June 9: Anyaka Island to Taiyasanka Harbor

A little gloomy at Anyaka I.

After a chilly night in the wind on June 7-8, my warm, sheltered campsite on the 8th-9th made it hard for me to get out of my sleeping bag in the morning, making for a little bit of a late start. Probably just as well, since the 9th turned into a bit of a grind, contrasting with the two easy days on either side.

My crossing from Anyaka Island to Seduction Point on the Southern end of the Chilkat Peninsula went smoothly, though I was surprised by strong contrary tides to the East of Seduction Point an for several Miles to the North. In the early afternoon, I also started to feel a Northerly breeze that appeared to be blowing down the Katzehin drainage. Together, the current and wind made progress slow.

Looking a little goofy in my paddling cap

It was nearly 5 when I passed Haines, and I was cold. Unlike the previous day, the wind was matched with rain and fog, and the whole day was rather chilly.

Once past the Haines ferry terminal, I considered continuing into Taiya Inlet to look for a campsite, but changed my mind at the last minute, deciding that any site I found would likely be rocky and exposed to the wind. Probably a good decision.

Instead of continuing, I ducked into Taiyasanka Harbor, just West of the mouth of Taiya Inlet. The mouth of the harbor is protected by a narrow spit—a glacial moraine. There is good camping on both sides of the moraine. On the South side, a beach faces Haines, and on the North side (which I figured would be more protected), there is some beach camping and good access to the upland. I camped behind a large glacial erratic in a Spruce Stand about halfway up the spit. Actually, "spruce stand" is a little misleading, since the length of the spit is topped by spruce.

Turned out that this was a good decision; all the potential camping spots I had scoped out on the chart turned out to be marginal, at best, when I passed them the following day.

The view up Taiyasanka Inlet from the kitchen

Predictably, I noted no bear sign until after my tent was set up and I was cooking dinner, then noted a big pile of bear scat just beside my kitchen area.

No problems with bears though, of course. I imagine all the local bears are elsewhere, looking for berries and skunk cabbage or, more likely, scavenging at the Haines dump.

Breakfast burritos for dinner, then an early night, the better to be ready for an early morning the following day.