Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrive Petersburg
Welcome aboard! Meet the MV Catalyst and her crew in the South Harbor near downtown Petersburg. Passengers are welcome to come aboard at 12:30pm. Stow your gear, explore your floating home, and meet your fellow travelers. After an orientation and safety meeting on the foredeck, be underway at 1:15 to begin our coastal exploration. Head North through Wrangell narrows and into Frederick Sound, enjoying a buffet lunch on the way. Our first anchorage is Scenery Cove in Thomas Bay-a remote anchorage etched into slopes of towering spruce. Tides permitting, a boat-ride and hike provide a unique opportunity to time-travel back to the Ice Age. Explore the Baird Glacier's cobbled outwash plain and touch the glacier's icy foot! This evening, everyone is thoroughly introduced to sea kayaking, paddling, and safety skills. Our five stable two-person kayaks are great for beginners; three single kayaks allow seasoned boaters to enjoy their skills.

Accommodations: Pacific Catalyst
Included Meals: lunch and dinner
Day 2 - Brothers Islands
Today is committed to exploring the unique environment of Brothers Islands. A kayak paddle along its rocky shoreline provides a view of nesting Pigeon Guillemots, Black Oystercatchers, hunting Eagles and King Fishers, as well as the sound of breathing Humpback whales and the barking Stellar Sea Lions. An afternoon walk into the dense, moss floored forest of West Brother is a foray into an elfin wonderland.

Accommodations: Pacific Catalyst
Included Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 3 - Ford’s Terror
This morning conclude our time in the Islands and continue north, entering Stephen’s Passage. The glacial fiord of Endicott Arm provides multiple opportunities for exploration and adventure. Enter the ice flows emerging from Dawes Glacier and watch as ice calves from its 250’ high face and falls into the sea. Anchor in Ford’s Terror, another glacial fiord opening on Endicott’s north shore. Here, kayak through the narrow entrance and walk the uplands forest, literally following in the footprints of John Muir.

Accommodations: Pacific Catalyst
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 4 - Endicott Arm
Today we leave the majestic Ford’s Terror and move west down Endicott Arm. We may pause to explore a lush estuary system that is home to salmon, Brown Bears, wolves, eagles and numerous shore and diving birds. All of Endicott is an amazingly complex ecosystem and is a great example of the forces that shape and populate SE Alaska. Crossing the shallow terminal moraine that forms the entrance to Endicott keep watch for transient Orcas as well as Humpback Whales as we re-enter Stephen’s Passage and turn south. Spend the night in either a quiet cove on Admiralty Island, or in an inlet on the mainland shoreline. In either case, we are in bear country here, and will take time to learn the key elements of a prime bear habitat while exploring by foot and by kayak.

Accommodations: Pacific Catalyst
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 5 - Alaska Wilderness
Today you are subject to explore via the captain's superb expertise. The day will be spent where the weather, animals and our guests’ interests direct us. We may stay an extra day exploring the ice carved depths of Endicott, among the birds, tide pools and forest of the Brother’s, or by spending more time in Stephen’s Passage watching and listening to whales feeding. Or…we may use the day to explore a new anchorage not on our list.

Accommodations: Pacific Catalyst
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 6 - Thomas Bay
We’re not sure where we’ll start today, but we know that we’ll end up in Thomas Bay. Here, anchor in Scenery Cove and take a skiff ride up the outflow stream of retreating Baird Glacier. If conditions allow - go ashore, cross the cobbled outwash plain passing through a new forest emerging from the recently revealed gravels. A miles walk will lead us up onto the leading edge of this unique glacial environment. Back aboard, share our memories of the week, and celebrate our time together.

Accommodations: Pacific Catalyst
Included Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
Day 7 - Petersburg
Departing our anchorage in Scenery Cove, run the last twenty miles and return to Petersburg. Arrive there in time to catch the morning flight.

Accommodations: na
Included Meals: breakfast

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