The
world-renowned Inside Passage, linking Puget Sound to the Gulf of Alaska, is a
thousand mile-long sheltered labyrinth winding through ancient rainforests. Surprisingly, this coast's civilization
footprint is shrinking. The few small cities and villages scattered in northern
British Columbia and Southeast Alaska are barely holding their own, and the
canneries, salteries, sawmills, and hermit cabins are crumbling into the
wilderness, victims of changing times and technologies.
This
contraction of civilization, in one of the planet's most intriguing paddling
environments, is a mixed blessing for kayakers. Paddling solitude is the rule,
but the lack of infrastructure makes logistics difficult. You cannot dr
ive to transportation hubs. You must deal with great distances and difficult
camping conditions. If you have the skills to tour in such an area, the Inside
Passage will reward you!
You
may instead choose to hire an outfitter.
B.C. and S.E. Alaska have both camp-based and mothership offerings, by numerous
fine companies. Mothership kayaking was
pioneered in B.C. by Canadian companies.
Alaska
on the Home Shore now offers mothership kayaking in British Columbia (see
below). Whether you choose us, another
mothership, a camp-based outfitter, or a self-guided tour, feel free to consult
us. We have made almost one hundred
full-length Inside Passage trips, and we will steer you in the right direction.
