Our adventure will start in the the village of Angoon, the home of the Kootznoowoo Tlingit, in the heart of the Tongass National Forest, and takes us into the “Fortress of the Bears.” We will venture across Admiralty Island emerging from the forest onto gravel beaches where we will head north into Seymour Canal to explore its shores and visit a world renowned bear viewing area.

The move from the capital city of Juneau to the village of Angoon, located on the west side of Admiralty Island is a dramatic one. The hustle and bustle you experienced in Juneau fades away as you arrive in this village of 450 residents in the middle of old-growth temperate rain forest on the shores of Chatham Straight. This village is deep in the Tongass National Forest, home to generations of Tlingit people who have named this area Kootznoowoo or “Fortress of the Bears” for the dense population of brown bears on the island. There are many more bears on Admiralty Island than there are people but, not to worry, your guide lives and works in this temperate rain forest, and has traveled through it safely and respectfully for years.

Our trip will have us hiking over portages between inland lakes as we move across Admiralty Island. We are living and traveling in one of the largest expanses of wilderness in the world, an intact ecosystem containing a wide and diverse number of species including brown bears, black bears, wolves, Sitka blacktail deer and moose. As we hike and paddle from one lake to another, we are constantly on the lookout, hoping to catch a glimpse of these wild creatures.

As the first part of our trip comes to an end, we will emerge from the forest onto the tidal flats of Mole Harbor, a bay on Seymour Canal. If we are on schedule, we can set up camp and explore the shores of this salt water bay on foot or by packraft, maybe glimpsing humpback whales or sea lions from our stealth craft.

Waking in the morning as we wait for our water taxi, we can take the morning to explore Mole Harbor further or just hang around camp relaxing as we wait for our ride to the north end of Seymour Canal.

Located near the northern end of Admiralty Island is Oliver Inlet, a long narrow inlet only accessible at the right tides and will be the beginning of the second part of our adventure.  Using a tramway we will travel from Oliver Inlet, overland, along with all our gear to the northern end of Seymour canal, where we will spend the majority of our trip. We will spend the next 4-5 days exploring the shores of Seymour Canal by kayak and venturing into the forest that surrounds it.  In the spring, this area historically will see large congregations of herring that come here to spawn. This brings in tremendous numbers of marine mammals and sea birds who are welcoming one of the first large appearances of biomass of the season and which provides great opportunities for these species to feed.  Humpback Whales and Orca, along with Stellar Sea Lions and Harbor seals, just to name a few, will appear in these waters in great numbers.  Later in the spring and summer, salmon enter the creeks along the shores of Seymour Canal, bringing brown and black bears to their shores and creates wonderful opportunities for bear viewing.  In fact this area is home to a world renowned bear viewing area and one of our stops on this week long adventure in Southeast Alaska