Northern wilderness kayaking and camping skills

Anadyr Adventures offers a spring training course in northern wilderness kayaking and camping skills for people planning their own trips or guiding others. The class begins with two days of upgrading and practicing kayaking skills plus lectures on cold water survival and pre-trip planning. This is followed by a week's expedition-style kayaking and wilderness camping trip from Glacier Island to Valdez. Along the way we'll help you develop proficiency in sea-kayaking touring and rain forest camping.

Skills Practice (2 days)

The "back-to-basics" skills section gives participants the opportunity to review and improve their basic sea kayaking techniques including paddle strokes, boat edging, bracing, towing, wet exit procedure and various self and assisted rescue techniques and configurations. Proficiency with these skills is crucial for a sea kayaker to travel safely and efficiently in the northern, marine environment.

Training Trip (6-7 days): Glacier Island to Valdez

The expedition-style kayaking & camping trip begins with a drop-off at Glacier Island (40 miles from Valdez) and includes kayaking among ice bergs, along exposed coasts, in the vicinity of marine wildlife (harbor seals, sea otters, whales), and camping in a marine wilderness environment.

The training trip gives "hands-on" experience in sea kayaking and camping in an unfamiliar area.  Along the way, additional topics of importance to the touring kayaker including, but not limited to the following, are discussed:

• Leadership
• Map/chart and compass skills
• Wind, wind and geography
• Waves, waves and geography
• Tides and tide charts, tides and geography
• VHF Radio use Weather, VHF weather reports
• Kayakers & marine mammals
• Selecting rest stops and camping areas
• Rainforest camping techniques
• Staying warm and dry
• Low impact camping
• Bear Safety

Upon completion of the training trip, students have the basic skills for kayaking and camping in Prince William Sound's marine wilderness—skills which will carry over to many other paddling destinations.