Thomas Bay & Petersburg
The morning began in Frederick Sound… It was rainy, the sea was a calming shade of green, and fog was lingering. Some yawned on the bow, while others stretched on the bridge deck. A few of us still had sleep in our eyes from staying up late last night to witness a "humpback whale performance" as they surrounded the National Geographic Sea Bird until the late hours. This morning’s conditions were gentle and polite, making it easy to appreciate our surroundings and get ready for another day. As we arrived in Thomas Bay, we buttoned up our rain gear and protected our camera equipment as the mist from the raging creek joined with the rain and soaked us. As waterfalls thundered nearby, we hovered over the creek and admired the exquisite scene around us. We also took time to celebrate the less obvious details of the forest; the beauty of the moss, the striated bark of the western hemlock, and the flowering dogwood all caught our attention.
All morning long we kept hearing the word “newt”. Random conversing had been taking place all morning regarding “newts”. What is a newt? Why all this fuss over newts? Were we really “newt hikers”?
We all took pleasure in the protection of the trees from the rain as we admired the lush forest, but there was no competition for our pursuit of a newt. Our naturalist and “Newtist,” Lee Moll, shared her knowledge and love of her little, toxic, and orange-bellied friends. We immediately caught her enthusiasm. We learned that the rough-skinned newt is just one of several herpetofauna who live here in Alaska. As we continued on the trail in search of a newt we arrived in a skunk cabbage patch, and almost immediately we heard “I found a newt!” Alan Herzia had spotted a newt. In order to protect herself, Lee quickly suited her hands with rubber gloves and we all crowded around her to view this interesting amphibian, which posed for “newt photos”. The newt tried to intimidate us by raising its head and tail up to show us its orange belly. Soon we realized that discovering this newt was like finding a needle in a haystack. Its camouflage matched the forest floor. Our three-inch wonder had a mutated hind limb and eerie yellow eyes. After sharing the newt with each other, some of us continued down the trail with Lee. After a little bushwhacking and moose scat we headed back to the boat. We were hungry, wet, and stoked on newts.
Later we went to Petersburg. Some of us hiked in bogs and found numerous eagle nests, while others biked through this small town. We even mingled with fishermen on the docks and learned about their lives during the summer. This small prosperous fishing village was a treat with its friendly residents and quaint ambiance.
As we left Petersburg a vibrant rainbow followed us, with the Devil’s Thumb rock spire in the background.
The morning began in Frederick Sound… It was rainy, the sea was a calming shade of green, and fog was lingering. Some yawned on the bow, while others stretched on the bridge deck. A few of us still had sleep in our eyes from staying up late last night to witness a "humpback whale performance" as they surrounded the National Geographic Sea Bird until the late hours. This morning’s conditions were gentle and polite, making it easy to appreciate our surroundings and get ready for another day. As we arrived in Thomas Bay, we buttoned up our rain gear and protected our camera equipment as the mist from the raging creek joined with the rain and soaked us. As waterfalls thundered nearby, we hovered over the creek and admired the exquisite scene around us. We also took time to celebrate the less obvious details of the forest; the beauty of the moss, the striated bark of the western hemlock, and the flowering dogwood all caught our attention.
All morning long we kept hearing the word “newt”. Random conversing had been taking place all morning regarding “newts”. What is a newt? Why all this fuss over newts? Were we really “newt hikers”?
We all took pleasure in the protection of the trees from the rain as we admired the lush forest, but there was no competition for our pursuit of a newt. Our naturalist and “Newtist,” Lee Moll, shared her knowledge and love of her little, toxic, and orange-bellied friends. We immediately caught her enthusiasm. We learned that the rough-skinned newt is just one of several herpetofauna who live here in Alaska. As we continued on the trail in search of a newt we arrived in a skunk cabbage patch, and almost immediately we heard “I found a newt!” Alan Herzia had spotted a newt. In order to protect herself, Lee quickly suited her hands with rubber gloves and we all crowded around her to view this interesting amphibian, which posed for “newt photos”. The newt tried to intimidate us by raising its head and tail up to show us its orange belly. Soon we realized that discovering this newt was like finding a needle in a haystack. Its camouflage matched the forest floor. Our three-inch wonder had a mutated hind limb and eerie yellow eyes. After sharing the newt with each other, some of us continued down the trail with Lee. After a little bushwhacking and moose scat we headed back to the boat. We were hungry, wet, and stoked on newts.
Later we went to Petersburg. Some of us hiked in bogs and found numerous eagle nests, while others biked through this small town. We even mingled with fishermen on the docks and learned about their lives during the summer. This small prosperous fishing village was a treat with its friendly residents and quaint ambiance.
As we left Petersburg a vibrant rainbow followed us, with the Devil’s Thumb rock spire in the background.
