Wrangle Narrows, Petersburg & Frederick Sound
About 5:30 this morning the Sea Lion entered Wrangell Narrows, the sinuous channel that separates Kupreanof Island from Mitkof Island. Not too many of us were awake at that inhumane hour, but by the time our ship entered the most interesting portion of the Narrows many of us were up on deck enjoying the fantastic scenery as well as the complex navigation. After our successful transit of the narrow channel, it was wonderful to watch our captain skillfully maneuver the Sea Lion into the crowded working harbor of Petersburg, Alaska. Just after breakfast we began our activities in Petersburg which included flight seeing, bog walks and exploration of this picturesque little town that so values its Scandinavian heritage. Although the sky was overcast and there were periodic rain showers, those that chose to fly were treated to a glorious view of the LaConte glacier and the steep-walled fjord that it has carved out of the rugged coastal mountains that divide Alaska from Canada. The bog walkers were ferried across Wrangle narrows in Zodiacs and then hiked mostly on a boardwalk trail beyond the coastal section of forest and into a spectacular Alaskan bog. In Southeast Alaska bogs are called by their Algonquin Indian name, muskeg, and cover about 10 percent of this part of the state. There is something extremely attractive about a muskeg with the stunted bonsai pines, the insectivorous sundew plants, the mosses and lichens and the delicate dwarf flowers of spring. It is hard to imagine that there are not ferries in the muskeg that dance about on full moon nights spreading magic dust and enchanting all the creatures that dare enter that magical realm. Most of us had some time to also visit the fishing town of Petersburg, founded in 1897 by an American of Norwegian descent. It is definitely a working community and the economy is centered around the seafood processing industry where over 100 million pounds of fish, crab and shrimp are produced each year.
After a wonderful lunch aboard the Sea Lion, we headed out of Petersburg’s snug harbor and into Frederick Sound. A local researcher, Andy Szabo joined us for a few hours and gave a fine presentation about his research on humpback whales and their extremely interesting habits here in Southeast Alaska. Shortly after he had jumped into his Zodiac and headed back home to Petersburg, we sighted a group of 3 humpback whales and saw for ourselves some of their fascinating behaviors. It rained pretty hard on those on deck watching the humpback show, but it was well worth the small discomfort to see these leviathans surface together, spend a few minutes breathing and then simultaneously throw their tail flukes high in the air and disappear once again to feed in the rich waters of Frederick Sound.
And thus ended day 7 or our trip of discovery along the coast of British Columbia and Southeast Alaska.
About 5:30 this morning the Sea Lion entered Wrangell Narrows, the sinuous channel that separates Kupreanof Island from Mitkof Island. Not too many of us were awake at that inhumane hour, but by the time our ship entered the most interesting portion of the Narrows many of us were up on deck enjoying the fantastic scenery as well as the complex navigation. After our successful transit of the narrow channel, it was wonderful to watch our captain skillfully maneuver the Sea Lion into the crowded working harbor of Petersburg, Alaska. Just after breakfast we began our activities in Petersburg which included flight seeing, bog walks and exploration of this picturesque little town that so values its Scandinavian heritage. Although the sky was overcast and there were periodic rain showers, those that chose to fly were treated to a glorious view of the LaConte glacier and the steep-walled fjord that it has carved out of the rugged coastal mountains that divide Alaska from Canada. The bog walkers were ferried across Wrangle narrows in Zodiacs and then hiked mostly on a boardwalk trail beyond the coastal section of forest and into a spectacular Alaskan bog. In Southeast Alaska bogs are called by their Algonquin Indian name, muskeg, and cover about 10 percent of this part of the state. There is something extremely attractive about a muskeg with the stunted bonsai pines, the insectivorous sundew plants, the mosses and lichens and the delicate dwarf flowers of spring. It is hard to imagine that there are not ferries in the muskeg that dance about on full moon nights spreading magic dust and enchanting all the creatures that dare enter that magical realm. Most of us had some time to also visit the fishing town of Petersburg, founded in 1897 by an American of Norwegian descent. It is definitely a working community and the economy is centered around the seafood processing industry where over 100 million pounds of fish, crab and shrimp are produced each year.
After a wonderful lunch aboard the Sea Lion, we headed out of Petersburg’s snug harbor and into Frederick Sound. A local researcher, Andy Szabo joined us for a few hours and gave a fine presentation about his research on humpback whales and their extremely interesting habits here in Southeast Alaska. Shortly after he had jumped into his Zodiac and headed back home to Petersburg, we sighted a group of 3 humpback whales and saw for ourselves some of their fascinating behaviors. It rained pretty hard on those on deck watching the humpback show, but it was well worth the small discomfort to see these leviathans surface together, spend a few minutes breathing and then simultaneously throw their tail flukes high in the air and disappear once again to feed in the rich waters of Frederick Sound.
And thus ended day 7 or our trip of discovery along the coast of British Columbia and Southeast Alaska.
