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2005 Hubbard Glacier Trip Photo Gallery

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In July 2005,  I had the incredible pleasure of taking a couple on a 9 day kayak trip to the Hubbard Glacier through the Russell Fiord Wilderness.  There are currently no outfitters permitted to operate in this area and although I have always wanted to make this trip,  I needed a "reason" to put such a challenging trip together.  That "reason" came in the form of Doug and Lisa Levin.  The "soon-to-be" Levins take big kayak trips every year and had decided to find a truly special trip for their honeymoon.  They looked at a map and spotted what they thought would be the most remote and isolated place they could find.  Doing a search for "Russell Fiord",  our web site popped up and they contacted me about doing a trip for them.

As I already mentioned,  the Forest Service and Park Service do not have anyone permitted to do trips here at all,  although Alaska Discovery used to do trips here years ago.  We asked the government if we could do this one time trip and to our surprise,  the permit appeared rather quickly.  At the end of June,  we hiked our solid fiberglass double kayaks into the end of the fiord in preparation for the start of our long trip.  The Levins arrived in Yakutat (after a turbulent ceremony in Alberta,  Canada),  but Alaska Airlines lost one of their bags,  delaying the start of our trip by a day.

After packing a week and a half's worth of gear and supplies into the fiord,  we began our paddle on a drizzly afternoon.  The trip definitely had its challenges,  but overall it was an amazing experience for all of us.  I will type you though the whole trip in the hope that I can convey at least a little bit of just how special this place is.  My "instamatic" digital camera isn't going to come close to capturing the magic of the area.  You'll just have to come and see it for yourself someday.  The fiord portion doesn't look especially spectacular,  but it was nonetheless.  Anticipating the tremendousness of Hubbard in the middle of our trip,  we were all blown away more by the remoteness and unspoiled solitude of Russell Fiord.  Enjoy the trip...

This was the route I proposed to the Forest Service.  We also paddled up Nunatak Fiord and back as you will see below.  Since the gap between Hubbard Glacier and Gilbert Point was a big question mark,  we were prepared for the possibility of not being able to go all the way through.  As it turned out,  "the Gap" was less dangerous than we expected and was one of the smoothest parts of the whole trip.  Although I have flown over the area many times and power boated in Disenchantment Bay,  the trip itself was essentially blind.  We did not know what to expect,  or where we would be camping.  We planned this as a "research" trip,  an opportunity to scout out campsites and to see if this is a trip we even want to offer.

Day #1:

The drive from the airport is about 17 miles to the fiord trailhead,  mostly on gravel logging roads.  The hike is only about 2/3rds of a mile long.  The first half is pretty flat with a gentle rise as you climb to the top of the old glacial moraine ridge.  The second half drops down to sea level very quickly,  as you have to negotiate a jumble of boulders through dense forest.  At the bottom,  you break out into the "bathtub ring",  a ring of dead trees and debris left from the two glacial floods in 1986 and 2002.  As you can see so easily in the image above,  Hubbard is in the process of closing off the fiord,  creating the largest glacially dammed lake on earth since Lake Missoula covered much of Idaho and Montana tens of thousands of years ago.  These two recent closures were temporary,  lasting only a few months.  Once sealed,  the rain and melt water causes the "lake" to rise,  submerging the forest that surrounds the fiord.  When the dam was breached in 1986,  the outrush of water was the greatest flow of water on earth in recorded times - more than three times the greatest maximum flood flow of the Mississippi,  although it lasted less than a day and the fiord height returned to sea level.  You can see many photos of the 2002 closure ***HERE*** on our "Latest News" page if you scroll to the bottom.

You can see the "bathtub ring" as we look back toward shore in the middle photo.
 
These are the first brown bear we encountered on the trip - the first of 10 on our first day.  A sow with three cubs foraging at a salmon stream on the east side of the fiord.
 
This large stellar sea lion managed to maroon himself on top of a rock.  The tide deposited him there and there he remained for the entire day.
 
The second family of brown bear - another sow with three cubs.  She wasn't visible when we arrived,  but boy could we hear her giving the kids a good tongue lashing.  She wasn't happy about being halfway up the hillside as we approached,  but once she was with her brood,  they all settled down and we had a nice view from the safety of the deep water.  The first photo below is where we saw a pod of whale off in the distance.  They were too far away to see what species,  but their blows were clear.  The drizzle had stopped and the sound traveled forever.  Their blast of water and slap of their tail flukes on the water sounded as though they were right next to us.  We did paddle through a couple pods of porpoise along the way,  but no photos were taken.  Hard to capture a rising porpoise when you have no idea where they will surface and with that wonderful delayed shutter on my digital camera...
 
