Ice is nice! More ice is even better. Though we had visited glaciers earlier this week, this was the first time we approached bergs by Zodiac—up close and personal. The conditions were absolutely perfect: sunny skies, calm waters, and incredibly blue ice in every shape imaginable. Much like cloud watching, we each saw various forms. Some people saw swans, others skyscrapers, and one even reported a berg resembling Abraham Lincoln. The blue hues are so deep and luminous that artists would have a difficult task trying to capture them on canvas. But in our mind’s eye, we can still see them radiating. Time in the Zodiacs flew by, as the morning was pure magic.
After lunch, we found ourselves docked in Petersburg, a community rich in Norwegian heritage. Many of the storefronts and homes are graced with rosemaling, the traditional Norwegian painting in floral design. This Scandinavian-style community was founded by Peter Buschmann who migrated here from Norway with his wife and eight children in 1891. The close proximity to the Le Conte Glacier promised plenty of ice for packing fish. Today, Petersburg is still a hard-working fishing town with seafood processing plants and one of the largest home-based halibut fishing fleets in Southeast Alaska.
During our free time in the afternoon, some of us took to the skies in helicopters or fixed-winged planes to get an eagle’s eye view of glacier country. The Stikine Ice Field, one of three in Southeast Alaska, feeds both the Patterson Glacier and the Le Conte Glacier, our destinations for the overflights. We marveled at the translucent blue pools of water dotting the ice below. While some flew to great heights, others took the opportunity to explore the bogs not far from our anchorage. The term “muskeg” refers to this wet acidic environment where trees grow slowly and plants are reduced in size to accommodate the harsh conditions. The boardwalk made for an easy transit in an otherwise marshy land.
Our grand finale was a Dungeness crab dinner. Many Alaskans prefer the “dungie” to the more famous Alaska king crab, and now we know why. Though eating crab is never a delicate affair, all agreed that it was a special treat.
After lunch, we found ourselves docked in Petersburg, a community rich in Norwegian heritage. Many of the storefronts and homes are graced with rosemaling, the traditional Norwegian painting in floral design. This Scandinavian-style community was founded by Peter Buschmann who migrated here from Norway with his wife and eight children in 1891. The close proximity to the Le Conte Glacier promised plenty of ice for packing fish. Today, Petersburg is still a hard-working fishing town with seafood processing plants and one of the largest home-based halibut fishing fleets in Southeast Alaska.
During our free time in the afternoon, some of us took to the skies in helicopters or fixed-winged planes to get an eagle’s eye view of glacier country. The Stikine Ice Field, one of three in Southeast Alaska, feeds both the Patterson Glacier and the Le Conte Glacier, our destinations for the overflights. We marveled at the translucent blue pools of water dotting the ice below. While some flew to great heights, others took the opportunity to explore the bogs not far from our anchorage. The term “muskeg” refers to this wet acidic environment where trees grow slowly and plants are reduced in size to accommodate the harsh conditions. The boardwalk made for an easy transit in an otherwise marshy land.
Our grand finale was a Dungeness crab dinner. Many Alaskans prefer the “dungie” to the more famous Alaska king crab, and now we know why. Though eating crab is never a delicate affair, all agreed that it was a special treat.
