Kayaking On (Not To Mention In) Icy Water

(click on any photo to enlarge it)

With the dismal amounts of snow the Rockies have been getting, one would think spring is just around the corner! Which means that plenty of people are beginning to plan their summer vacations. At least a few of you became convinced by my blog that Alaska or Arctic Canada should be on the map, and I've been getting emails with questions on how to travel there. Don't be shy! I enjoy it. 

You can also look at the books I recommend on the left: the Alaska Highway and, for the faint of heart, Alaska Cruises.

An important part of any trip to the Arctic, especially one that has the ocean involved, is kayaking. You don't have to be an expert, or even experienced kayaker, to enjoy this wonderful experience of sitting right at water level, watching the sky, the glaciers, the occasional iceberg. 

And of course the Killer Whales circling your kayak. Let's just call them Orcas, shall we?

This post is dedicated to some of the kayaking pictures I took, straight from my kayak. So this is what you might expect to see:

Of course, you won't always be surrounded by so much ice, but you will, more often than you think, especially if you plan to kayak down the southeastern Alaska shore, of up around Ellesmere Island or Svalbard.

Kayaking in the ocean isn't that hard to grasp. Read my post Kayaking in The Arctic and Antarctica: 9 tips

to get a sense of the fun.

Here's another photo that I like, taken in the ocean surrounding Svalbard, an island far up the Arctic ocean north of Norway.

 

Of course, once in a while you may get stuck on an iceberg, especially if you try to act like this expert kayaker:

And if you do, Just be aware that you may end up kayaking IN the water. Watch the following video clip:

 

Yes - They tried to do what their experienced guide did. And yes - They did experience the Antarctic ocean from within. But you know what? Five minutes later they were back in their kayak paddling happilly. (not that they had a choice)

But then again, it's worth it just to experience views like this:

Enjoy!