{"id":8716,"date":"2015-11-23T14:58:51","date_gmt":"2015-11-23T22:58:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/malimish.com\/blog\/?p=8716"},"modified":"2015-11-23T14:58:51","modified_gmt":"2015-11-23T22:58:51","slug":"surfing-the-bore-tide-and-exploring-the-portage-glacier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/malimish.com\/blog\/2015\/11\/23\/surfing-the-bore-tide-and-exploring-the-portage-glacier\/","title":{"rendered":"Surfing the Bore Tide and Exploring the Portage Glacier."},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Turnagain Arm is one of two branches of Cook Inlet just south of Anchorage and north of Kenai Peninsula. It is second only to Bay of Fundy in extreme tidal differences in North America at 40 ft. With the right conditions, the incoming tide creates a wave that rushes in from the open sea that surfers and kayakers can ride for miles.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3778\/20049076978_448601bec2_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Dan\u00a0only planned to sit in the truck and watch the bore tide come in today to get an idea of what to expect. Twenty\u00a0minutes before it came, two guys drove up with their boards on their trucks and talked him\u00a0into paddling out with minutes to go.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/270\/20242880241_a0a2cd4fb6_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It was freezing out but we all needed to see this wave created from the changing in tides. It was something I didn&#8217;t even know existed and we were all about see for the first time in our lives.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/529\/20237076125_5a897a3ef4_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/324\/20049001320_3eef56b747_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/262\/20049020908_a582abd850_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/530\/19616076523_bf762e6fe1_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>He was in the right spot when the wave rolled up. He turned around and started paddling. Not knowing what to expect, he tried to &#8216;superman&#8217; it by paddling into the wave on his\u00a0feet.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/407\/19616110683_01f5b728fb_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The white wash pushed the board out from under him\u00a0and as he\u00a0crawled back up to the board, he saw the only wave of the day roll slowly away. But don&#8217;t worry. He&#8217;s\u00a0taking what he\u00a0learned and hitting it again tomorrow!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/305\/19669868702_386d54a3ec_z.jpg\" alt=\"I only planned to sit in the truck and watch the bore tide come in today to get an idea of what to expect. 20 minutes before it came, two guys drove up with their boards on their trucks and talked me into paddling out with minutes to go. I was in the righ\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Here is a shot of the locals surfing the bore tide on this dreary but beautiful day at Bird Point, which is just south of Anchorage.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/471\/20236852475_fdd9f5fc6b_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3717\/19615846693_e618a7820f_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I was amazed that these locals knocked on our truck door and insisted that Dan join them. Who&#8217;s ever heard of that?!?! Locals wanting you to join them on their one wave of the day?!?! Oh, Alaska. Even though Dan didn&#8217;t catch the wave today, it was an unforgettable experience.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/387\/20048723450_771e072795_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Our oldest kid Ava kept an eye on her daddy the entire time he wasn&#8217;t by her side. She knew the dangers of the mudflats in the Turnagain Arm, how they&#8217;re basically quicksand. She didn&#8217;t complain about the cold or wind while he was in the water below. She stood tall and strong, waiting.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5619\/20210346606_0f75783a42_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The other two kids? The photo speaks for itself. Haha.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/522\/20048853280_ae11daf288_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We ended up dry camping at the Williwaw Campground, near the town for Girdwood, as a base camp for more surfing at Bird Point and for exploring glaciers around Portage Lake.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/391\/20049092120_cdab7eaa64_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It was super quiet here and the views of a glacier from the campground were awesome.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3817\/20230125072_b26bfeae91_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The kids enjoyed relaxing in the toasty Airstream after standing outside in the gloom watching their dad in the water.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/308\/20050490759_2d0e9aac5e_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/445\/20210826046_1e2df7909a_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The fireweed plants are still going strong. A good sign that summer is far from over in Alaska. Once the blooms are spent, it will be a sign to get out of Alaska, fast.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/536\/19614469794_37efeab50a_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/553\/19614234744_ab4ecca3d5_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Condensation (and broken screens) might be annoying to us but not to the kids. Art time!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/407\/20301159312_a3b365f12b_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This greeted us at the campsite when we arrived.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/499\/19617436173_9c678b1b08_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The next morning, we stopped by the Portage Visitor Center to figure out which glacier hikes would be the most family friendly. Out of the hundred something movies we&#8217;ve watched at visitor centers across the country, this is the very first one that surprised us. After the movie was done, the screen rolls up and BAM. An amazing view of Portage Lake and its glaciers. Well done, Alaska!!