Ideal Cove & Petersburg
We passed bergie bits from LeConte Glacier floating amongst choppy waves as a strong wind poured down and out from the mountains. Our ship headed into Ideal Cove under a gray sky for our day’s hiking.
Once past the tall shoreline grass we became consumed by the beauty of the forest. A dark tannin-filled stream flowed next to our boardwalk and emptied the excess rain into the sea. The drizzle had dripped down onto moss covered branches and then to blueberries and dwarf dogwoods below. When you enter these temperate rain forests they enter you. Perhaps the sheer visual complexity crowds out all other thoughts. Whatever it is, it’s a joyous and serene place to be.
A few Steller, or Northern, sea lions perched upon a buoy and growled at each other as we passed. It’s amazing how they can accurately shoot out of the water, miss all the metal parts and land amongst the others animals. Lying upon a bed of bolts is not the place most of us would choose to be.
Petersburg’s fisher-people were busily preparing their boats. Purse seiners were changing over to long-line gear while gill-netters changed nets to fish for other species. One group of guests with cameras in hand set out to capture images of this commercial fishing fleet.
The town was alive with people on missions. The doors of the Harbor Bar opened occasionally as rubber boot clad locals passed in and out, sometimes giving us a peek into their lives. The warm and dry shops were also inviting too many. The book store was a popular place to run into familiar faces.
A few hikers had a pleasant time on a boardwalk over a beautiful muskeg, or bog. Water plays such an important role here. Sphagnum moss holds it and little ponds show it off as water striders skate after their prey. We found pink blossoms on a few bog rosemarys and a bit of white in wet, bedraggled cotton grass tufts.
Dr. Fred Sharpe of the Alaska Whale Foundation stopped by the ship in the late afternoon. He brought us more insight into the lives of humpback whales. Fred and his colleagues have unraveled many of the secrets of how these beasts can manipulate herring with not only bubbles but herd the fish with their pectoral fins and terrify them with sounds.
We were soon ripping apart fresh Dungeness crab and feasting on barbequed ribs. This was once again a day filled with adventure, good friends, marvelous food and many good reasons to be tired.
