I’ve never let having a kid slow me down. And yet, going into my second pregnancy, I knew it would be a while before I had the chance to do another super epic trip.  

I love putting myself in positions of awe, and I love adventuring to new places. Therefore, I wanted to plan an epic family foil trip before my second son arrived.  

We chose Alaska.  

I had the privilege of visiting Alaska in 2021 for a sightseeing trip and to visit our friends in Seward, and was blown away by the rugged wilderness, the wildlife, and the glaciers. It was epic. On that trip, we imagined what it would be like to foil in the icebergs and in front of glaciers.  

Five years later, we made it happen.  

Getting There

Brandon, Flint, and I (at five months pregnant) flew directly from Portland, Oregon, to Anchorage, Alaska, where we loaded up groceries, picked up a van from our friends Greg and Eleanor, and tried not to stop too often on our drive down to Seward. 

Alaska's views are stunning, and we were excited to take them in. In Seward, we planned to spend two days on the fishing boat Hope, run by our friends Debbie Jean and Jason at Alaska Coastal Explorer.  

Jason is a long-time surfer, kiteboarder, winger, and legendary boat captain who has  

been chartering fishing and sightseeing trips in Alaska for almost two decades. He knew where to take us.  

The forecast for going on the trip looked overcast, cold, and rainy. But we packed all of our Armstrong Foils gear in one board bag, provisioned ourselves with plenty of snacks and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pulled on our rain boots, and set our alarms for an early wake-up. Our departure day dawned, and clear, blue skies greeted us as we pulled into the dock and loaded Hope. Sunrays reflected off the water, and the vibes were high. We were beyond stoked, hoping we could score a little wind.  

Shortly after we left Seward Harbor, cell service dropped, and we could sink into the present and focus only on the task at hand: wrangling a toddler in bright yellow rain boots and a huge red life jacket to make sure he didn’t fall off the boat. Seward's coastline is absolutely stunning, and we soon found ourselves staring up at lush, green cliff lines and towering rock pinnacles, with birds diving and soaring and seals poking their friendly heads up as we chugged by. We even stopped dropping fishing lines. “Fish on!” yelled Brandon as he pulled up a beautiful rockfish for dinner. 

The ride out to Aialik Glacier took about two hours. In total, we spent two days on Hope, exploring the coastline of the Kenai Fjords National Park and returning home to Seward each night.  

Foiling at Five Months Pregnant  

I was definitely nervous about going on this trip at five months pregnant. I wingfoiled up until seven months pregnant with my first baby, so I knew I could do it. But during this pregnancy, I felt a lot more tired and had way less energy. I really didn’t want to overextend myself. I was nervous about being able to perform. Turns out, I didn’t need to worry. I’m confident in my abilities, and with the cold, we couldn’t really have a long session anyway. I managed myself and the sessions in a way that felt safe, fun, and not too strenuous.  

Waiting for Wind  

Jason motored us out to Aialik Glacier, where he hoped we would find a katabatic wind; a wind blowing up and over the back of the glacier, resulting in offshore conditions. Aialik Glacier is a part of the Kenai Fjords National Park, and the name means “eerie.”  

Motoring into the big bay in front of the glacier, we couldn’t see a lick of breeze. I was extremely skeptical that we would get to wing here. Not a puff of wind on the water.  

But as we stopped in front of the glacier, Brandon’s Spidey sense started tingling. He thought there might be something right up close to the shore. Jason agreed, and suddenly we felt a little bit of a breeze on our faces.  

Riding In Front of the Glacier  

We geared up in our 5/4 wetsuits and hopped in. I was apprehensive at first, but sure enough, we got up and rode back and forth.  

Riding in front of a towering, ice-blue glacier was unreal. Imagine a gleaming blue expanse, towering hundreds of feet above the water. The light reflecting off the glacier was almost blinding but extraordinarily beautiful. The water was shockingly cold but not unbearable, and the blue skies made it extremely tolerable. We couldn't believe how good the conditions were.  

Riding in front of the glacier with pieces calving off was incredible. The wind was just enough to ride our 4.5-meter XPS wing, and we each got a turn living out what is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

After the session, we motored back out of the bay, through churning ice chunks, and enjoyed our fresh-caught fish. As we pulled into Seward Harbor at 8 pm, I was exhausted but fulfilled, absolutely the best way to end a shred mission.  

Wake Foiling at Bear Glacier  

The next day we got to do it all over again, but this time we went wake foiling in the icebergs at the base of Bear Glacier. Bear Glacier is the largest glacier in the Kenai Fjords National Park and ends in a 2-mile-long lagoon filled with massive icebergs. We loaded the dinghy with all our gear, pulled on thick wetsuits, and puttered up the river's mouth; soon we were surrounded by massive chunks of floating ice. The scene in the lagoon is truly unreal. We whipped ourselves through the icebergs behind the dinghy and pumped our way through these house-sized ice chunks. The water was cold but not unbearable, and as we sat on the shoreline, basking in the sun and looking out at all this ice, we got what we wanted: that sense of awe and epicness that experiencing a new place brings.  

Never Stop Adventuring

Traveling with a toddler was hard; dealing with everything that went wrong was hard; and getting in the water in frigid conditions was hard. Would I do it all again in a heartbeat? Yes. Because that’s what real adventures consist of: things going wrong, spontaneous detours, and never quite knowing what’s going to happen. The awe you feel when you put yourself in new, unfamiliar places is one of the best parts of life.  

We hope to create that sense of stoke and awe as our family continues to grow, and we strive never to stop adventuring.  

Our Setup 

Wing: Armstrong XPS Mk II 4.5m  

Foil: HA 1080 and Dart 140  

Mast: PM-X 795  

Board: 55L Midlength MK II  

Wetsuit: 5/4 with gloves, booties, and hood