Petersburg, Southeast Alaska, 7/8/2021, National Geographic Quest
Aboard the
National Geographic Quest
Alaska
We spent an active day exploring the area around Petersburg, a fishing village with Norwegian roots. Activities included short and medium walks through the muskeg, a bog with unique plants, including dwarf shore pine trees and carnivorous sundew plants. A longer bog walk was offered during the afternoon.
There were three rounds of guided Zodiac tours and bike rides offered during the morning and afternoon. The bike rides covered 5.5 miles roundtrip through town and along the coast with a short stop at Sandy Beach for photos. Later, our young Global Explorers participated in a plankton tow, collecting a water sample from 30 feet deep to examine under a microscope and found thousands of invertebrates!
South Carolina native Anna Mazurek fell in love with traveling and photography while studying abroad in England during college. Since then, she’s been to 53 countries and lived in five.
It’s not every day that a trip into the depths of a fjord, situated within a temperate rainforest, is dry and warm. No more than a few drops of rain fell on us today as we plied the ice-choked waters of Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness Area in our pursuit of Dawes Glacier. Dawes Glacier is the tidewater juggernaut that scoured and sculpted the landscape we zigzagged our way down this morning before taking to our fleet of Zodiacs for a day on the water. The day included not only ice tours but about 50 splashes (followed by screams) as over half our ship plunged into the glacially infused water. On our last day of the trip, lots of thank-yous and salutations were in order and were delivered wonderfully. Tomorrow we see off our guests and wish them well on their educational and exploratory journeys ahead.
Today we woke up to a beautiful sunny day here in Southeast Alaska. After a quick breakfast, we hopped into our Zodiacs and began an extended cruise around the Inian Islands. This is an incredible place for wildlife viewing. All the water that fills the Icy Strait and the northern part of the Inside Passage rushes in from the Pacific Ocean. The continental shelf becomes shallower very quickly here. As a result, there is a great deal of upwelling, which brings nutrient rich water from the bottom of the ocean to the surface. It is because of this that everything comes here to feed. As we set out, the rare sight of a cloudless view of the Fairweather Mountain Range greeted us. Soon, curious Steller sea lions started to check out our Zodiacs. We enjoyed fantastic views of pelagic cormorants as they rested among the kelp-covered rocks. After a quick ride, we began seeing sea otters and their pups nestled in bull kelp. They looked on, unfazed as our cameras clicked away. We also enjoyed a rare treat when we saw tufted puffins in the water and flying around us. As we came to the point and rounded the island, we observed multiple groups of sea lions hauled out on the rocks. Some massive males vied for dominance. It was feeding time, and the sea lions jumped in the water excitedly as the tide rushed in. Eagles and gulls filled the sky as they dove for scraps left behind by the sea lions. It was hard to know where to look, as there was so much activity all around us. After lunch, we headed over to George Island. We went on a gorgeous hike through a hemlock and Sitka spruce forest to an abandoned gun from World War 2. The forest was alive with birdcalls and moss growing as far as the eye could see. Once back on the ship, we sailed towards our next destination. From the bow, we spotted humpback whales and brown bears. Right as everyone was heading to bed, we were called back out to watch a pod of orca whales just off the bow. Today was truly magical.
This morning we cruised among the Inian Islands in Zodiacs. We found lively Steller sea lions, an abundance of bald eagles, tufted puffins, and a snoozing sea otter. At Fox Creek, we stretched our legs and walked through a seaside meadow and a mossy forest environment. As National Geographic Venture cruised east past Point Adolphus in the late afternoon, we saw a pod of killer whales and a couple of humpback whales.
