Alaska - More from last winter. And this year.

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I guess I got bored posting the same river over and over lol and y'all are all about winging anyway 

Here's a few from last winter into this spring on the Bark - I'm starting to call this a "stand up sea kayak" to explain what I am doing to people. Around here, sup is mostly the cheapest isups. Some exceptions - not many.

First pic is Dec. 26, 2021 - screen captured from one minute video from the drone some random nice lady sent me
link to video https://photos.app.goo.gl/YTDNGzZjU3WKcJ667
Then Dec 31 - a traffic jam! Well - I met two other paddlers plus my kayaking friend (she's a kayaking nut - going to be over 200 days on the water by the end of the year or more).
Jan 30, 2022
Sept.17, 2021 - out of order - Portage Glacier my second trip here  - I don't think I posted this glacier trip? The lake turned on us on the way out - rough water and it's a fjord-lake - no beaches you just stick it out. or don't make it.

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Feb 6 - yep - same water Dragging boats to the Tailrace
then - me and the crazy kayakers I tried kayaking again - what a pain to get out of the boat - ugh - no wonder I like sup
Feb 21 - it's frickin' raining. 34f and raining. Eh, dry-suits don't seem to care much.
The river is still pretty, even raining.

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One more from Feb 21 - the power plant where the ice water from the bottom of Eklutna lake comes out of the 4 mile tunnel.

Then Feb 27th - sun peeking out and lighting up ice in the atmosphere.  It's 1pm
The water is perfectly clear - no glacier silt like later in spring.
Pretty far downriver - this is like 3 miles from the Tailrace.
Down at the take-out - it's way better on a sup to run up on the ice and hop off. I then grab the nose of my kayaker friend and haul her up on the ice too.

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Getting ready to shlep back to shore - the river is hundred plus yards from shore in winter. This is the scary spot - water running under ice gets my respect - or fear - whatever. The little stream behind here is like 3 ft deep and fast running - and back-aways there, it disappears under the ice. Fall in, flounder around - it will try to kill you, pin you against the bottom under the ice - and moving water is beyond powerful. I generally don't do this alone - despite the fact that a kayak isn't a very good rescuer-boat, not for this situation. But - I do make this safer for my kayaker friend, so - that's good.


March 10 - same river I know. but - it's liquid and that's special
Kayaker buddy Rebecca -and Paris the Dog with her paddler Chuck

Eh - out of order - but from before - the shlepping picture of me
Then Chuck and Rebecca at this later date.

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March 16  Paris and her paddler, Chuck, again. Chuck has a lot of kayaks.

Me from Rebecca's kayak. Note my rear "rudder" - tho if it isn't steering - is it a skeg? Anyway - I got tired of grinding my fins thru the sand bars etc - and put a cheap kayak rudder on the back of the Bark - I reversed the spring, it springs "down"  - and it has a fiberglass rod stuck in it, it holds it straight ahead. I may add foot steering - I did this on my Red Elite, it was not that helpful but sometimes, with a side wind, it would be cool.

Eagles.

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Marcy 20 - a group paddle - and some sups!

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OK - FINALLY - some NOT Eklutna Tailrace. Went to Whittier (an important WWII Ice-Free port - the military punched a 2 mile tunnel through a mountain to get to this harbor).
March 26 - my daughter Cat came to visit from Ohio - she's paddling a Pacific Designs Sea Otter my dad got as a "finish yourself" kit in like, 1978. Great boat - roomy, fast (enough) and stable.
My kid paddling Ok at 30 not a kid
Cat and Rebecca
Paris, her paddler Chuck and I can't remember the guy but he was visiting from Italy and had never kayaked!
And - it snowed a bit

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Whittier - on the beach 

It did get a bit choppy

40yr old kayak - gotta love that thick gelcoat, I hit a LOT of rocks paddling this kayak

The Bark - is stable. Really. Love. This. Board.

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Blurry Bark - but I love the action of this shot. The Bark is also pretty fast

More snowy trees and paddlers

Me on the Bark. Temps in the low 30s - notice no gloves - I almost had to take off the hat    I should get some vinyl letters and put his name on it again Nice job, Joe!

me and my daughter after

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April 4 - practically summer! And - the sun is sticking around! This is 10pm

April 7 - yeah - same water 9:23pm

Ice at take-out - no longer do-able - we had to paddle back upstream

Eh this is "down" but - one more makes 4

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April 10

April 14 - found a new route! Same river - but could get thru to another channel via a slough that the ice melted clear of (finally)

In the new waters!!

Out the other side - and into fast glacier river - cool!

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The take out was possible as well - the ice had melted and the river was free again. Still icy of course.

April 17...eh, just the edges of a lake opening up Not post-worthy - but I was paddling - happy!

April 20 - doing that new route again.

Where the slough comes out - on the fast blue glacier waters of the Matanuska River

It still merges back where we come out anyway but it's a different river - much faster and you need to pay attention to avoid sweepers.

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April 24 - more icy lakes 25th - same -
April 26th! Rabbit Slough is open! Cool "natural canal" running mile across the flat floor of the Matanuska Valley

Group of people from Alaska Paddlers on Facebook - when Facebook sucks less

Big flocks of geese

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It's not very fast - but it fools ya - it demands a workout on the way back upstream. There is no downstream takeout except a 2 day trip to Anchorage across Cook Inlet.

9pm

Golden Eagle - I don't see those (or I mix them up with all the juvenile bald eagles - lots of those )

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May 5 - Knik again - but - starting upriver at the old bridge - the river is open, this is glacial melt, not the little dribbles from the Eklutna power plant