<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/danlin\/22892579950\/in\/photostream\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/751\/22892579950_9a5349cdc2_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The hike we chose to do was to Byron Glacier. To check out our adventure from this glacier, you can read about it on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.familytrails.com\/blog\/lin-family-byron-glacier\" target=\"_blank\">Family Trails site<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3691\/20121548790_dd159ca81a_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The sun finally decided to make an appearance today. Just in time for Dan to try to ride the bore tide back at Bird Point.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/372\/20229274012_b5a4e3e575_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5617\/20237536315_668d0e20a1_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Once again, the kids and I sat atop the cliff, trying to figure which one of the black blobs in the water was Dan.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/398\/20230508682_130744233b_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I think I see Dada. I think he is surfing!!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/508\/20050935589_8c9c73a58c_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Gimme those binoculars, please!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/499\/20050772098_eb1f3b6cb6_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Finally on his\u00a0second try, he\u00a0caught the incoming tide and rode it for what felt like forever before getting tossed behind the white water into the shallow and silty bottom of Turnagain Arm. It was not at all what he\u00a0imagined.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/263\/20238319355_3eb7683f57_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It may not look like much from shore but that wave trucks steadily along like a freight train. He\u00a0did not expect the wave to have so much personality and feel so alive as it interacts with the dynamic glacially carved coastline.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/544\/20049812728_0cbb8e55a3_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>He\u00a0did not ride it for as long as he\u00a0hoped but it ranks right up there amongst the hundreds or maybe thousands he&#8217;s ridden in his\u00a0life.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3757\/20230098282_f1c6f67757_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Climbing back up to the cliff was no easy task with that heavy paddle board but well worth it.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/554\/20238369545_1184f7653b_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I have a feeling that he just might be back again for another tango before Alaska is in our rear view.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/344\/20049618830_2e98b2e96b_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We ended up back at the campground to hitch up the Airstream and make a quick stop at the Alaska Wildlife\u00a0Conservation Center in Girdwood, Alaska.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3830\/19711562773_0ecc2a9b68_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This is place is unique because they try to rehab the animals to get them ready for release back into the wild.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/536\/20144448150_037e67dc21_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Seeing these moose up close with those antlers is amazing. Hope he gets to run wild and free very soon.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/546\/19709996624_6d6dab4b78_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And altogether now&#8230;. ahhhhh, baby moose!!!!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3782\/19711486073_5cb1eb6c35_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>So cute!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/263\/20306292176_e8c9b30eea_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And the porcupine with his butt waddle comes a close second.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3792\/20338736641_68a2706d75_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Looks like the elk herd here is slated for release very soon.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/552\/20144449468_32a3bb0716_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/328\/20145830189_125237b40a_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Hugging sister! Ahhh.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/529\/19710120934_27e5e01aa7_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And then came in the grizzly bears.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/365\/20144559638_b64081aa76_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Look at those massive humps on their backs.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/518\/19711595933_e2f62c8694_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Not sure how releases go for bears when they are surrounded by people all day long.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/563\/20146132309_6e1b0537c5_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Hopefully they will be able to get released far from humans and enjoy the rest of their lives where they belong.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3773\/20332778685_e09cee60ac_c.jpg\" alt=\"Blog Alaska Portage\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Our stop here was a memorable one, but we must keep moving. Off to Hope, Alaska we go!<\/p>\n<p>Thanks for reading,<br \/> Marlene<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Turnagain Arm is one of two branches of Cook Inlet just south of Anchorage and north of Kenai Peninsula. It is second only to Bay of Fundy in extreme tidal differences in North America at 40 ft. With the right conditions, the incoming tide creates a wave that rushes in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pkBzA-2gA","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/malimish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/malimish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/malimish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malimish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malimish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/malimish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8716\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/malimish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malimish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malimish.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}