Paddling Planet

Pos: 68.3531,-166.7311
Loc: Point Hope
Acc: Hilleberg Keron 4 tent
Dist: 39,9 km
Start: 05:30 End: 20:15

As wind and seas are supposed to come up in the afternoon, I know we have only two choices: Either we launch very early, best when I first hear the seas and wind are calm, which is just after midnight. I am woken up by the passing quad bikes anyway more than once, but I decide again and again we will risk a late start and might not feel comfortable out there on the sea anymore sooner or later, all the forty-kilometers way to Point Hope. We might be tempted to haul over into the lagoons where we have to do three portages instead of finally possibly only one.
As it is Saturday and we will miss the last opening time of the post office anyway before Monday morning, we are in no time rush and can afford the likely longer lagoon and portage time – and longer sleeping bag time. We expect our food parcels to have arrived. Karel’s forecast is bad for Sunday, and Monday/ Tuesday should be even worse. So, we have all time of the world today to reach Point Hope via the sheltered lagoon way with some portages. But did I measure the last portage properly?
We get up at four in the morning, and the first hour on the water feels just fine. But it breezes up from south-west blowing onshore too soon and the seas rise accordingly too early to get the thought out of my mind – what are we doi...

Pos: 68.1773,-166.0094
Loc: past the cliffs
Acc: Hilleberg Keron 4 tent
Dist: 49,5 km
Start: 05:540 End: 15:40

It is the day for paddling past a challenging line of big, towering cliffs. The forecast is good enough to do so, it is rather a low onshore wind today. But there are also calmer days, and I would also have been happy to split the remaining distance to Point Hope into three days and camp just before the cliffs start. But as the weather on Sunday is supposed to be nasty and even Saturday might breeze up and whip up too early to be comfortable, it will have to be two days. So, the cliffs are now to pass at the end of today. The sea is calm enough when we launch, and even the surface gets smoother by the hours.
Jeff is fighting once more with helping me to free my jammed rudder fin. My launching line system is not strong enough to pull the fin out when it is stuck with that perfectly ’fitting’ gravel on these beaches. If I would have been myself, I would have to launch more carefully, differently, or simply jump in the water to pull the fin out.
We lose track of counting our Alaskan beach ‘milestones’, the carcasses of mostly walrus. We find one which feels like regularly every mile. We get to about twenty today, more or less fresh and more or less sunken into the sand, plus maybe two belugas and some seals. One walrus still has a tusk, sure we land, stupidly side by...

Pos: 68.3531,-166.7311
Loc: Point Hope
Acc: Hilleberg Keron 4 tent
Dist: 39,9 km
Start: 05:30 End: 20:15

Day off tomorrow, will write then for Friday and Saturday

Pos: 68.1773,-166.0094
Loc: past the cliffs
Acc: Hilleberg Keron 4 tent
Dist: 49,5 km
Start: 05:540 End: 15:40

To tired, update tomorrow

Pos: 67.9357,-165.0940
Loc: lagoon bar 2
Acc: Hilleberg Keron 4 tent
Dist: 45,0 km
Start: 06:50 End: 15:05

From yesterday afternoon around four o’clock, conditions were acceptable, but not pleasant yet. I peeped out of the tent a couple of times in the night. From midnight onwards, it was calm, the seas came down and conditions looked peasant again. But my sleeping bag looks very pleasant as well, as much as my paddling partner is deeply sleeping. No reason to force it and to get up earlier than necessary. I am not in a race here and need to catch up on the missing day, not at all. We are fully in schedule so far. So we get up early at four-thirty, but not too early, and get reminded the ‘night’ is colder than the day, though daylight is twenty-four hours here. Though there is barely any wind, I am freezing this morning on hands and feet, though we paddle with good pace to and into the Kiwalina lagoon – once more up a swiftly flowing outflow. This time, Jeff manages to get in without dragging his kayak upstream, follows in my wake and we find ourselves easily in the lagoon. What seems to be new here is a dam with a bridge connecting Kiwalina Island with the mainland. A powerline runs along, and we see some buildings inland. Is it a waterpower station? My satellite images show none of those.
We stroll along the village side early morning seven-thirty, and see seven people. A teena...

