After my long, high-mileage day on the 11th, had a bit of a slow morning, with a late breakfast and departure. While eating my morning cream of wheat, watched a big Brown Bear amble out on to the beach a few dozen feet from me. Beautiful! And not a little scary. Just about the best possible kind of bear encounter, though. I got a good look, shouted "Hey Bear," and she was gone.
Later, in hearing about it, Emily worriedly suggested that maybe I should be listening to music or podcasts in camp in order to make more noise and warn any nearby bears of my presence. I told her that at that moment, I was listening to Slate's "The Gist." Her reply was something along the lines of, "Well, Mike Pesca is probably the best thing I can think of to keep the bears away," although we both wondered if the Trumpcast or Political Gabfest might be more frightening to ursine neighbors.
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| I miss that paddle |
An hour or two later, I was on the water, making good progress towards Ketchikan. I wasn't due to meet Emily until the 14th, so didn't really have any reason to be in town until the 13th at the earliest. However, I had made such good time the previous days, and was being carried along so quickly by the wind and tides that an early arrival was possible, which I figured would give me a little extra time to do things like laundry, and would give me a chance to visit the post office to ship now-unnecessary charts home.
The only hitch was that I would need to clear customs immediately upon landing in Ketchikan, and the customs post closed at six, which would make my afternoon paddle a little bit of a race. I had called the US customs post in Ketchikan from Prince Rupert, and they assured me that they could clear me at any time, but it sounded as if it would be a bit of a pain in the rear if I arrived after they had closed for the day. I was undecided, and so pulled out briefly on the Northern end of Annette Island, where I figured I would get cell reception, and called Emily to ask her advice.
Emily thought I should go for it, and agreed to make me a reservation for that night. Great! Although I did manage to drop my phone in shallow water during the call. Thankfully, I have a more-or-less waterproof case, and the phone came out all right.
Then, after I had decided to race into downtown Ketchikan, as I was pushing off, I broke my Greenland paddle on one end of the loom. Curses! I started the trip a little ambivalent about that paddle, but by this time, it had become my favorite. I miss that thing! Thoughts immediately ran to how quickly I could build a new one once the trip was over, and how I would improve on the first. A shame that it snapped, but a successful experiment, to be sure!
In the end, I made it to the Ketchikan harbor by creek street with time to spare, and my customs clearance was hilariously informal. Mostly consisted of me telling stories about my trip to a mildly incredulous customs agent. The only formality was a brief showing of the passport.
As I was paddling through the harbor, received an offer from the kayaking guide firm located near the harbor entrance to store my kayak on their float while I was in town--no doubt a secure place. And they recommended the youth hostel, several blocks uphill, as a place to stay. But I already had my reservation, and a few more miles to paddle, on glassy-calm waters, with very little vessel traffic. Though at one point I was a little concerned that I was about to be run down by an incoming DeHavilland Otter.
Made it to the lodging by half past eight, and checked in. Comfort food at the restaurant, comfortable room and a good night's sleep! Then laundry, the post office, and some fast food the next day. A good early stop.
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