LeConte Bay, Petersburg
Today we were transported back to the Ice Age – figuratively, of course. Between our Zodiac exploration of the recently calved icebergs in LeConte Bay and our flightseeing excursions to the Patterson and LeConte glaciers, we saw ample evidence of the erosive power of ice. Rounded over mountaintops, knife-edged arêtes, avalanche chutes and bowl-shaped cirques – all are features reminding us that glacial ice completely covered this landscape just a few thousand years ago.
We spent our morning in the Zodiacs among the icebergs of LeConte Bay and were treated to close-up views of spectacular sculptures and luminescent blue ice. Like Rorschach tests in 3-D blue, the bergs elicited unexpected descriptions. That one looks like a reindeer, a whale tail, Swiss cheese or lace. Those remind me of Japanese woodcuts depicting wave crests on stormy seas. Some bergs were rimmed with dozens of gulls, perched and waiting for who knows what. Bald eagles sat in the tall Sitka spruce trees at the water’s edge then swooped down for fish, ultimately landing on the blue ice in the bay. Dressed warmly and knowing there was piping hot cocoa back on board, we stayed out until the last minute; returning just in time to hear Bristol’s talk on Pacific Northwest Ecology and the unique connections between forest and sea.
After lunch, the Sea Bird moored at a dock in the small fishing community of Petersburg, and we set out for a full afternoon of exploration. Many folks opted for the big picture view of a glacier, from either a helicopter or a floatplane. This aerial perspective complemented our morning beautifully, enabling us to see the crevasses and moraines, as well as the ice field accumulation zone from which these rivers of ice flow. Mountain goats and bears were also spotted from the air, and those on the helicopter actually touched down and walked high on the glacier. For the remainder of the afternoon, we hiked along the Petersburg Creek trail, through the magical troll forest of Kupreanof Island to a wide open muskeg. This poorly drained, acidic environment is home to an amazing variety of plant life, including carnivorous sundew, aromatic Labrador tea and juniper, pink flowered bog laurel and contorted shore pines.
Our dinner was a family style feast of fresh Alaskan Dungeness crab and barbecued spareribs, complete with messy fingers and faces. Dessert followed in the lounge as we backed out of Petersburg harbor, and another humpback whale sent us to sleep.
Today we were transported back to the Ice Age – figuratively, of course. Between our Zodiac exploration of the recently calved icebergs in LeConte Bay and our flightseeing excursions to the Patterson and LeConte glaciers, we saw ample evidence of the erosive power of ice. Rounded over mountaintops, knife-edged arêtes, avalanche chutes and bowl-shaped cirques – all are features reminding us that glacial ice completely covered this landscape just a few thousand years ago.
We spent our morning in the Zodiacs among the icebergs of LeConte Bay and were treated to close-up views of spectacular sculptures and luminescent blue ice. Like Rorschach tests in 3-D blue, the bergs elicited unexpected descriptions. That one looks like a reindeer, a whale tail, Swiss cheese or lace. Those remind me of Japanese woodcuts depicting wave crests on stormy seas. Some bergs were rimmed with dozens of gulls, perched and waiting for who knows what. Bald eagles sat in the tall Sitka spruce trees at the water’s edge then swooped down for fish, ultimately landing on the blue ice in the bay. Dressed warmly and knowing there was piping hot cocoa back on board, we stayed out until the last minute; returning just in time to hear Bristol’s talk on Pacific Northwest Ecology and the unique connections between forest and sea.
After lunch, the Sea Bird moored at a dock in the small fishing community of Petersburg, and we set out for a full afternoon of exploration. Many folks opted for the big picture view of a glacier, from either a helicopter or a floatplane. This aerial perspective complemented our morning beautifully, enabling us to see the crevasses and moraines, as well as the ice field accumulation zone from which these rivers of ice flow. Mountain goats and bears were also spotted from the air, and those on the helicopter actually touched down and walked high on the glacier. For the remainder of the afternoon, we hiked along the Petersburg Creek trail, through the magical troll forest of Kupreanof Island to a wide open muskeg. This poorly drained, acidic environment is home to an amazing variety of plant life, including carnivorous sundew, aromatic Labrador tea and juniper, pink flowered bog laurel and contorted shore pines.
Our dinner was a family style feast of fresh Alaskan Dungeness crab and barbecued spareribs, complete with messy fingers and faces. Dessert followed in the lounge as we backed out of Petersburg harbor, and another humpback whale sent us to sleep.