Campsite number one.  There were two bears here as we approached,  but they were never seen again after we landed.  This was the buggiest place I have ever seen and that means a lot coming from someone who has spent most of his life in Alaska!  Doug and Lisa had their space suits to protect them,  but I was all theirs.  I didn't actually get a single bite,  but at times you couldn't see through the swarm.  We'll definitely not use this spot next time...  The fresh beer-battered halibut and home made cole slaw tasted great after our first long day of paddling.  The ridge of crushed mussel shells made for a surprisingly soft bed,  although I suspect that was the source of bug hell.  A nice bon fire helped to knock down the bugs and deter any furry critters from investigating our camp.

Day #2:

We were paddling blind,  not knowing the exact geography ahead of us.  My hope was that the corner we couldn't quite see around was the entrance to Nunatak Fiord,  but alas it was just Seal Bay - about 3 miles shy of Nunatak.  Our plan was to paddle up Nunatak Fiord and back today,  but with the added mileage,  we knew that wasn't going to be possible.  Instead,  we shuttled the campsite around the corner,  so we'd have a fresh start the next day.  Next time,  I would like to spend a day exploring Seal Bay and the river valley that drains from Hidden Glacier.

"Honeymoon Falls" as we named it held our first black bear of the trip.  He disappeared long before I was able to get my camera ready.  I was a little snap-happy with all the gorgeous waterfalls early in the trip.
 
Right at the point,  there is a wonderful little stream and tremendous cascading waterfall.  Hubbard just comes into full view,  even tough we are still more than 10 miles away.  Hard to imagine a more breathtaking location to spend the night,  although it was still pretty darned buggy.  Two black oystercatchers kept very close eye on our movements.  These are the strangest birds!  Obviously they were nesting close by,  but we had no idea where.  Once they overcame our presence,  they became quite friendly,  in a really bizarre way.  In the flowers below,  the first one looks up Nunatak Fiord,  while the second looks up Russell Fiord with Hubbard in the background.

Watching the sunset behind Hubbard - in their space suits.  We had T-bones and the smoke from the fire kept my blood supply safe once more.

Day #3:

The LONG day!  My estimation was that this day covered about 27 miles.  Too long to do in a single day next time.  Throughout our entire trip,  it poured in Yakutat,  while the weather was perfect for kayaking on the fiord.  Every other day was clear and sunny,  with just mist or very light rain on the other days.  We never packed up a wet tent.  Today,  we had fog and very calm water.  Unfortunately,  the fog obscured the hundreds of small hanging glaciers that rim the fiord and the sheer cliffs that tower over us.  Nunatak is a recently exposed landscape,  so much of it looks like a barren moonscape (well,  moonscape with snow and ice and water...).

A brief glimpse of what was above our heads.  Nunatak is well worth exploring,  but not as the rushed single day trip we did.  Next time,  we'll spend the night at the head of the fiord and investigate the three glaciers that carved it.

An all-too-brief stop for lunch,  before paddling back to our campsite at the "Y".  This is the Art Lewis Glacier in the middle two photos.

The fog descended to the waterline and the fiord was like a mirror.  What a day it was,  but we were all exhausted as we landed at camp.  Tomorrow would be Hubbard...

Day #4:

Another beautiful sunny day.  We packed up our camp and after walking all over the beach for two days and nights,  we found out why the black oystercatcher family was so attentive to our every move.  My footprint was within just a couple inches of smashing their nest,  but fortunately all was OK.  Nothing broken,  in spite of carrying load after load over the eggs to the kayaks.

Hubbard looms ever larger in the distance as we close in on it.  The cliffs and rocks show the scars of the glacier carving its way through the land.  A huge brown bear saw us coming and spent a considerable amount of time climbing the cliff before us.  It was astounding to watch him climb the sheer cliffs and disappear into the trees,  then to follow his progress as the trees and branches shook before him.  Our first and only sign of other humans thus far was an airplane that flew over briefly as we neared the glacier.

In the mighty glacier's shadow,  we hit shore and investigated where to put our camp.  Hubbard is the largest tidewater glacier in North America  longest valley glacier - fastest advancing glacier in the world!  There was a massive calving just after we landed and yes!  before we had pulled the loaded kayaks out of the water.  One slipped off shore and I had to wade in after it.  OOPS!

No matter how hard I tried,  I just couldn't capture the incredible colors of the wild flowers here.  There is a very wide gulf between cheap digital and Kodachrome...

A small brown bear came to visit briefly.  Otherwise,  we just had the company of the thundering and groaning glacier.

