Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Main Bay to Crofton Island

From May 15 to 17 I volunteered to cleanup trash on the Prince William Sound beaches.  The cleanup was organized by GOAK.  Our group of 3 kayakers were taken by power boat from Whittier to Main Bay where we loaded our kayaks.  We started the cleanup on the north side of Main Bay, landing on a beach, filling bright yellow bags with trash, and moving to the next beach.  It was a rainy day and the seas were calm in the bay.  The temperatures were in the mid-forties. 

Main Bay and the nearby bays are heavily used by commercial set netters in the summer.   There are many marginal beaches in Main Bay but none are scenic because the set netters store their gear and have shelters behind the beaches.  You can camp here in a pinch when no fishing is occurring.  Some of the north facing beaches had snow at the top of the beach but the other beaches were snow free.

The small tide range for this weekend of 6 to 8 feet meant that many marginal camping beaches were safe to camp.  In the evening, I camped below a set net site on a gravel beach.  I set up a tarp and fixed dinner in the rain.  Later I hung my food and set up the tent under the tarp.  After settling into my sleeping bag, I saw motion outside the tent.  I yelled at what looked a rat and the animal ran off a bit.  It then came back and I could see that it was a weasel patrolling the beach.  That was special since I’ve only see weasels once before in the Sound.

By midnight the rain had stopped and the skies cleared.  In the morning, all the water droplets on the tarp and tent were frozen.  Things thawed out in the sunshine and we were on the water by 9:30.  There was not a cloud in the sky and it stayed calm and clear all day.

We paddled over to Falls Bay and continued cleaning the beaches.  This bay is also heavily used by set netters.  The beaches are also marginal for camping and I’d only use them in a pinch.

We picked up trash on the beaches through the bay and continued south along the outside beaches, finishing up across from the southern end of Crofton Island.  These beaches are also marginal for camping except in low tide ranges.  I paddled over to the huge beach at the southern end of Crofton and camped there.  It has great views to the east, south, and west.  This is a high beach and can accommodate a large group.  Nearby is an old cabin that the Park service has designated as historic significance.  It has bunks and it appears it can be used in a pinch.

Twenty feet from the door, in view from the door, someone had pooped and left toilet paper.  There is no outhouse at this cabin so if you must go in the woods, dig a cathole and packout or burn your paper.  Usually paddlers dig a cathole as close to the waters edge and go there.

That evening I watched a pair of Bald Eagles chattering at each other in the nearby trees.  When they finished, two pair of oyster catchers flew around with their loud piercing calls, probably discussing territory or mates.  Later an otter swam by munching loudly on barnacles.  I finally turned in as the alpine glow was on the snowy mountains of Knight Island.

The next morning was calm and clear.  I bagged trash on the beaches of Crofton Island and can across two dozen curious seals watching me work.  They’d bob up and down or occasionally splashed loudly.

We loaded up the boats and gear by noon and headed back to Whittier via the east side of Perry Island to view a sea lion haul out at about 60 44.305' by 147 54.379'.  A great trip.

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