Get up close and personal with College Fjord in Prince William Sound

It is hard to beat the thrill of spending a week kayaking around Prince William Sound.

Days are spent paddling along fjords to reach tidewater glaciers where you bob around in the ice-filled waters waiting for some action. With luck a huge wall of ice will peel away with a thunderous roar.

It is a thrilling experience tempered only by the fear that the ensuing wave might be bigger than expected. Prudent paddlers will stay at least 500m back from the face, though the glaciers are so huge you feel much closer.

While you wait, seals might provide entertainment hopping up onto little icebergs to sun themselves for a while then slither back into the frigid water to cool off.

The chill wind coming off the glacier will eventually drive you back to your beachside camp where gathered driftwood can be summoned into a warming fire as you break out the red wine and marshmallows.