Post-trip Thoughts on Routes

First off, I should admit that I'm generally an Alaska partisan, so my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt.  That said, with a few exceptions, I found the landscape of the inside passage more striking, and the wildlife more numerous and impressive the farther North I paddled.  Overall, I'm very glad to have done a more-or-less full transect of the inside passage route, in order to see what there was to see.  If I had done a tour of Southeast Alaska, one of the ideas I contemplated early on in the planning process for my 2017 trip, I would have wondered was I was missing in Washington State and British Columbia.  Still, if I had to do it all over again, and knowing what I know now, I would probably plan a longer trip in Alaska, possibly including some of the Northern portion of B.C.   Though I would like to return to a few places I only saw from a distance, including Port Townsend, Victoria, and Anacortes, I'm not sure how interested I am in returning by kayak.

Much of the same goes for other parts of Southern B.C.  I would return to Desolation Sound and the Lasqueti/Texada region, but I generally found the stretch from Desolation to Telegraph Cove a bit underwhelming, though my opinion might differ if Carl and I hadn't struggled so much with winds and tides.  

On the other hand, I found the day or two before Port Hardy and the whole Cape Caution area compelling, if sometimes scary.  I would love to go back and paddle more in that area.  Beautiful country which really stretched my skills and increased my confidence.  

North of Cape Caution, Carl and I decided to take a relatively direct route to and through Princess Royal and Grenville Channels.  I would still love to see Hakai and Laredo Channel, among other areas, but I also didn't find the zone we did paddle all that interesting, though I thought Seaforth Channel and other areas immediately North of Bella Bella/Shearwater very beautiful.

The area around Prince Rupert also was lovely, and I would enjoy going back with more time to visit the Tsimshian communities there.  Dixon Entrance treated me very well, and I think it would be a remarkable place to paddle under much more challenging conditions.  I also really enjoyed Revillagigedo Channel and Clarence Strait.  Ketchikan itself was not a strong draw for me, but then, I've been there many times before and have seen the sights.  

Emily and I both enjoyed seeing Wrangell and Petersburg, but one day in each place is plenty!  

The stretch between Petersburg and Juneau is really striking, and I definitely plan to return to both the mainland side of Stephens Passage (which I paddled) and the Admiralty Island side (which I have not).  I would also like to do the connecting section between Juneau and Gustavus through Lynn Canal, Chatham Strait and Icy Strait, as well as the stretch from Juneau to Skagway up Lynn Canal, even though I have seen both stretches many times by ferry.  

By far the best paddling of the summer was the last section I paddled--my second trip, from Gustavus to Sitka.  The outer coast section is very, very beautiful--unrivaled by any other area I paddled this year.  It also has more wildlife, and wildlife of a more impressive sort, than other areas.  I have every intention of returning.