Hiking and packrafting the length of Kodiak

[Philip]

Hey Folks,

I just completed a solo, 110-mile, 6-day packrafting and hiking trip up the length of Kodiak from Alitak back to town via the east side of the island. It was a lovely trip with lots of critters and plenty of brush. Check it out if you have 8 minutes to spare: Hiking and Packrafting from Alitak to Kodiak

[Limberjim]

Awesome trip, I've been thinking about tackling something similar for some time. Any preference on taking the high route versus this route?

[Philip]

High vs low... two different beasts. If you really want to do the length of the island (starting in Alitak) then taking a packraft and staying low makes the most sense. Almost half of this trip was paddling. Paddling is EASY (as long as the wind allows), so half the trip is a gimme. Olga Bay and Deadman Bay are both serious bodies of water that you would have to walk around if you didn't have a raft. The mountains south of Koniag are pretty gnarly and not too inviting, and getting past Koniag is a bit of a mission. If you only want to do half the island, say from Old Harbor to town (I have a video of that trip) then the high country is wonderful after a brushy slog into and out of Kiliuda Bay. This trip only took 6 days. Actually 5 since the flight into Alitak doesn't arrive until mid-afternoon, and I was in Bells Flats by 11 am on the last day. A high-country trip from Alitak all the way would take a LOT longer. I know some folks who started at the head of Deadman Bay and hiked back to town in 9 days, but they said it was incredibly difficult, but they also had bad weather most of the way. Anyway, if you want to do the entire length of the island, then stay low and take advantage of what the packraft offers in terms of crossing bays and skipping some scary/difficult mountain sections. If you want to do shorter sections of the island, then hiking up high is a nice way to go. I have hiked the entire length of the island from Alitak to town using the high country when possible, but I did it in 3 separate trips: Alitak to Larsen Bay (5 days), Larsen Bay to Old Harbor (3 days), and Old Harbor to Kodiak (4 days). I picked my weather for each of those trips very carefully, went light, and put in really long days.

If anyone wants specific route advice, I'd be happy to discuss it with them.

[Phaedrus]

Great videos thanks for sharing!

[Tim M.]

Awesome trip, what type of packraft and tent do you use/recommend?

[Philip]

I have two Alpacka rafts; a Yukon Yak and an Alpacka. Based on Alpacka's recommendations the Yak should fit me better, though I prefer the slightly snugger fit of the smaller Alpacka. Both have the 'Cruiser Deck' which is a removable spray skirt, which is a must for any sort of rough water paddling. The tent is a cuben fiber (Dyneema) Mountain Laurel Designs 'Duomid' with a solo bug nest. When bugs are an issue I raise the nest canopy and sleep inside of that, but in the alpine when there are no bugs I drop the insert and sleep on it as a ground cloth. Pyramid tents are easy to set up and use trekking poles for support, and are light and space efficient, but they require careful stake placement and aren't as easy to use for beach camping as free-standing shelters. For sea kayaking when I'm always on beaches and weight isn't an issue, I prefer free-standing shelters, but when weight and bulk are an issue (backpacking), I go for cuben pyramids and put the extra effort into camp site selection.