Perry Island - June 2022

6/22 - The day was warm and sunny.  Jean and I paddled from the Lazy Otter kayak launch in Whittier.  There was a light headwind all the way to Decision Point where we camped.  No one else is camping here tonight.   There are a few gnats so we used our bug jackets.  We only saw day paddlers.  There are lots of jet skis going into Decision Bay.  We saw a few eagles and two jellyfish.  Heard sea lions barking in Shotgun Cove but could not see them.  They may be hauled out on the mooring buoys.  Paddled 9 miles.

6/23 - A calm mostly cloudy morning and a sunny afternoon.  We took a short day and paddled to Surprise Cove and camped.  A family in a zodiac was there.  Day of rest.  Saw a sea otter.  No kayakers.  Five mile day.

6/24 - Low clouds and mostly calm.  Got water at a stream east of Surprise Cove.  Could hear the stream from camp.  Paddled across Cochran Bay. There is commercial fishing near the entrance to Colross Passage. There were no fishing boats east of Colross Passage.  There appeared to be several campsites at the top of Colross Island.  Two sea lions accompanied us for a while at the top of Colross Island.  Camped near Tipping Point on Perry island as at the Trails iIllustrated map, Prince William Sound - West .  There are at least two camping beaches here. A small protected beach to the north and a big beach to the south.   We stayed on the big beach which works in a 12 foot tide but might not work in a 14 foot tide.  A hummingbird came through camp. There was a seal and a sea lion in the bay too.  Blackflies are here. No kayakers today.  Fourteen mile day.

6/25 -  A cloudy day with sun in the late afternoon.  A southwest wind and seas made the first two hours hard paddling with lots of concentration. Could not find the stream on the west side of the island. There are lots of beaches for breaks. Some of them had reefs in front of them for a calm landing.  Checked out campsite at the end of the island shown on the Trails Illustrated map.  There is a big flat spot on the point for camping.  This is a nice high site if there are no swells on the beach.  Around the corner on the bottom of the island and up the east coast a mile we found water in a nondescript location. There is no obvious stream on the beach but the shape of the beach was unusual so I stopped to check it out. Behind the high beach berm was a small stream. There is a flat tent site that would work in these low tide ranges.  I got a GPS location which matches the outlet of the stream on my topo map. We continued north to the Trails Illustrated campsite near Billings Point.  There are sea lions and sea otters in front of the campsite tonight.  There were two land otters in the bay.  Also saw seals and sea lions on the paddle today.  Surprised we've only seen a few eagles all trip.  No kayakers today. Fourteen mile day.

6/26 - A cloudy calm day with sun by mid-afternoon.  The sea lions were very active last night.  There was a great blue heron on the beach last night.  Paddled north to the cove with the Trails Illustrated campsite.  The site on the outside of the cove is not a good landing beach and it did not look like good camping.  There is another beach in the cove but we did not check it out. There is a stream at the back of the cove. The beach is very rocky and we landed very carefully. Fortunately there were no waves. We got water. We then paddled toward the Dutch Group to the island marked tree on my topo map.  It took us an hour with calm wind in 1 to 2 foot seas.  We saw a few puffins near the island and lots of gulls.  We return to Perry Island and as we paddled north up the east coast, we came across a sea lion haul out.  There were too many sea lions to count.  They were tightly packed in and very noisy. Fun to watch. There are no landing beaches north of the cove where we got water.  And no beaches at the entrance of East Twin Bay.  We finally found a beach near the entrance to West Twin Bay. Three and one-half hours in the boat.  Saw sea otters off and on.  Camped on a calm sunny beach north of the first Perry Island camp.  There are no marine mammals here but lots of iris and chocolate lilies along the shore.  We've seen bull kelp and jellyfish every day on Perry Island.  Saw a day paddler off of one of the boats in the cove with water but no other kayakers.  Very few bugs tonight.  Sixteen mile day.

6/27 - A cloudy calm morning and sunshine by noon.  Stayed at the same camp. Paddle to the back of West Twin Bay for water.  There are lots of beaches along the way for breaks on the west side of the bay. The water source is a big stream. Paddled to the Trails Illustrated camp nearby for lunch.  This is a good landing beach with camping high in the trees. Some idiot built a fireplace in one of the tent sites.  Saw a few little young sea lions. Also a loon. There are very few beaches on the east side of the bay. Another pleasant evening in camp with sun.  No kayakers today. A short rest day. There is an island north of camp which has two campable beaches.  One faces east and the other faces west.  Six mile day.

6/28 - Clear night.  Low of 45 and dew on the tent.   Breezy morning with white caps in the passage. We've noted eagles hanging around the island in front of us for the past two days.  This morning we finally saw their nest. One eagle was at the nest and the other stood guard in a nearby treetop.  We're guessing the eggs haven't hatched. Fun to watch. Left camp near noon when the seas had calmed.  Paddled to a big beach near the crossing for Cochrane Bay.  We have just enough beach if there are no swells tonight. The seas are calm. Commercial fishing is still ongoing at the entrance to Colross Passage. No kayakers today.  Heard and saw whales sounding in the passage in the evening. Ten mile day.

6/29 - The high tide came within 4 feet of the tent last night.  Luckily there were no boat wakes or swells. A warm clear night. A clear day with a light breeze from behind. Hummingbirds came by the feeder this morning.  All of them were interested in the pattern on the handkerchief.  Some figured out how to drink from the feeder.  Paddled back to Whittier in six hours. Saw our first paddlers past Decision Point. Had a tailwind and following seas most of the way. Very dry trip. Only had dew on the tent.  Never put up the tarp. Saw sea otters off Decision Point, the only animals of the day.  Eighteen mile day.