Ideal Cove and Petersburg
We woke up this morning to yet another beautiful day in southeast Alaska. The sky was clear, the seas were calm and the sun shone bright upon the snowcapped mountains, rewarding the early riser photographers with a perfect photo op. Our destination for the morning was a small inlet on the southern end of Fredrick Sound. Ideal Cove, located on Mitkof Island, is a great place for walks in the temperate rain forest and for viewing the flora and fauna of southeast Alaska. The tide was at its lowest, so after we anchored and took the Zodiacs to shore, we willingly trudged 200 yards through sticky mud and exposed mussels, clams and barnacles up to the forest edge. Halfway there we spotted the flailing legs and mud-covered carapace of a good-sized Dungeness crab - a harbinger of the crab feast that will take place later in the day.
Once in the forest, we walked along the Alaskan boardwalk trail listening to the songs of the winter wren, varied thrush and the occasional call of a Stellar’s Jay. We passed immense trees whose limbs were draped with a light green lichen called Old Man’s Beard and the yellow flowers of skunk cabbage lined both sides of the footpath. Several guests even caught a glimpse of a Black-tailed Sitka deer. There are two small lakes skirting the edges of the trails at Ideal Cove. The first is named Hill Lake and the second is Crane Lake. Both were beautiful and calm and it was nice to spend a peaceful morning along their shores.
In the afternoon we repositioned the National Geographic Sea Lion to the small fishing town of Petersburg, also located on Mitkof Island. Petersburg was settled by a man named Peter Buschann at the turn of the century and today it is an established fishing community that processes approximately $22 million of seafood each year. The skies were still clear and those who chose to take a 45-minute floatplane ride over the Le Conte Glacier had amazing views of the mountains and seaways that surround the picturesque town. Other options for the afternoon included a walk to a beautiful muskeg, bicycling around town or exploring the small shops and stores by foot.
To finish off the day, our galley cooked up a feast of very fresh, locally caught Dungeness crab, and the hotel department decorated the dining room with pieces of netting and ocean paraphernalia. We couldn’t have asked for more.
