August 10: Leo Anchorage to Brent's Beach

With weather forecasts still predicting strong Southerlies for the afternoon of the 11th, we were happy to be near the end of our outside coast stretch.  I was a little sad to give up on my hope of a trip extension around the outside of Kruzof Island, and although Jason and Christian would rather the trip was longer overall, I think we were all pretty happy to have experienced such exceptional weather on such a beautiful stretch of coastline.

Tame scenery and hats near Sukoi Pt.

With one relatively exposed section remaining, we headed out of Leo Anchorage under glassy conditions, quickly turning into Salisbury Sound, where were pushed in by moderate West winds that strengthened to perhaps 15 knots by late morning.  We stopped and took a lunch break at the mouth of Sukoi Inlet, near Sukoi Point, then headed back into protected waters once more.  I remembered being struck by the austere beauty of the area the previous time I had paddled in Salisbury Sound--also with Jason--two summers prior.  Now, by comparison with what we had paddled through, it all seemed quite tame.

Paddling down Sukoi Inlet

Although it is possible to paddle into Krestof Sound from Sukoi Inlet, the Southern end of the inlet dries at low tide, and was only a few feet deep when we paddled through, quite near high.  At one point, we startled a land otter near the bank, who dove into the water and swam directly under my kayak, clearly visible in the shallow water.  A few minutes later, we watched an eagle snatch a small pink salmon from the water in front of us, and not forty minutes after that, we surprised a brown bear swimming across the channel.

Fading in the heat, with the sun beating down and no wind, we paddled towards, then through the Magoun Islands, searching for a campsite.  By that time, we were in easy striking distance of Sitka the next day and every additional mile was a bonus.  We debated camping near Point Brown, at the entrance to Sitka Sound, but decided to push on to Brent's Beach, where there is another Forest Service cabin.  We arrived to find the cabin empty, and although we worried we might be disturbed by paying visitors from Sitka, we were undisturbed.  A good thing, since good tent sites near the cabin were in short supply.

Brent's Beach