Pos: 67.6745,-164.3408
Loc: lagoon bar
Acc: Hilleberg Keron 4 tent
Dist: 0 km
weaher day

It was blowing around 20 knots inshore since yesterday afternoon, which finally whipped up the sea in an unfriendly way. We decided to stay in today completely, though conditions got slightly better in the late afternoon, but not good enough not to postpone our new start to next early morning. Hope this will be fine then!

Not much to report today, a rest day in the windblown tent with a lot of rain, with a lot of reading, talking, picture editing, eating, drinking and sleeping. Just gathering new energy to start over again, hopefully tomorrow!

Pos: 67.6745,-164.3408
Loc: lagoon bar
Acc: Hilleberg Keron 4 tent
Dist: 44,9 km
Start: 06:50 End: 14:50

It is a calm morning, and we almost fall asleep on paddling. Music out! But no stripping my dry suit top this time, I will hold myself back with speed not to get too sweaty too soon. Jeff asks if I have another playlist for ‘rhythmical paddling to music’ without speeding up? No, sorry…but I can adjust my speed to anything or anyone while still paddling to the music – which I do all morning. It carries us all the quite boring beach coast to the ‘Red Dog’ mining site through sun and heavy rain shower. At the loading jetty, some guy is waving from the manned tower at the top, likely checking also if we smoothly pass under the bridge as the huge sign at the beach allows, without attaching a bomb or such… We just see a tugboat dragging a loaded barge out to the six large ships waiting on anchor for their loading turn. No yellow tons around telling you to keep out. The mining site has a large processing hall painted in the US and Alaskan flag colors. Neat! Some tanks, some container office and living space, and endless orange containers piled up for – what? I actually do not even know what they are mining here for, likely some rare metal. We just see a tugboat dragging a loaded barge out to the six large ships waiting on anchor for their loading turn. But any industrial sites close...

Pos: 67.3447,-163.8201
Loc: rivermouth
Acc: Hilleberg Keron 4 tent
Dist: 42,3 km
Start: 06:30 End: 15:15

Nobody or rather no animal was tripping into our banging bear fence tonight, and we are hoping no animal will ever do. We lost already a safety pin of one of the banger units, but thank goodness, I have spares and will tie the pins now to the unit. Taking the fence down is as easy as it can be, and we are ready to leave early at six thirty in the morning. The shore break is more friendly than yesterday, and I animate Jeff again to launch his kayak by himself without my help and with taking little water, if any. Unfortunately, I forget to explain that the shore ground is at some point sloping really steep downhill under water, and that one has to get afloat before, and without hooking the stern. I help Jeff a little, and off he is! On three more starts after shore breaks, he does well and is finally quite able to speed-launch himself. My own launchings are also not always perfect and dry, but with more experience, chances are getting better day by day.
We are still afloat on perfect sweet water, and are having a nice push from behind with the current. The south-easterly wind freshens up, pushes us along but also makes the landings less friendly on a now quite steep gravel beach. On two of my launchings today, my rudder fin is completely jammed with gravel, and Jeff has to work...

Pos: 67.0735,-163.3884
Loc: before Cape Krusenstern
Acc: Hilleberg Keron 4 tent
Dist: 43,1 km
Start: 08:05 End: 17:10

Loading time is seven o’clock, an easy getup, as nights were short the last three days. We are on the water an hour later, and hug and wave Mary and Brad goodbye. The lovely couple were wonderful hosts and looked so well after all our needs. Brad will even make the effort to get us his shotgun including a waterproof sleeve to Point Hope! Thanks so much to both of them! Meanwhile, my sister Charlotte and our Anchorage host Josh posted our food parcels to Point Hope and Barrow. And I got the news from home my HUGE gear parcel is safely back in my house. I need to research this useless unsuccessful package trip and like to claim my shipping money back.
We start the day with another crossing, but this time without nightmares on Jeff’s end, as conditions are as mellow as we were hoping for on the big crossing. I forgot to mention on the big crossing I had once more this mysterious time jump of three hours on my GPS – we paddled out of the Territorial Sea of the US-waters and back in like I did on my crossing to Nome – but this time I know what happened! The international time zones run generally in stripes around the earth, but some countries have exceptions.
We reached land again at the small fishing shack community of Sheshalik with maybe twenty cabins in quite...

