Day Trips – Anadyr Adventures

Aidan Shafland

First Trip of the New Anadyr Season!

May 29, 2018May 29, 2018Alaska, Day Trips, Environmental, Prince William Sound, Sea kayaking, Staff

The sea kayaking season here in the Prince William Sound kicked off with a bang! The first trip of the 2018 paddling season was chock full of wildlife like only the Prince William Sound can provide. I had the pleasure of leading this Gold Creek trip with a wonderful couple from Oklahoma and I’m already a little worried it will be hard to top this year but you never know!

The trip started off just like every other Gold Creek day trip and we loaded into the kayaks from our dock in the harbor and paddled out past the salmon seiners and the Stan Stephens boats. We paddled along the jagged, rocky shoreline of Blueberry Hill glimpsing seal heads and some sea otters frolicking in the water. So far so good, a pretty standard paddle along Blueberry Hill, but as we crossed Mineral Creek draining into the Port, my client saw a black bear walking along the Shoup Bay Trail! We paddled over towards it but as we got closer it spooked and ran off into the brush before we could snap a photo.

After the bear sighting, which have become rare in the sound in recent years, we continued and had the right tide to paddle in this beautiful little lagoon with a big waterfall cascading into the water.

We continued our paddle along the shore line towards the beach at Gold Creek where we hopped out of the kayaks to go for a quick walk to look at the Gold Creek Waterfalls and check out the beautiful temperate rainforest that Valdez and the Prince William Sound are famous for! While we hiked we found a porcupine kill and some huge grizzly bear tracks! (Not necessarily related but I like to think so)

Dustin checking out the porcupine quills

After our short walk in the woods we collected some fiddleheads and headed back to the kayaks for lunch. As we walked we noticed what appeared to be fresh bear tracks following ours! We got back to the boats and as we ate we heard and saw a young humpback breathing from the beach to round off the day. Or so we thought! While we finished eating some Ugly Fruit I heard a rustling behind me and with those big brown bear tracks fresh in my mind, went to go check it out. Much to my surprise there was a brown bear ambling down the hill not 100 feet away from us! I attempted to scare it off while also getting back into our kayaks. My attempts were successful for a while and then the most amazing thing happened! The bear came out onto the beach where we had been sitting and we got to spend the next hour hanging out with what appeared to be a two year old brown bear, and apparently a really hungry one!

Dustin checking out the bear as the bear checks out Dustin!

The hungry bear chowing down on some mussels

The bear was really photogenic and posed for some great photos

We paddled with the bear for the whole way back to Mineral Creek where I got the attention of Jared, Bagel, and Sami who were leading a high school Marine tech class from the local H.S. so they could enjoy the bear as well.

What a way to start the season off! A black bear, brown bear, humpback whale, tons of seals and sea otters all in a six hour paddle right from the harbor! Hopefully I didn’t use all my wildlife luck on my first trip.

-Aidan

Ilene Price

VALDEZ GLACIER ICE EXPLORATION

May 29, 2017August 13, 2018Alaska, Day Trips, Prince William Sound, Sea kayaking, UncategorizedLeave a Comment

Valdez Glacier kayak tours are a unique opportunity to explore glacier ice, paddle around massive icebergs and have a lot of fun on top of the glacier. No experience necessary on this short day tour. Check out what the Valdez Glacier looks like currently, as the ice features can change quite dramatically in a short amount of time.

We had a fun group from Thailand (with one from Jordan and one from Oregon) on the Valdez Glacier yesterday. Even though it was a rainy day, that certainly didn’t stop us from getting groovy on the glacier.

An iceberg ice cave. Look how blue the ice is!

The view from inside the iceberg ice cave

Give us a call to book this amazing tour for a unique glacier experience with professional guides.

