Thomas Bay / Petersburg
It was 6:10am when Michelle’s voice came over the public address system to let us know that there were two moose swimming in the bay. Sleepy-eyed, pajama-clad and even bare-footed, guests came out onto the decks to observe this unusual occurrence. As the moose reached shore, they climbed out of the water, looked around and trotted off into the forest, leaving us wondering if we really did just see what we thought we did. It was a great treat, even so early in the morning.
We were in Thomas Bay, and the sun was shining brilliantly. The mountains were beautifully reflected in the still water and melodic birdsong serenaded us from the forest. We cruised by Baird Glacier and into Scenery Cove before we proceeded to our anchorage at Cascade Creek. Here we hiked up to a roaring falls full of snowmelt from the record snowfall of this past winter. Above the cascade, some of us climbed steep steps through the mist from the falls to a higher level along the creek. Dwarf dogwood, false lily-of-the-valley, and shy maiden were some of the wildflowers in bloom. Evidence of moose was seen along the trail. Doris explained that we have now passed into younger rocks that formed as the plate carrying older rocks of the Chugach and Alexander terranes collided with the North American continent about 200 million years ago.
After crossing a high, stout bridge across the creek (river, really), one group continued up on a more strenuous part of the trail. The others found a rough-skinned newt crawling in a small wetland area. Dark brown and bumpy on the dorsal side, this salamander has bright orange coloration underneath to warn potential predators of its potent toxicity. Predators? What would eat a poisonous newt? In other parts of the newt’s range (British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and northern California), the garter snake is its main predator and can survive ingestion of the noxious newt. Garter snakes have just recently started to appear in Southeast Alaska from the east, traveling along river corridors that flow from the Coast Mountains, so the newts have enjoyed a predator-free existence until now. It will be interesting to see how the populations evolve as the species meet.
A visit to the Norwegian fishing village of Petersburg presented plenty of opportunities for the afternoon. It was a beautiful day for flightseeing over the nearby glaciers, which gives a wonderful overall perspective of the grand rivers of ice. It was even possible to see harbor seals on icebergs at the base of the Le Conte Glacier. Liz took people on a dock walk to look at the various fishing vessels. Today is the opening day of Dungeness crab season, and boats were loaded with crab traps. Purse seiners and gill-netters were preparing their nets for an up-coming opening. Friendly locals shared stories of their lives as Alaskan fisher-folk. A few people elected to cross the Wrangell Narrows to Kupreanof Island to walk along a boardwalk through an interesting muskeg (bog) environment. Others explored Petersburg on foot or borrowed Lindblad Expeditions mountain bikes for a ride around town and its surroundings.
Dinner this evening was a sumptuous Dungeness crab feast, caught locally and supplemented by barbecued ribs, cole slaw and corn on the cob. Ginger cake was served in the lounge as we listened to a presentation on humpback whale research by Andy Szabo from the Alaska Whale Foundation. Established in 1995, this non-profit organization assists graduate student research and has set up a marine mammal stranding network in cooperation with the U. S. Coast Guard. Lindblad Expeditions supports this and other projects in the places where we travel.
All in all, it was a glorious day and we look forward to tomorrow.
It was 6:10am when Michelle’s voice came over the public address system to let us know that there were two moose swimming in the bay. Sleepy-eyed, pajama-clad and even bare-footed, guests came out onto the decks to observe this unusual occurrence. As the moose reached shore, they climbed out of the water, looked around and trotted off into the forest, leaving us wondering if we really did just see what we thought we did. It was a great treat, even so early in the morning.
We were in Thomas Bay, and the sun was shining brilliantly. The mountains were beautifully reflected in the still water and melodic birdsong serenaded us from the forest. We cruised by Baird Glacier and into Scenery Cove before we proceeded to our anchorage at Cascade Creek. Here we hiked up to a roaring falls full of snowmelt from the record snowfall of this past winter. Above the cascade, some of us climbed steep steps through the mist from the falls to a higher level along the creek. Dwarf dogwood, false lily-of-the-valley, and shy maiden were some of the wildflowers in bloom. Evidence of moose was seen along the trail. Doris explained that we have now passed into younger rocks that formed as the plate carrying older rocks of the Chugach and Alexander terranes collided with the North American continent about 200 million years ago.
After crossing a high, stout bridge across the creek (river, really), one group continued up on a more strenuous part of the trail. The others found a rough-skinned newt crawling in a small wetland area. Dark brown and bumpy on the dorsal side, this salamander has bright orange coloration underneath to warn potential predators of its potent toxicity. Predators? What would eat a poisonous newt? In other parts of the newt’s range (British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and northern California), the garter snake is its main predator and can survive ingestion of the noxious newt. Garter snakes have just recently started to appear in Southeast Alaska from the east, traveling along river corridors that flow from the Coast Mountains, so the newts have enjoyed a predator-free existence until now. It will be interesting to see how the populations evolve as the species meet.
A visit to the Norwegian fishing village of Petersburg presented plenty of opportunities for the afternoon. It was a beautiful day for flightseeing over the nearby glaciers, which gives a wonderful overall perspective of the grand rivers of ice. It was even possible to see harbor seals on icebergs at the base of the Le Conte Glacier. Liz took people on a dock walk to look at the various fishing vessels. Today is the opening day of Dungeness crab season, and boats were loaded with crab traps. Purse seiners and gill-netters were preparing their nets for an up-coming opening. Friendly locals shared stories of their lives as Alaskan fisher-folk. A few people elected to cross the Wrangell Narrows to Kupreanof Island to walk along a boardwalk through an interesting muskeg (bog) environment. Others explored Petersburg on foot or borrowed Lindblad Expeditions mountain bikes for a ride around town and its surroundings.
Dinner this evening was a sumptuous Dungeness crab feast, caught locally and supplemented by barbecued ribs, cole slaw and corn on the cob. Ginger cake was served in the lounge as we listened to a presentation on humpback whale research by Andy Szabo from the Alaska Whale Foundation. Established in 1995, this non-profit organization assists graduate student research and has set up a marine mammal stranding network in cooperation with the U. S. Coast Guard. Lindblad Expeditions supports this and other projects in the places where we travel.
All in all, it was a glorious day and we look forward to tomorrow.
