Bore Tide

Bore Tide Picture

We decided to go see the Bore Tide this evening. We had drinks and apps with friends at one our favorite places—Simons and Seafort’s. Their stuffed halibut is the best!

Then Paul a friend of his from the Nursing Program and I headed south on the Seward Highway to go watch the Bore Tide.

What is the Bore Tide

The bore tide is a rush of seawater that returns to a shallow and narrowing inlet from a broad bay. Bore tides come in after extreme minus low tides created by the full or new moon.
Bore tides occur all over the world—there are around 60 of them—but only a few are large enough to make a name for themselves. One in China, for example, stretches almost 30 feet tall and travels more than 20 miles per hour. Alaska’s most famous bore tide occurs in Turnagain Arm, just outside Anchorage. It climbs up to 6 – 10 feet tall and can reach speeds of 10 to 15 miles per hour. It takes not just a low tide but also about a 27-foot tidal differential (between high and low tide) for a bore to form in Turnagain Arm.

We did not bring our camera so I had to find a picture online of the tide line. That is basically what it is a white line across the inlet. Not that exciting but interesting. In fact it would have been great just to watch it but it was CHILLY and the wind was blowing SO hard. I ended up at the Dr’s for ear drops (for some reason my ears are highly sensitive to wind) a few days later.

I think that seeing the tide from Gull Rock where we hiked on the 4th of July on the opposite side of the inlet would have been really cool as the wave on that side was over 6 ft. On the side we were on it was just a wave. The bore tide was a bit of a bore.

July 4th

The weekend started out rough—I admit it. After hours and hours of driving and not finding a site for our tent and discovering that the fish were not running that strong, we were very hungry.

Paul, Hayden and I stopped for some burgers and fries—it was so warm yet at 10 PM that we ate outside. We got less cranky as we ate and just enjoyed the evening sun. This is the most amazing summer.

Then our revelation came--in the form of a brochure for a rafting adventure. Paul had promised for our anniversary a white water trip that I have wanted to do for YEARS!!! We called and Chucach Outdoor answered the phone—we booked all of us for the trip the next day. We drove for 1.5 hours back towards Anchorage and found a great campsite. We camped next to the river and made breakfast over the campfire the next morning. Yum—biscuits and gravy :)

Then we headed to the center to gear up. This means, helmet, dry suit (the water temp is 40 degrees), lifejacket and a bit of courage as you jump into the current of the river for a practice swim for about 100 yards. You have to swim hard to get across the river. Hayden did AWESOME. It was so cool to see how excited he was to be experiencing everything.

This was no float trip—everyone had to paddle as we maneuvered the rapids…. We ran all three canyons and jumped out of the raft and floated the last ¼ mile. We were so excited—it was an amazing experience. I am ready to go again--so if anyone is up for it...I highly recommend Chucach Adventures.

That evening we grilled brats and onions on the campfire. They tasted good and must have smelled even better as Paul came across a black bear about 20 feet from the tent. Paul ran back to the car and got the gun and then the bear climbed a tree about 30 feet from the tent and proceeded to stay there for hours. It was watching traffic on the road. We slept in the car, until the very early morning when Paul and I moved back to the tent. Three people sleeping in the car is not that comfortable.

We spent some time exploring Hope, AK Pop. 137. Hope is an old gold mining town and there are still lots of people who have claims in the area. We saw a number of people panning or using the sluice box on the river. It is really a great little piece of Alaskana. We walked down to see the old cemetary and saw where Six Mile Creek enters the Arm.

We hiked 10 miles rt the next day out to Gull Rock and looked out over Turnagain Arm. We sat on Gull Rock and ate lunch as we watched the gulls float in the sky in front of us. What an incredible weekend, not your typical 4th of July but one that made me feel blessed to be out exploring part of such an incredible country.