Pos: 66.8916,-162.6084
Loc: Kotzebue
Acc: Brad and Mary’s house
Dist: 0 km
rest day

More online work, parcels with some surplus gear shipping back to Anchorage, and I learned my BIG parcel my son was packing for me from my home with replacement gear is back home in Germany…without any notice on the tracking update that it could be picked up. What a useless “priority” shipping service from DHL, I will complain and ask for my 200 € shipping money back. But in the end, I do not even need things out of that box anymore, and I do not need things to fly home. And I just learned my trustworthy manager Ilona retrieved it from the porch delivery and put it back into my house. Puuuh!
Brad and Mary went out of their way to make us a lovely home with home-cooked food and driving us around, and it looks like they also find a way to finally get us one of his shotguns to Point Hope where we might become in need of the valuable piece. Thanks so much!
We will keep on paddling tomorrow. Again three nights with little sleep…too much managing work. Thanks to all my helpers on this trip!

Pos: 66.8916,-162.6084
Loc: Kotzebue
Acc: Brad and Mary’s house
Dist: 0 km
rest day

It is my sister Edda’s 60th birthday today! Happy birthday to Reading/ London! My other sister Charlotte, based for years in Big Lake close to Anchorage/ AK, is of invaluable help for my logistics operating out of Anchorage a couple of times, thanks once more for her assistance!
As much goes my appreciation to all other helpers on my trips who give me a hand, room, and logistical support. In Kotzebue, it is now Mary and Brad Reeve, the general manager of the Kotzebue radio station, who is looking after us. Thank you so much!
In return, we give a double live interview this morning on the radio, with Lorena Moses as a moderator. Nice talking to you! Brad drives us to the local supermarket Alaska Commerical, which offers most things people need including fresh veggies and fruit, but it is the first time I refuse to afford me my regular fruit load with prices about three to four times as high as in Anchorage, not to talk about the lower 48th or even Mexico. But we have enough supplies and have sent food parcels ahead to Point Hope and even Barrow. Thanks a lot to Josh Goldstein and my sister Charlotte to have posted them!
Mary is cooking lovely meals, and we have nothing to suffer besides me having the regular workload once online and in a town. Brad is helpful to find a possible lea...

Pos: 66.8916,-162.6084
Loc: Kotzebue
Acc: Brad and Mary’s house
Dist: 60,2 km
Start: 06:20 End: 19:00

It is crossing day today! Jeff is admittedly nervous and is already awake before me and has been out for the bathroom before I wake around five o’clock in the morning as usual. The sea is looking calm, the forecast for today stays the same for the last three days: Up to eleven knots west to the south-west, afternoon up to seven knots south-west to south, seas thirty centimeters. Yesterday, it was ten centimeters. I know that the following wind all day is not necessarily relaxing and pushing us over a not necessarily calm water surface, but I also did not count on the shallow bay whips up so much. It is nothing more than Jeff has taken on along the coast and successfully managed, but out here without a closeby shore, and over such a long distance, I admit the conditions are challenging for the young man in his not very stable, slim kayak. But what is not killing him makes him only tougher…
Jeff is physically strong, but only moderately experienced in long-distance kayak trips. To be successful in what I am doing for years, the main part is to be mentally strong to take on whatever is thrown at you by mother nature. You might be physically strong, might have reasonable paddling skills, but when your mindset is negative, it might fire back on you at some point. Jeff is unfortu...

Pos: 66.8916,-162.6084
Loc: Kotzebue
Acc: Brad and Mary’s house
Dist: 60,2 km
Start: 06:20 End: 19:00

Crossed to Kotzebue, all ok. Update tomorrow! Too tired

Pos: 66.5565,-163.6017
Loc: land’s end
Acc: Hilleberg Keron 4 tent
Dist: 0 km
rest day

Oh, how nice was the sleep with the outlook not to get going today! I wake at my regular four thirty in the morning, but I do have not to wake Jeff as usual who is deep asleep. Already yesterday morning, he turned around once more, “Oh, please give me five more minutes!”. I notice he needs his rest after this week’s of daily paddling, and we get it today. Jeff is almost all day deep asleep, not even reading, not to talk about a hike which I am up to in the late afternoon. “I need all my energy for the BIG crossing tomorrow!” Well, no problem.
I finish this morning yesterday’s blog entry, and edit all our pictures, ready to upload them in Kotzebue with hopefully good internet. Brad Reeves, the general manager of the Kotzebue radio station, is so kind to look after us while in town. Thanks!
After some lunch snacks, I also have another nap, before I get my bum out in the buggy sunny afternoon. The dress code is long bugproof pants which I thankfully have with my softshell leggings, all-purpose Muck boots which I fold down half as they are quite warm today, plus my long-sleeve fluffy jacket which also keeps the bugs away. I could have easily lived in shorts and t-shirt today, but my all-body bug net-suit I left at home. I never used that piece before, and likely never will. A head net m...

