Leaving the bay is hard to do when the water is glassy calm. There is something so profoundly magical about the stillness of the Alaskan ocean in the dead of winter. The snow capped peaks reflect in the smooth, shiny surface of the heart of Tutka Bay. Often times ripples emerge where an otter or seal surface, but this morning it’s the bustling wake of the Mojo, a dear friends boat we are using, that trembles the calm waters as we depart this heavenly experience.
We’re on our way to town to pick up our children. Together we have five, ages 5-15, and with school in full swing this is a much anticipated long winter break together. We generally take our motor sailer, but are in the throws of some detailed construction projects, and with the limited daylight this time of year brings, the 5 hours round trip crossing really puts a damper on the day. We’re using our friend Bruce’s boat temporarily to lessen the travel time and increase our daylight opportunities.
As we enter the bay at dusk the calm waters begin to look solid. This is not the same bay we left this morning. The unusual stillness, with the unprecedented amounts of rain we have received recently, has caused early and extensive freeze up, to our surprise even right in front of the cabin. You can hear the clink, clank sounds of the thin ice clanging against the aluminum hauled boat. Scott slows down as we approach the beach where we can easily offload everyone and their gear, no skiffs needed with the Mojo. This simplifies things as the darkness is setting in at 5 PM. The kids scurry off of the boat, up the beach, carrying armloads of bags up the hill to settle in for their long holiday visit.
The ice forming in the bay brings a different kind of feeling. It’s not the usual travel limiting experiences of a strong easterly storm, that pulses the bay with its white wash and wind, but a calm, still, remarkable event, that still can keep you at the beach. It can be absent at night when you go to sleep, but be pervasive upon awakening. As paralyzing as the iced in ocean can feel, it has surprisingly been full of playful opportunities and some type 2 cold plunging and ocean swimming. After dinner the low tide gravel beach forms an icy layer that gently slopes near the cool, clear in the moonlit ocean. The kids slide on the ice like seals, all having a grand time exploring the diversity nature provides, moment by moment.