had just such an opportunity this past week. Serendipitously, this also coincided with some very large spring tides where one high tide occurred in the middle of the day. It is hard to overstate how much more fun Shuyak Island is when the tides are big and you can take advantage of a high in the early afternoon; the portages are easier, you can paddle closer to the shore, there are significant currents flowing in and out of the inlets to take advantage of, and the bears head to the outer coast to dine in the kelpy rocks and tide pools. And aside from Cowboy, the caretaker at the old Port William cannery (and the dog Keeho), I was the only one on the island. Remote Alaska has its advantages. Cheers!

[Jerry Adams]

wow! nice trip and video

are the cabins part of the state park that anyone can use?

did you carry bear spray?

[Philip Tschersich]

Yes! There are four public use cabins in the state park. They hardly ever get used. I visited each cabin and read in one of the cabin logs that the last occupants were a year ago. And yes, I always carry bear spray, as does everyone in Kodiak.

[Jerry Adams]

I am fearful of grizzlies for some reason.  I don’t even want to think about polar bears.

[Philip Tschersich]

Your attitude is totally understandable. I have run into many hundreds of brown bears in my Alaska travels, and it still increases my heart rate every time. But it’s fun sharing the environment with them.

[Philip Tschersich]

Last week I flew to the village of Akhiok on the south end of Kodiak and hiked half way up the west side of the island to the village of Larsen Bay. The weather was cool and breezy in the beginning, but warmed up later in the trip. The wildflowers were at their absolute peak and simply incredible. I ran into lots of critters and had a lovely time. It was about 90 miles and I covered it in 5 days, with two 20-mile days in the middle. That’s a lot in Alaska when you don’t have anything other than deer and bear trails to ease the passage through huge hummocks, spongy marshes, soft tundra, waist-high grass, or thick salmonberry/ferns/willow/alder. That said, I was able to take advantage of some nice beach and ridge walking when those presented themselves. The bugs were basically nonexistent for most of the trip, and only got annoying for a few hours on the last day. Sweet.

If you have 7 minutes to burn, here is the video:

[Brad W]

@Philip Wow! That was incredible. That type of trip really intrigues me. A few questions-what was your food storage protocol? Are ticks an issue? Can you post a gear list?

Again, just fantastic videography.

[Jerry Adams]

nice wildlife pictures.  They didn’t seem bothered by your presence.

what did you use for a camera?  You must have had a tripod also?

[Philip Tschersich]

I have visited Shuyak Island, Alaska twice now this spring/summer. The first time was with Patrick from the Alutiiq Museum, helping him on his spring archaeological site surveys. We canvassed the entire central-northern, eastern, and southern coastlines of Shuyak over a week and a half back in May. Not exactly ‘light’ travel, but much lighter than typical field work.

Then last week I took the mail plane back up to Port William and did a 5-day packrafting and hiking loop across the northern half of the island. It was a bit breezy, but with some careful planning and a few strategic retreats involving hiking through the forest instead of paddling into headwinds, it worked out magically. I also absolutely nailed the tides and was able to take advantage of some rather nice currents flooding into, or ebbing out of, deep bay systems to make the paddling portions extra fun. The animals were out in force enjoying the bounty of summer. I continue to maintain that Shuyak is the ultimate packrafting destination in Alaska.

[Jerry Adams]

Another great video, so many interesting things

A torch that goes on a butane canister

Grizzly bears

Otters having sex?

Helicopter with all windows

[Philip Tschersich]

Sorry I spaced out on the earlier questions, though I may have answered them somewhere else last year. Anyway…

“…what was your food storage protocol? Are ticks an issue? Can you post a gear list?”

No special food storage strategy was used. Everything was in its original packaging or moved to ziplock-type bags. I carry food in a silnylon stuff sack. I carry my trash in a ziplock bag. I have been doing this for over 30 years in Kodiak. We have wild bears that get hunted, and as a result they are very wary of humans. My presence is much more of a deterrent than my food/trash is an attractant. Using your food as a pillow is a common backcountry practice in Alaska outside popular destinations with protected and potentially habituated bear populations (think parks).

We don’t have ticks.

I posted a summarized gear list as part of the Akhiok to Larsen Bay hike trip report.

“…what did you use for a camera?  You must have had a tripod also?”

I carry my iPhone 13 Pro for navigation and capture a lot of the video on that. I shoot telephoto video with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS80 point-and-shoot mini zoom. I use a modified original Gorillapod as a mini tripod. It has a quick release ‘plate’ system (a little plastic wedge shoe) so I can swap out a MagSafe attachment for my phone with the Lumix.

“Otters having sex?”

Correct. Once coupled, the male will seemingly not let go for any reason whatsoever.

Cheers, folks.

[jscott]

Wonderful videos! And great work and adventure on the part of all.

My minor quibble: can we at last dispense with the drums on video music tracks? Please. they’re incessant and driving and inescapable in modern life. Listen to NPR: most intro tracts are drum dominant. Same with any TV show. yeah, I can pick up a four four beat without loud drums telling me to do so. so can all of us. We grew up on rocknroll, after all. Enough already! we all get the idea, the rhythm. No need to beat it into us while watching wildlife in a wonderful landscape.

[Author]

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