Pos: 66.5565,-163.6017
Loc: land’s end
Acc: Hilleberg Keron 4 tent
Dist: 39,9 km
Start: 06:45 End: 18:05

If my sharp eye is not wrong this morning, there is a bear track overlaying my drag mark of my kayak hull from yesterday evening. We slept well and undisturbed, but with the outer tent quite open for a better round view. Maybe the bear also took one? No traces close to the tent. All the three times I woke for a pee, everything outside was quiet. The night was sunny all hours, we both slept as always with a scarf around the eyes. But five minutes after we get on the water, fog sinks down, covers the sun and does not lift again all day on the ocean coast. Maybe we should have paddled in the sunny night hours? But it is easier said than done to shift the biorhythm, at least for me.
The fog comes with the light north-westerly onshore wind – I think. For the crossing to Kotzebue, I would love to not only have calm winds, but also open sky. But we have paddled seven days in a row now, and are contemplating to have a rest day before the crossing. Jeff has never done this distance on the open sea without getting out of the kayak, is a bit apprehensive and likes to be as fit as possible. The same with me, I my body does not mind a rest day either before we start. Both next days are okay to cross, but Thursday has some south-westerly tailwind before it swings also to north-west, t...

Pos: 66.5565,-163.6017
Loc: land’s end
Acc: Hilleberg Keron 4 tent
Dist: 39,9 km
Start: 06:45 End: 18:05

We will have a rest day before the crossing to Kotzebue on Thirsday, I will write the day’s update tomorrow! Too tired.

Pos: 66.5817,-164.3975
Loc: coast after the last exit
Acc: Hilleberg Keron 4 tent
Dist: 38,6 km
Start: 06:50 End: 15:20

I slept well, no nightmares about a dozen bears and musk ox entering our tent. No new traces around the beach either. But while packing, a furry bugger dares to stroll along on top of the low grass ledge of the dunes. I see him first, make myself big and shout at him loud. Jeff soon joins the performance, as well as the bear, at least in regards of making himself big to get better scent of us. There is no wind this morning, so the likely teenage bear cannot smell us, has no good eye vision as all bears, and cannot put us anywhere. He runs parallel to the dunes, instead of into the hinterland, making himself big about five or six times more. Poor guy, do we irritate you? Sorry, you are just not welcome while we are packing our kayaks! Soon, you will get your territory back, just for yourself. We have just been guests here for the last night. So far at least for “no bear traces on the beach…”
A fox is running away from the beach when we are nearing, straight off a dead seal. Later, we find two dead walrus on one spot, one fresher and quite blown up, sitting high on the sand, but the head buried with apparently no tusks. I assume he died because he lost them already afloat. The other carcass has an open rib cage, well eaten by the bears, according to the traces aro...

Pos: 66.4638,-165.1780
Loc: coast between last two exits
Acc: Hilleberg Keron 4 tent
Dist: 37,0 km
Start: 07:35 End: 16:10

What a good night’s rest, in drippling rain almost all night. We change our routine to having breakfast inside the tent, as it is mostly too chilly to sit after packing on the kayak and relax before the start, watching the surf (if there is any). It also gives Jeff time to heat water for our thermos bottles. I usually eat my oats with cold water, but a bit of hot water added to the very cold should freeze my inside less on having breakfast, I think…unfortunately, this morning it almost feels like eating porridge, which I hate. But it disappears inside anyway.
Jeff is fighting once more with the ridiculous small front hatch of his kayak on packing. Yesterday, he ripped a drybag in this process. But he is getting there, though I am already floating not to get too chilly. We launch into a foggy morning. I am glad to have my GPS to find the lagoon exit we are planning to take today. We are sick of fighting shallow water, though calm, and dare to be out on the open sea today which proves to be very calm. Any wave action on the exit over the shallows is mellow and one can paddle just right through.
We get out of the kayaks at the last sandy corner to have a look, but nothing scary is showing up. We enjoy the water movement on crossing the opening, and everyth...