At no time during the trip were we able to access a computer and upload photos from our waterproof cameras so all the posts were a bit text heavy. Now we're home with all photos organised we can make up for the lack of photos.
The Cascadia Marine Trail provides camping sites throughout Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands exclusively for kayaks and sailing dinghies. These sites are often where there is otherwise no camping and not surprisingly when there was other camping there were better camp spots than the sites open to vehicle access.
We wheeled the kayak 270m from the nearest slipway to the Alaskan Marine Highway System ferry in Bellingham. This ferry took us to Ketchikan.
Securely 'moored' on the car deck for the day and half journey to Ketchikan.
Our 'cabin' on the Solarium Deck. The loungers with thermarests were quite comfy, the biggest disturbance to sleep was the fact it hardly got dark.
All packed up and ready to leave Ketchikan.
Our first campsite at Cammano Point entailed a long carry to the kayak in the morning at dead low tide.
Everywhere we went there were some funky houses perched in the most preposterous places.
Luxury camping on a floating pontoon on Zarembo Island. Little likelihood of bears, no carrying of gear up to the campsite, no need to hang all the food or heave the kayak above the high water mark.
Sitka Black-tailed deer and fawn on the shore of Wrangell Narrows.
Doug Leen, our host in Petersburg started life with a degree in Geology, worked for many years as Grand Tetons NP Ranger, spent two years in Vietnam, to then become a dentist for 34 yrs in both private (Seattle), and public health, on a square-rigger in the Pacific for the Marimed Foundation. Before becoming a ranger, he was a serious mountaineer with many first ascents in the Cascades and Alaska with the legendary Fred Becky. He's also restored a 116 yr old tug from the keel up, fitted with a very rare engine, and is still a passionate and active environmentalist. Doug's also spent two summers in the Antarctic at both McMurdo and South Pole...
AND he drinks GnTs from pint mugs and after a delicious feed of halibut starts reciting Robert Service.
Doug's guest cabin where we spent two very comfortable nights.
The muskeg wetlands, remarkably similar to alpine wetlands in Tasmania, though this is virtually at sea level.
Our hip flask of Glenmorangie malt whisky. A sip at the end of each day before the grunt work of carting all our gear and kayak up the beach.
Lovely evening light at our campsite on the northern shore of Kupreanof Island looking across Frederick Sound.
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