1. Day Juneau: Docked near downtown Juneau. Passengers are welcome to come on board at 12 noon, stow your gear and get familiar with the vessel. We will leave at 12:30 pm, headed south down Gastineau Channel and out into Stephens Passage. We will then enjoy a buffet lunch and have an orientation and safety meeting. About a five hour run, our first night will be spent anchored at Wood Spit near the entrance to Endicott Arm. The evening will be spent introducing everyone to kayaking. We carry five doubles and three single kayaks. Don't worry if you have never been in a kayak before, the crew are trained instructors. The doubles are very stable for the beginner and the singles allow the expert to exercise his or her skills. We will also take a hike and be introduced to the fascinating geology of this glacial area, its Tlingit culture and gold rush history. The spit is frequented by deer, wolf, nesting bald eagles, and an array of water birds.



2. Day Endicott Arm: Underway in the early morning hours to make the slack tide across the spit and into Endicott Arm. Passengers awake to the heart beat rhythm of the Washington Diesel as we dodge icebergs and wind our way into the fjord. It is twenty seven miles up the Arm to the face of Dawes Glacier where we will linger for awhile to witness the calving and booming of the burgs. Then we will make our way to a seldom visited anchorage called for.



3. Day Fords Terror Wilderness: At Ford's Terror we will become intrepid adventurers. There are places to explore by foot and by kayak. Surrounded by 5,000 foot granite faces, the mist hanging to the precipices, the vessel suspended in crystal clear water, suspended in time... Today we will kayak through the tidal rapids (at slack water of course) and paddle into the majestic inner fjord.



4. Day Frederick Sound: We make our way out of Endicott Arm and back to Stephens Passage and into Frederick Sound. We'll head for Gambier Bay, keeping a sharp lookout for whales along the route. This is prime salmon spawning habitat, along with the brown bears that come down to the rivers this time of year to feed on them.



5. Day Frederick Sound: By midday we will be underway, bound for The Brothers, a group of small islands positioned in the middle of Frederick Sound. Along the way we will be alert for Humpback or Orca whale sightings. This is one of the prime summer feeding grounds for the migratory Humpback and it is a rare transit if we do not encounter a pod. We may shut down the engine and just drift, watching them feeding or breaching and listening to their songs with the hydrophone. We will drop the hook in an idyllic anchorage where the sounds of breathing whales, Stellar Sea Lions hauled out close by, or the screech of an eagle, comes drifting across the evening calm. We will enjoy a campfire and dinner on the beach.



6. Day Frederick Sound: A day for kayaking around the islands, hiking through the open under story of the rain forest, or fishing for halibut for our evenings' meal. There is a Stellar Sea Lion haul-out close by where hundreds of the vocal fellows and felines spend their days. If the Humpbacks are out our front door, we may get underway and spend some time shadowing their movements. In the afternoon we head south down the sound for Thomas Bay and an anchorage called Scenery Cove. Tides permitting, we will hike on the extensive glacial moraine that lies at the foot of Baird Glacier. Tonight is our last evening together as a group, the night of the Captains' Ball



7. Day Petersburg: A relaxing morning, time for one more kayak paddle before the boats get stowed. Underway by late morning, we will be tied up at the dock in Petersburg about noon, time enough to catch the afternoon flight to Seattle or get settled into your room in town.