Thomas Bay and Petersburg
Sunshine and beautiful scenery greeted us on our first day of summer in Southeast Alaska. As we were waking up our bodies with the morning stretch class on the bridge deck, we smoothly entered Thomas Bay and I was excited about taking a group of fast hikers to go explore Cascade Creek.
As we made our way up the creek we passed the beautiful waterfall tumbling down over giant granite boulders. The roar of the creek was magnificent and we felt the mist and spray upon our faces. We walked up slippery wood planks and rocks and were cautious with every step we took. We were following footprints of river otters and deer and came across many fallen trees blocking the way further up along the creek. This was our turn-around signal, and we made our way back to the beach.
Another group of hikers were successful with their search for newts. They found the rough-skinned newts hiding in the mud, under the skunk cabbage patch. This salamander is one of only six native amphibians in Alaska.
Back on board we had the pleasure to listen to Dr. Fred Sharpe from the Alaska Whale Foundation, who gave us an awesome presentation on humpback whales.
We cruised down the Wrangell Narrows between Mitkof and Kupreanof islands and docked the National Geographic Sea Bird in Petersburg for our afternoon activities. With a population of 3,500 Alaskans, Petersburg is a prosperous fishing town with a Norwegian heritage. The sun disappeared behind a thick layer of clouds and the towering snow-capped mountains with Devil's Thumb in the background were soon shrouded within the clouds.
Some of us took the Zodiac across the channel to Kupreanof Island to explore a beautiful Alaskan muskeg, or peat bog, a very special ecosystem where plants have to adapt to the acid environment. Others went on a fun bike ride around town and others took to the sky to admire the Le Conte Glacier from high above. Those interested in the fishing boats walked along the dock and learned about the different types of fishing activities practiced in Southeast Alaska.
For dinner, the galley prepared a feast of Dungeness crab, freshly caught near Petersburg, and a wonderful blueberry-apple cobbler with ice cream was served for desert!
And now we are off in search of our wonderful cetacean friends, the humpback whales...
