Ideal Cove & Petersburg, Mitkof Island

Thin gray curls, ephemeral strands of fog intertwined between tresses of lichens cascading from the limbs of Sitka spruce trees. This was the backdrop for our morning at Ideal Cove on Mitkof Island. As the day warmed we started up the trail into the verdant forest. While shades of green dominated the palette, a shock of vibrant color captured our attentions.

A jubilance of orange, a fungus, a eulogy for the tree written in the strands of mycelia, slowing decomposing and morphing the strong and resilient cellulose fibers to nurturing soil.

While we admire the “chicken of the woods” as a colorful fungal comb on the surface of this stump, within the wood is a network, a hairy matrix insinuating its way into the bulk of the tree, working to release nutrients and in turn transform the once sturdy sentinel into a nursery of mulch, a fertile bed for the next generation of forest giants.

Additional splashes of color included ripening salmon berries, bunches of dwarf dogwood fruits and succulent oval blueberries dangling under the foliage of their shrubby perches.

There was a small section of muskeg, and amongst the shallow mats of sphagnum mosses were perched miniature islands of sundew. Their red lollipop edges were adorned with sticky “dew dropped” tentacles. These droplets are a lethal invitation for small flies. If the lure works, the hapless flies will get stuck and subsequently be consumed by this nutrient hungry resident of the bog.

Investigations continued as we docked in the small town of Petersburg. Some chose to walk along the docks amongst a myriad of fishing vessels, testaments to the hard working fishers that call Petersburg home. Others chose to pedal their way along the edges of town, with the Wrangell Narrows as their picture perfect backdrop.

The day culminated in a bout of crustaceanal carnage. Dodging parts and pieces of carapaces and claws a calm of complete satiation slowly enveloped us as we dined on our Dungeness crab feast. Our day and our tummies were both full. We departed Petersburg and started our navigation northward, towards tomorrow’s adventures and unknown discoveries.

We share with you some contributions by some of our younger travelers:

Alaska

Ocean Spray
Splashing
Wind overhearing us talk.
Alaska wonders.

By Bill Risher, age 9

Sea Otter

Through thick and thin, quite very slim
The otter skirts the kelp
It needs no help
As it swims through the kelp
A dot under the sky.

Zachary Horvitz, age 12

Marine Life

Sea lions, otters, both are furry
They both scurry in the water like little ants on land.
Hard for them to live, glaciers falling down on them like huge pieces of hail.
Both are smart, quick and clever, however
They always avoid getting crushed by the weather.

Madison Thomas-Buenos, age 10

The Greats

Oh how I long, for the fragile land,
I wish I was wrong, but I know it can be destroyed.
Some get annoyed, but you can’t deny it
The area: like a dove, fresh, clean, love
The creatures, curious and cautious
Some people on the vessel; nauseous.
I hope to caress their canine attributes, but they’re gone, just like the blanket of white that I long.

Arlo Gordon, age 13