Concerns about incoming stormy weather got us on the water relatively early, and our paddle to Starrigavan Bay, on the North end of the Sitka road system, was uneventful. We planned to stay at the Starrigavan USFS campground, which is pretty and well maintained, with sites right on the water. It's also a very short paddle to the ferry terminal, though the campground is a little rustic, with no showers or other services.
The campground gets cellular reception (actually, we also had reception the night before, at Brent's Beach), so it was easy to call a taxi for a ride into town. We stopped at the local laundromat for showers, which put us within easy walking distance of downtown Sitka, with pizza and ice cream, and very good Mexican food, among other treats. It was good to be eating pie at the Sitka airport when the wind started to blow.
I was a little heartsick to learn that I had mis-remembered the ferry schedule, and as a result wound up missing an afternoon ferry on the 11th, which would have gotten us home that same day. The result was an couple of unnecessary nights in Sitka; always a lovely place to spend time, though I was itching to be home after all summer away. Mostly to kill time, we took a short paddle into Katlian Bay on the 12th, then more Mexican food.
Made it home to Juneau on the 13th, after a 10 hour ride on the M/V Matanuska. An infrequently used boatyard next to the Sitka ferry terminal has twice now been a landing spot at the end of trips like these--easier to paddle from the campground to the ferry terminal then carry gear for a half mile on the road, so we risked the chance that we might be trespassing. Pancakes and greasy bacon on the ferry, then a nap in the solarium.
It was good to be home.
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