Petersburg, 5/23/2022, National Geographic Venture
Aboard the
National Geographic Venture
Alaska
This morning, the rains of Southeast Alaska ushered us into the quaint fishing village of Petersburg. We explored this mist-covered town in just about every way possible, with hiking, biking, and Zodiac tours of the harbor. We finally capped off the day with a seafood feast of Alaska Dungeness crab.
Growing up in Washington, Kelly has always felt connected to nature and the outdoors. With the Puget Sound and Cascade Range in her backyard, it came as no surprise that she decided to study environmental science, graduating from Santa Clara Universi...
Early morning sailing through Fords Terror Wilderness Area boasted spectacular views. Wispy, low hanging clouds hugged the cracks in the mountainside of the glacial fjord we navigated. The waters have a distinct turquoise green tint, and the calm surface reflects the mosses, lichens, and trees on the shoreline. We were lucky to find a humpback whale feeding near the shore. The whale stayed shallow and continually raised its pectoral flippers out of the water. What a spectacular sight to wake up to! We observed hauled out harbor seals and had a fantastic view of Dawes Glacier during our Zodiac tours. Our spirits are high, and guests are eager for our next adventure.
Guests on board National Geographic Venture enjoyed the final day of their voyage by exploring Tracy Arm. Naturalists and guests alike were delighted to explore this fjord system by Zodiac, cruising around icebergs to get a better look at both Sawyer and South Sawyer Glaciers. The iconic harbor seals of Tracy Arm popped up around the Zodiacs as we marveled at the size of these glaciers. As guests enjoyed their final day, everyone came together on the decks to cheer on those brave enough, or perhaps foolhardy enough, to try a polar plunge in the frigid Alaskan waters. Guest reported it to be exhilarating.
We had the entire day to explore Petersburg, Alaska, a fishing town with a proud Norwegian heritage. The festivities for Norwegian Constitution Day are just beginning, so Norwegian flags decorated homes and public areas, and tents were already set up for special events happening over the next couple of days. We had many excursion options to choose from, including bicycling, nature walks in forest or muskeg, photography walks with our photo experts, or learning about the varied boats of the fishing fleet. This seaside town is surrounded by wildlife, and we watched Steller sea lions from the dock, while some of our shipmates saw a humpback whale from a shuttle bus! For dinner, we feasted on Alaskan Dungeness crab.
