Petersburg, Alaska
Early today, the Sea Bird sailed through the twisting channel of Wrangell Narrows and docked in Petersburg, a fishing village on Kupreanof Island. After we cleared American customs, some of our group went on flightseeing tours in that quintessential Alaskan taxi: the floatplane. The rest of us took a short Zodiac cruise across the harbor, admiring wheeling eagles, the croaks of ravens, and the bright red feet of pigeon guillemots in the calm waters. After ascending the ramp above the dock, we went for a hike in the hemlock forest. The trail was maintained by the Tongass National Forest, and the footbed was a combination of steps and planks, leading to an extensive boardwalk in a broad muskeg.
What is an Alaskan muskeg? Our naturalists explained the soggy cold acidic soils that lead to the formation of deep peat, resulting in a bog-like muskeg. The grand trees of the rain forest can not get established under such hash conditions, and all we saw were a few dwarfed shore pines and northern shrubs. From the convenient boardwalk, we were charmed by the petite flowers of bog laurel and bog rosemary. Thick red carpets of peat moss (Sphagnum) rimmed the many pools where the fuzzy white flowers of bog buckbean emerged from the water. Bog cotton was in bloom, and Labrador tea was in bud. Carnivorous sundews seemed to be keeping the insect population in check as their sticky leaves had trapped a few small hapless flies. While we inspected them, we heard the drumming of some red-breasted sapsuckers, their syncopated slow hammer blows echoing in the basin. All morning the whistled flute-like songs of hermit thrushes could be heard, except when the float plane flew over us, taking this photo.
Early today, the Sea Bird sailed through the twisting channel of Wrangell Narrows and docked in Petersburg, a fishing village on Kupreanof Island. After we cleared American customs, some of our group went on flightseeing tours in that quintessential Alaskan taxi: the floatplane. The rest of us took a short Zodiac cruise across the harbor, admiring wheeling eagles, the croaks of ravens, and the bright red feet of pigeon guillemots in the calm waters. After ascending the ramp above the dock, we went for a hike in the hemlock forest. The trail was maintained by the Tongass National Forest, and the footbed was a combination of steps and planks, leading to an extensive boardwalk in a broad muskeg.
What is an Alaskan muskeg? Our naturalists explained the soggy cold acidic soils that lead to the formation of deep peat, resulting in a bog-like muskeg. The grand trees of the rain forest can not get established under such hash conditions, and all we saw were a few dwarfed shore pines and northern shrubs. From the convenient boardwalk, we were charmed by the petite flowers of bog laurel and bog rosemary. Thick red carpets of peat moss (Sphagnum) rimmed the many pools where the fuzzy white flowers of bog buckbean emerged from the water. Bog cotton was in bloom, and Labrador tea was in bud. Carnivorous sundews seemed to be keeping the insect population in check as their sticky leaves had trapped a few small hapless flies. While we inspected them, we heard the drumming of some red-breasted sapsuckers, their syncopated slow hammer blows echoing in the basin. All morning the whistled flute-like songs of hermit thrushes could be heard, except when the float plane flew over us, taking this photo.
