Cascade Creek & Petersburg
Glorious sunshine greeted us this morning once again. It was hard to realize that we were exploring a temperate rainforest area after the weather we have had the last few days.
Cascade Creek in Thomas Bay was our destination for this morning’s activities. We split into various groups. Some of the “aggressive” hikers headed up to a beautiful waterfall and climbed up the steep slope and muddy trail beyond at a fast and energetic pace. Others chose a more relaxed pace and stopped to admire the lush forest and dense undergrowth – the lovely ferns, the soft mosses, the hostile devil’s club, and the delicate and tiny wildflowers growing in between.
Tons of water poured over the falls sending spray high into the surrounding air, which, illuminated by the sun shining through the trees made for a magical scene. The spray was a welcome cooling tonic on such a hot and sunny day. Beyond the falls, a small bridge crossed the chasm where torrents of water rushed below us in its never-ending hurry to get to the sea. It was a gorgeous spot to visit.
Sailing south on our way to Petersburg just before lunch, Dr. Fred Sharpe from the Alaska Whale Foundation came onboard and gave us a talk on humpback whales and the fascinating research he does.
The small town of Petersburg soon came into view. This small, quaint fishing village with its Norwegian heritage provided us with various opportunities to explore. Some chose to take a zodiac across the Wrangell Narrows to Kupreanof Island and walk up to a bog to admire the unique ecosystem found there, with its many strange plants including the strange insect-eating sundew. Others took to the sky to see glaciers and mountains from airplanes or helicopter. Everyone had the opportunity to walk around town and visit the shops, admire the neatly kept yards, see the large fleet of immaculately kept fishing boats, trying to imagine what life in this small town and on this small island was really like.
A special treat from the hotel department for dinner was a feast of Dungeness crab, freshly caught, that we cracked into with gusto, scattering shells and crab meat all around the dining room in our enjoyment of this tasty meal. As we were finishing our last bites, humpback whales were sighted in the distance. The warm evening air out on deck was pleasant to stand in and we admired the graceful forms of a mother and calf slowly surfacing closer and closer to the ship while the orange sun slowly sank below the glacier-topped mountains.
