Hiking and packrafting around Shuyak Island

[Philip]

I just did another Shuyak trip, this time a 4-day, 50-mile counter-clockwise lap around the island. I took the mail plane in and out of Port William on the south side of Shuyak and used the outer coast for travel when the prevailing southwesterly winds allowed. Shuyak offers one of the most unique and well-suited destinations for packrafting in coastal Alaska that I have encountered. It is characterized by a myriad of bays, inlets, tidal sloughs, and lakes that make travel across the island by raft easy. And when the paddling is a bother because of wind, the cross-country hiking is nothing short of wonderful in the interior spruce forest or on the outer tundra-clad capes. The only wrinkle was that on the final morning of the trip, Island Air let the caretaker at Port William know they were coming earlier than scheduled but I was camped down the coast, oblivious. Fred was nice enough to cruise along the beach looking for me in the skiff, proving once again, “it’s not what you know, but who you know that counts…” lol.

See it here: Shuyak Island 2020 on Vimeo

[Philip]

In late June I took advantage of a pleasant weather window and made a quick visit to Shuyak again. If you haven’t explored that island, then you are missing out.

[Philip]

Another year, another lap. You really can’t go wrong with Shuyak. This has to be the premier ocean packrafting destination in Alaska.