Petersburg & Frederick Sound
Petersburg, our first Alaskan port, was enclosed by low clouds and spring rains this morning, though the colorful fishing fleet of crab boats decorated with orange buoys and the lines and nets draped across the decks of purse seiners and trollers conveyed an exciting air to this harbor crowded with commercial fishing vessels.
After clearing back into the states, some of us boarded the Zodiacs for a quick trip across Wrangell Narrows and an exploration of the forest and muskeg habitats surrounding the Petersburg Creek trail on Kupreanof Island. The sage greens of old man’s beard and witch’s hair lichens festooned nearly every branch as we made our way up the boardwalk to the mystical muskeg, stopping to admire the small spidery flowers of the fern-leaf golden thread and the bright yellow splashes of newly sprouted skunk cabbage recently nibbled by Sitka black-tailed deer.
Soon, the forest abruptly gave way to peatlands dotted with ponds and spiky bonsai trees of shore pine and mountain hemlock, species that are only able to compete in the specialized acidic bog habitat dominated by sphagnum mosses. Eagles and ravens circled overhead, perhaps pairing off to begin this season’s reproduction.
Others ventured up the dock past the Sons of Norway hall into this tidy Norwegian-flavored village for a stroll or just to look around at the trappings of a working Alaskan fishing town. Hammer and Wiken, the local general store, provided a bit of Sunday morning local flavor and a chance to pick up some waterproof gear.
The afternoon stretched northward and westward into Frederick Sound, as we continue our explorations of these magnificent fiordlands.
Petersburg, our first Alaskan port, was enclosed by low clouds and spring rains this morning, though the colorful fishing fleet of crab boats decorated with orange buoys and the lines and nets draped across the decks of purse seiners and trollers conveyed an exciting air to this harbor crowded with commercial fishing vessels.
After clearing back into the states, some of us boarded the Zodiacs for a quick trip across Wrangell Narrows and an exploration of the forest and muskeg habitats surrounding the Petersburg Creek trail on Kupreanof Island. The sage greens of old man’s beard and witch’s hair lichens festooned nearly every branch as we made our way up the boardwalk to the mystical muskeg, stopping to admire the small spidery flowers of the fern-leaf golden thread and the bright yellow splashes of newly sprouted skunk cabbage recently nibbled by Sitka black-tailed deer.
Soon, the forest abruptly gave way to peatlands dotted with ponds and spiky bonsai trees of shore pine and mountain hemlock, species that are only able to compete in the specialized acidic bog habitat dominated by sphagnum mosses. Eagles and ravens circled overhead, perhaps pairing off to begin this season’s reproduction.
Others ventured up the dock past the Sons of Norway hall into this tidy Norwegian-flavored village for a stroll or just to look around at the trappings of a working Alaskan fishing town. Hammer and Wiken, the local general store, provided a bit of Sunday morning local flavor and a chance to pick up some waterproof gear.
The afternoon stretched northward and westward into Frederick Sound, as we continue our explorations of these magnificent fiordlands.
