Cascade Creek & Petersburg
Scenery Cove is a jewel clasped in a setting of steep granite walls, verdant dense forests and low wispy clouds. Our first view of the morning is displayed in today’s photograph. A bit of drizzle only added to the ambiance of this temperate rainforest scene.
Later we passed Baird Glacier on our way to the morning hike at Cascade Creek. This tumbling stream has a skillfully built boardwalk along its side. The roaring waterfall spits spray on everyone who views it and even more on those that climb above it. Part way along, a bridge crosses over a narrow trough in the rock, filled with a raging torrent. It makes one a bit uneasy when you’re on the bridge looking straight down. Guests on longer hikes climbed rugged terrain that led into an area of old growth trees on a steep hillside.
Just before lunch, the founder of the Alaska Whale Foundation, Dr. Fred Sharpe, came over from Petersburg. He shared some of the fascinating work with us that he and his colleagues are studying on the social dynamics and feeding ecology of humpback whales here in Southeast Alaska. These cetaceans use sound, bubbles and flipper movements to manipulate and to more efficiently harvest their prey.
We docked in Petersburg after lunch. This delightful community is a touchstone, a historical reference of an authentic, working fishing village. There are no big cruise ships here, so the town doesn’t double in size every day or two like when those massive vessels arrive in other places. People did not carry white plastic bags as they ambled the streets. Here folks walk with purpose; their rubber boots pound the sidewalk. The feet within are going somewhere. The stores sell usable items for fishermen like rainwear, Extra Tuff boots and hoochies, a kind of lure that moves like a hoochy koochy girl. Salmon season is still a month away, so the town was quiet. The fishing boats were in their slips and fishermen were preparing for the openers. The entire town was waiting.
Those who went flight-seeing had room under a cover of clouds to drink in the incredible scenery. From the air, glaciers and ice fields are stunning. Those that made their way into or along the bogs had a chance to experience very different scenery. Trees that looked like bonsais and unique acid loving plants seemed almost artistically placed, perhaps because these places are beautiful no matter where you look.
We had two guest speakers during cocktail hour. Eric Lee spoke about the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council and the important work it does to help protect our public lands within Tongass National Forest. Eric is a halibut fisherman with a strong conservation ethic. He shared a few thoughts about the future of the Tongass. Later, our Hotel Manager gave us an introduction to eating crab and the subtleties of being aggressive.
Scenery Cove is a jewel clasped in a setting of steep granite walls, verdant dense forests and low wispy clouds. Our first view of the morning is displayed in today’s photograph. A bit of drizzle only added to the ambiance of this temperate rainforest scene.
Later we passed Baird Glacier on our way to the morning hike at Cascade Creek. This tumbling stream has a skillfully built boardwalk along its side. The roaring waterfall spits spray on everyone who views it and even more on those that climb above it. Part way along, a bridge crosses over a narrow trough in the rock, filled with a raging torrent. It makes one a bit uneasy when you’re on the bridge looking straight down. Guests on longer hikes climbed rugged terrain that led into an area of old growth trees on a steep hillside.
Just before lunch, the founder of the Alaska Whale Foundation, Dr. Fred Sharpe, came over from Petersburg. He shared some of the fascinating work with us that he and his colleagues are studying on the social dynamics and feeding ecology of humpback whales here in Southeast Alaska. These cetaceans use sound, bubbles and flipper movements to manipulate and to more efficiently harvest their prey.
We docked in Petersburg after lunch. This delightful community is a touchstone, a historical reference of an authentic, working fishing village. There are no big cruise ships here, so the town doesn’t double in size every day or two like when those massive vessels arrive in other places. People did not carry white plastic bags as they ambled the streets. Here folks walk with purpose; their rubber boots pound the sidewalk. The feet within are going somewhere. The stores sell usable items for fishermen like rainwear, Extra Tuff boots and hoochies, a kind of lure that moves like a hoochy koochy girl. Salmon season is still a month away, so the town was quiet. The fishing boats were in their slips and fishermen were preparing for the openers. The entire town was waiting.
Those who went flight-seeing had room under a cover of clouds to drink in the incredible scenery. From the air, glaciers and ice fields are stunning. Those that made their way into or along the bogs had a chance to experience very different scenery. Trees that looked like bonsais and unique acid loving plants seemed almost artistically placed, perhaps because these places are beautiful no matter where you look.
We had two guest speakers during cocktail hour. Eric Lee spoke about the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council and the important work it does to help protect our public lands within Tongass National Forest. Eric is a halibut fisherman with a strong conservation ethic. He shared a few thoughts about the future of the Tongass. Later, our Hotel Manager gave us an introduction to eating crab and the subtleties of being aggressive.