Ilene Price

ANADYR ADVENTURES SEA KAYAKING ALASKA, OPEN FOR THE 28th SEASON

May 18, 2017May 18, 2017Alaska, Camping Trips, Day Trips, Prince William Sound, Sea kayaking, StaffLeave a Comment

Getting the Family Back Together for the 28th Season: Continuing the Legacy of Anadyr Sea Kayak Guides in Valdez, Alaska

We call it the “anadamily”, and it extends far beyond the current nuclear family of Anadyr guides, office staff and managers. A few weeks ago when I was excitedly anticipating the arrival of the other guides to Valdez, I sent them a message asking, “What are you excited about for the upcoming season?”

Former Guide & Office Queen, Morgan & Sara

Of course, we are all looking forward to the exploratory perks of our employment as sea kayak guides in a state as vast and wild as Alaska. We often comment on having the most beautiful office to go to every day. Yet, what stands out to me more is the mutual feeling of being part of a special family. This season, my sixth, is number three for Bagel, Aidan, Jared, and KC. It’s the second for Mark, Dalton and Denise. Sami is joining the Anadyr team after guiding for a different tour company in Valdez last year. And as far as the extended “anadamily” in the community of Valdez, it’s hard to go anywhere and not run into an anadamily member (former guide, office staff, client, spouse, child, brother-in-law, niece). I happen to live on the same street as a handful of former Anadyr guides, totaling about 20 years of collective guiding. When we speak of their years guiding for Anadyr, I can detect a glimmer in their eyes as they reminisce about Sea Otters, Glacier Island, Valdez Glacier, and camping trips in Prince William Sound.

Anadyr Adventures was started in 1989 by Hedy Sarny, the same owner today. . . so that’s a lot of seasons of kayak guides, office staff and managers. Imagine the number of guests who have walked through our doors, been shown how to put a spray skirt on and been handed a paddle to embark on what many describe as a trip-of-a-lifetime. The heart and soul of Anadyr remains the same as it did 28 years ago: a genuine love and admiration for Prince William Sound.

Without further ado I introduce to you the 2017 Anadyr Adventures Sea Kayak Guides:

BAGEL: I am excited for another season in the mighty Chugach mountains where I have found my peace and connection to this Earth and I hope to share that love with all who come out with us this summer. As the creatures of the Sound migrate back for another season, so do the guides, with enough passion and excitement to fill the ocean. I can not wait to show you our home.

SAMI: I am incredibly excited to be a part of the Anadyr team this summer! The mountains, the ocean, and the beautiful town of Valdez. I am looking forward to exploring and adventuring in new and familiar places. And of course, introducing folks to the incredible place we call home.

DALTON: What I’m most excited for is to be back together with all of the wonderful people that we get to live and work with. I can’t wait to see how the glaciers have changed to again be surrounded by wildlife and ice. I’m looking forward to meeting all of the interesting people who come on our trips, and of course camping trips! I’m so excited to sleep out under the stars next to the rolling waves on the beach, and to climb the mountains up to the hanging glaciers that feed the amazing waterfalls. Valdez is such a magical place.

JARED: I’m excited for exploring new camping spots, seeing where the glaciers are at and checking in on the whale carcass.

GOOSE: I’m excited for camping trips, the training trip, seeing all the guides, and spending another summer in the most stunning wilderness.

KC: Looking forward for everyone to reunite. Can’t wait for endless sun, adventures, icebergs, and softball.

DENISE (our office queen): I’m excited to see everyone again and just to be back in Valdez.

MARK: I’m excited to hear the melodious sound of Ilene’s voice.

ILENE: I’m excited for that warm feeling when I run up the stairs to the Anadyr guide’s apartment, swing open the door and am greeted with an enthusiastic “Ileeeene!!”. . . To wake up to the sound of waves rolling into shore from my cozy sleeping bag on the south side of Glacier Island. . . To notice the subtle changes in the ice at Columbia Glacier. . . To feel that contagious joy when someone sees a Sea Otter for the first time.

TASH (honorary Anadamily member): I’m looking forward to seeing you guys the most. And the snow nipped mountains, adventures in the icebergs and karaoke.