Petersburg & Frederick Sound
During the morning we cruised through the tidal strait called Wrangell Narrows, which leads you to the small bustling Scandinavian fishing town of Petersburg on Mitkof Island. Influenced by the Scandinavian fishermen, the wood-frame houses and streets are adorned with various colorful nautical goodies (see photo below). Fishing fuels Petersburg’s economy and in summer salmon is caught by the local seine boats and trollers, while halibut is caught by longline.
Throughout the morning we toured the area by plane, helicopter, school bus or foot. Those of us on flight-seeing tours were able to soar over Devil’s Thumb and Mount Burkett (see photo below), which lies 30 miles northeast of Petersburg. With endless visibility all around, the helicopters and planes had an open ceiling!
On the ground we hiked into bogs. Signs of deer, moose and bear were observed along the walk. Deer nibble at the new tender green leaves of the skunk cabbage. While the bears prefer to eat the center stalks. Meanwhile, moose will look to browse on the newly sprouted willow and succulant aquatic plants.
In the afternoon we sailed out to the waters of Frederick Sound. Glassy conditions made for great birding. Large flocks of scoters, terns and Bonaparte’s gulls were feeding upon teaming schools of fish. While down in the dining room we browsed on decandent amounts of Dungeness Crab!
