Petersburg Alaska, Leconte Glacier
The Sea Lion rounded the last bend at the southwest corner of Frederick Sound heading into Wrangell Narrows and headed for the community of Petersburg, Alaska. We would be spending our morning in and around this small fishing community. Fishing in this area of S.E. Alaska began long before the short 100 year history of the current Norwegian inhabitants of Petersburg. Just northeast of town at Sandy beach, the Tlingit people established a village and fish camp more than 2,000 years ago. These Native inhabitants built two traps of stone on either side of Sandy beach. The traps were over thirty feet across and four feet high and heart shaped. They faced the beach and tidal changes. What remains today are some of the stone walls and a few of the wooden stakes that were buried in anaerobic mud and preserved for thousands of years until their recent discovery. The traps allowed salmon in during higher tides and as the tide ebbed the fish were trapped and harvested by the local Tlingit village.
The Sea Lion’s entrance was a slow approach in and amongst a dock lined with a variety of modern fishing boats. This part of Mitkof Island turned into a year-round community around the turn of the century after a Norwegian, Peter Buschmann, first spotted the blue ice of LeConte Glacier. Buschmann decided the north end of Mitkof Island, with glacier ice available nearby, would be an ideal spot for a cannery. After the establishment of this first cannery many small businesses came to the area and in 1910 the city of Petersburg was incorporated. Many of Petersburg’s residents can trace their heritage back to Norwegian ancestors, who followed Peter Buschmann to the snowy mountains and fjords of S. E. Alaska that reminded them of their homes back in Norway.
Our morning would be spent exploring the areas in and around Petersburg. Hikes to Kupreanof Island….blanket bogs and mountain trails, while others in our group explored the local glaciers and mountains by float planes and helicopters. The morning offered a high ceiling of lacy clouds. As our day progressed, Alaska sunshine found its way into our adventures, as the ceiling of clouds slowly dropped to sea level. What better way to experience an Alaskan muskeg, soft and light rain on our shoulders, as we gazed down at the myriad of different plants interwoven into the mosses that are the mainstay of the world called the bog! Round leaved sundew, Bog cranberry, Labrador tea and a solitary slime mold all call this unique ecosystem home.
Through out the late morning and during lunch our groups returned to the Sea Lion. Long hikers and flight seers exploring by helicopter were the last to arrive. Lines were dropped and slowly the Sea Lion made her way out into Frederick Sound and headed a short distance over to the carved channel created by the retreat of LeConte Glacier. Here, amongst the massive icebergs being dropped by this glacier we would cruise by Zodiac for the late afternoon. Once Zodiacs were launched, we departed in two groups to explore the outer moraine…..stranded on the sea floor were giant sculptures of blue ice. As we approached, several of these huge pieces of ice creaked and moaned as an enormous piece of the sculpture broke off, drifting away from the larger iceberg….giving a constant change to the story created by melting ice. Zodiacs moved in and around building-sized icebergs, some decorated with resting birds, while others still carried the stones and gravel moved by LeConte Glacier. All around our boats were the colors of the Northwest; gray on gray with shades of dark green…..and in this unique place a touch of deep ice blue adding beauty, though temporary, to the ever changing landscape called Alaska….
The Sea Lion rounded the last bend at the southwest corner of Frederick Sound heading into Wrangell Narrows and headed for the community of Petersburg, Alaska. We would be spending our morning in and around this small fishing community. Fishing in this area of S.E. Alaska began long before the short 100 year history of the current Norwegian inhabitants of Petersburg. Just northeast of town at Sandy beach, the Tlingit people established a village and fish camp more than 2,000 years ago. These Native inhabitants built two traps of stone on either side of Sandy beach. The traps were over thirty feet across and four feet high and heart shaped. They faced the beach and tidal changes. What remains today are some of the stone walls and a few of the wooden stakes that were buried in anaerobic mud and preserved for thousands of years until their recent discovery. The traps allowed salmon in during higher tides and as the tide ebbed the fish were trapped and harvested by the local Tlingit village.
The Sea Lion’s entrance was a slow approach in and amongst a dock lined with a variety of modern fishing boats. This part of Mitkof Island turned into a year-round community around the turn of the century after a Norwegian, Peter Buschmann, first spotted the blue ice of LeConte Glacier. Buschmann decided the north end of Mitkof Island, with glacier ice available nearby, would be an ideal spot for a cannery. After the establishment of this first cannery many small businesses came to the area and in 1910 the city of Petersburg was incorporated. Many of Petersburg’s residents can trace their heritage back to Norwegian ancestors, who followed Peter Buschmann to the snowy mountains and fjords of S. E. Alaska that reminded them of their homes back in Norway.
Our morning would be spent exploring the areas in and around Petersburg. Hikes to Kupreanof Island….blanket bogs and mountain trails, while others in our group explored the local glaciers and mountains by float planes and helicopters. The morning offered a high ceiling of lacy clouds. As our day progressed, Alaska sunshine found its way into our adventures, as the ceiling of clouds slowly dropped to sea level. What better way to experience an Alaskan muskeg, soft and light rain on our shoulders, as we gazed down at the myriad of different plants interwoven into the mosses that are the mainstay of the world called the bog! Round leaved sundew, Bog cranberry, Labrador tea and a solitary slime mold all call this unique ecosystem home.
Through out the late morning and during lunch our groups returned to the Sea Lion. Long hikers and flight seers exploring by helicopter were the last to arrive. Lines were dropped and slowly the Sea Lion made her way out into Frederick Sound and headed a short distance over to the carved channel created by the retreat of LeConte Glacier. Here, amongst the massive icebergs being dropped by this glacier we would cruise by Zodiac for the late afternoon. Once Zodiacs were launched, we departed in two groups to explore the outer moraine…..stranded on the sea floor were giant sculptures of blue ice. As we approached, several of these huge pieces of ice creaked and moaned as an enormous piece of the sculpture broke off, drifting away from the larger iceberg….giving a constant change to the story created by melting ice. Zodiacs moved in and around building-sized icebergs, some decorated with resting birds, while others still carried the stones and gravel moved by LeConte Glacier. All around our boats were the colors of the Northwest; gray on gray with shades of dark green…..and in this unique place a touch of deep ice blue adding beauty, though temporary, to the ever changing landscape called Alaska….