Day #5:

The Gap...  In 2002,  there was no gap!  This year,  there was a gap of about 1/2 mile wide.  Sounds like a lot,  but when you are between 500-600 foot high ice and the rocky cliffs of Gilbert Point,  your perspective is shot.  Although the gap between Hubbard and Gilbert Point fluctuates dramatically,  the entire glacier is gradually marching forward to make another closure.  One that will seal the fiord off completely and overflow the Situk River.  For the time being,  we have a gap that is wide enough for us to paddle though safely,  even though it looks scary as hell.

Yah,  I still couldn't capture the dazzling color of the wildflowers.  Sorry.

We planned this crossing out carefully.  The early AM tide was a big 11 footer,  but our afternoon tide was a tiny 7 foot.  Only about 4 feet of difference between high and low,  so as little tidal surge as possible.  We waited and watched as the ice flow passed,  then right at the top of the tide,  we headed out to meet our fate.  We spent an hour and a half paddling like crazy just to stay in place,  since it took that long for the tidal surge to change directions.  Once it did,  we shot through the gap in moments.

Once on the other side,  we could relax and enjoy the unbelievable show of deafening sound and tumbling ice the size of city skyscrapers.  Remember,  this wall of ice before us is 500-600 feet high ABOVE the waterline.

The outbound ice flow was upon us,  signaling our time to leave.  Well,  that and our bladders were about to burst.  We made our way toward "Egg Island" to start dinner and set up camp.

As we paddled in toward the island,  it was breathtakingly still and quiet.  A sea otter played about the cove as we approached,  while a porpoise repeatedly surfaced among the bobbing bergs.  It was the most amazing experience to listen to the breaths each time the porpoise inhaled and exhaled.  One of those moments that will stay with you for the rest of your days.  Keep in mind that I get to have a lot of those kind of days considering where I live and what I do,  but this was a really special one.

The view from camp is of Hubbard Glacier on the right and Turner Glacier on the left.  Turner would be a worthy destination in itself if not for being right next to Hubbard.  It is as big as the largest glaciers in Glacier National Park,  but Hubbard's face  is 10 miles wide and taller than the Space Needle...

I went exploring the island to give Doug and Lisa a little time alone (well,  it is their honeymoon after all!).  Again,  the wildflowers were spectacular and my camera didn't capture them well.

Day #6:

This is where the lost "airline" day really hurt.  In the bay between Turner and Hubbard,  there is a pod of Beluga Whale that spend the summer every year.  It would have been wonderful to have the time to explore this part of the bay and get a much closer view of Turner,  Henke and the other glaciers of this incredible area.  Oh well.  Next time.

We woke to the blight of a cruise ship in our view,  but it was amazing to see this floating city so dwarfed by Hubbard.  It was a painful reminder that our trip was coming to an end and we had left the "wilderness".  We were no longer completely alone.

Most of these photos speak for themselves.  The July snow down to sea level,  the black bear foraging along the beach,  the seals hauled out onto the ice flow,  the depth of the iceberg as it disappears into the water's turbidity...

Rounding Point Latouche was a high point of the trip for me.  Expecting the remaining days to be pretty anticlimactic after Hubbard and paddling the gap,  I was really surprised by the spectacular scenery as we rounded the point and entered Yakutat Bay.  Over our shoulder,  18,008 foot Mt. St. Elias appeared,  as well as the horizontal expanse of alternating bands that is Malaspina Glacier.

Day #7:

After yesterday's drizzle and overcast,  we had another crystal clear day on the water.  Doug and Lisa picked enough early blueberries for me to make pancakes.  We packed up and headed out in the shadow of Mt. St. Elias.

The morning was calm and still.  We paddled into Chicago Harbor for lunch and a brief rest,  then headed back out into the bay to find a west wind had come up.  These were our only rough waters to paddle in the entire trip and made for a tiring crossing to the island for our last night.  With over 100 miles behind us,  it was tough battling the waves toward our last evening on the water.  It was still a great day though.

Day #8:

By this time my camera battery was dead.  Doug had a couple pictures of our last camp and a photo of me as we paddled into Yakutat's boat harbor.

Lastly,  a few photos around town before Doug and Lisa flew off to spend the rest of their life in marital bliss.

The trip was far from perfect,  although we all learned a ton from the experience.  It was a very LONG paddle and I don't think I'm up for offering it every year,  but every other year sounds just about perfect.  I bring people into "my home" because it is a pleasure to share it with a few people who really "get it".  If you would like to see this incredible place and aren't a complete twit,  let me know and maybe we can put something together.  It was definitely worth the effort!

-Bob Miller

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