In late July I traveled to Sitka, Alaska to teach kayak building.
Jackie and I stayed with Kitty who lives on a nearby island. The daily skiff ride was fun.
A half mile walk on a trail led us to the house.
Chicken of the woods mushrooms along the trail.
and false solomon seal.
Kitty hammering it together.
Sam giving it a few whacks.
Not sure what's going on here, but I'm sure it's important.
Scott paddling.
Kitty and Jonothan.
Jackie and I borrowed a couple of fresh boats and caught a motor boat ride to the outer islands where locals were dip netting sockeye salmon at a lake entrance.
Lon lands a salmon.
This archipelago of glacially formed islands is ringed with kelp beds that teem with sea ottters.
We are forced to take extreme measures to shield ourselves from a rare day of bright Sitka sunshine.
An unlikely granite belt cuts through the outer islands forming this rare white sand beach.
...and the rarest thing of all, the elusive Sitka sunset.
The fishing is excellent here so we brought very little food.
Ling Cod
Halibut
My camp 'stove', simple and effective.
The reward
Plotting a course through dozens of rocks and islands in the fog. This is why we learn to navigate.
The quintessential southeast Alaskan image, a troller in the mist.
A natural hot springs is powerful motivation to find our way accurately.
Our last day back to Sitka is a longer day so we stop in a kelp bed to eat and rest. Draping kelp over the boat keeps the swell from pushing us into the rocks.
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