At breakfast we coasted into our berth in Petersburg, a fishing town begun by Norwegians over 100 years ago. We were surrounded by huge fishing boats laden with crab traps and gear to catch salmon and halibut. Bald eagles decorated the masts and street lamps.
As usual, we broke into groups, some going salmon fishing, some flying over the glaciers, some even landing on the glaciers. Most went for hikes, either a calorie-draining climb up Petersburg Mountain or a more leisurely walk on a boardwalk through a mossy forest and spectacular bog. Bogs are a favorite ecosystem for the naturalists: their extreme wetness and acidity result in fascinating adaptations, some normally only found in a desert. The leaves of Labrador tea and bog laurel are both leathery and hairy to retain moisture in spite of their roots being in water. But the water is so acid that the plants have difficulty using it and this environment is termed “physiologically dry.” The trees in the bog, shore pine and yellow cedar, are having a hard time surviving too and are mostly stunted, giving the bog the appearance of a beautiful bonsai garden complete with reflecting pools. Bogs are deficient in nitrogen, an essential element for healthy growth. Here the carnivorous plants called sundew have an advantage, acquiring their nitrogen from the insects they capture. Three of the hairy, sticky, leaves shown in the photograph have caught an insect.
In the afternoon, as we cruised towards the Le Conte Bay glacier, we were met by a pod of three killer whales. These appeared to be transients, but a certain identification could not be made. Le Conte Bay has been calving so many ice bergs in recent years that we could only approach the mouth of the Bay. Here we climbed into the Zodiacs and slowly motored among spectacularly carved white and green behemoths, some larger than houses, highlighted by the leaden clouds. We had to keep our distance since falling pieces can cause major waves.
The evening was capped by an amazing video of undersea life that the Expedition Leader made at Elfin Cove a few days earlier.
