Beautiful Imuya Bay, untouched wilderness, and we are here to explore.
This is how you do expedition cruising. The spot I had picked out to take the guests to this morning, here off the wild coast of the Alaskan peninsula, was too wild with wind to be much fun. We searched around for a bit, but during our search I could see down the coast a few miles looked very nice and protected from the wind. We quickly looked at anchoring charts and satellite images of the spot, called Imuya Bay. We've never scouted it out, but it looked nice, so we changed our plans and moved the ship to our new anchorage.
Imuya bay looked amazing. There were all these little islands that would be great for kayaking and skiffing around. The mountains in the back of the bay were jagged and stunning. Some still had snow on top and we could even see a glacier hanging up in the high valley. Shortly after anchoring, two white wolves were spotted running across a green hill behind the beach. Then right before kayaks launched, I spotted another creature trotting down the beach. It turned out to be our first caribou, which is pretty much a wild reindeer. My kayak group headed over to where the caribou was, and we got out and encountered it on land. We climbed to several beautiful viewpoints, and ended up by this picturesque river. There was even a shipwreck in the shallows that we were able to kayak around.
In the afternoon I took a hiking group back to the river mouth. We hiked up and over the dunes and followed the river deep into the valley. It was like walking on a sponge, through the tundra. We didn't find our caribou or wolf friends, but it was absolutely beautiful. Every time I turned around I was amazed by the view, and the fact that no one else was here. There are still wild places left, and we get to go find them. What a life!
A rare sighting for one of our cruises, a wild Caribou. I spotted this one running down the beach from our ship. Then we took our kayaks over, landed on the shore, and found him, still running around in circles. I wonder if the big earthquake off Kamchatka, Russia made him uneasy.
This was an odd pose, but looks pretty cute. This young caribou kept stopping and looking at us. He seemed very unsure about what we are.
At one point, there was a baby shark, ray, or skate in this egg case. Some people call these 'Mermaid Purses.'
Calm conditions and lots of cool islands made for some great kayaking conditions in Imuya Bay.
We found some really nice walking conditions deeper in Imuya Bay. The tundra meadow here extended for miles. The mountain range in the background formed a beautiful, wild scene, which we had all to ourselves.
Kayakers were all smiles as we headed out to explore Imuya Bay.
I found this wild mushroom on our walk. It reminded me of the shell of a turtle.
This river kept drawing in farther and farther. I could have spent all day exploring this area. The cool lenticular clouds that started forming over the mountains looked like UFO's.
We climbed several small mounds and rocks to get better views. This turned our easier walk into a bit more of a challenge.
In the afternoon I took a group of hikers ashore to explore Imuya Bay. We have never been here before, so this is all exploring in true expedition style.
What an amazing spot to kayak. We threaded the needle through so many tight squeezes out in the islands. The conditions were great and check out that scenery!
As I came through this narrow passage on my kayak, I stumbled upon our skiff tour group loading back up after a surprise landing on this island.
Robyn, one of our guest, getting to stretch her legs in a cool new spot.
I was so pleased that I got Brendan, our chef, off the boat and out into this beautiful landscape. He is a photographer as well, so he was in heaven.
Taking our kayaks through the islands in the tranquil waters of Imuya Bay.
Our kayak group landed at low tide. We had to cross a massive tidal flat to get from the island where the caribou was playing back to the sand dunes. Everyone made it without getting trapped by any boot sucking mud.
This looked like a giant dinosaur skeleton at first, with ribs sticking out. But it turned out to be the remains of a shipwreck. We were able to get right up to it with our kayaks, but everything was covered in barnacles, so we couldn't decipher much about the ship. It did look like either a fishing ship or a tug boat.
Robyn tackled some tough terrain but came through unscathed.
As we climbed up the dunes at the edge of the beach we were greeting with amazing fields of wildflowers. The tall purple flowers are fireweed.
Beautiful views astounded us, each time we climbed a different hill. This doesn't even look like Alaska.
I was so surprised by all the cool adventures to be had here at Imuya Bay. The place was just beautiful!
Team kayak, setting first steps onto land here.
This boat was not so lucky on its final trip to Imuya Bay.
I got out of my kayak, and scrambled up the rocks here to grab a fishing net stuck in the rocks.
Robyn looking happy in her field of wildflowers.
Calm waters and cool geology of Imuya Bay.
Susan, trailblazing a path around the headlands along the river bank. We even saw so bears up on the far hill from this spot.
Flowers, cliffs, beaches, and islands. What a place.
Climbing up to some vantage points to get a feel for a new place. This is what expedition cruising is all about.
Panorama of our view after climbing a small rise at the end of the beach. A river winds its way through the pristine valley, tumbling out from the mountain beyond. A big glacier could be seen high in the mountains, providing the meltwaters for this beautiful river.
This is what going on a skiff tour with UnCruise Adventures can feel like. Surrounded by nature and not another soul in sight.
As always, keep traveling and keep posting!
- Dai Mar