Wrangell Narrows, Petersburg, 5/6/2024, National Geographic Venture
Aboard the
National Geographic Venture
Alaska
This morning, we traveled north through Wrangell Narrows, a 22-mile long, narrow, winding channel which is marked by 60 green and red navigation aids. Today’s low tide was extremely low, and at times there was very little water around (or under) the ship! When we arrived at the picturesque fishing town of Petersburg, we were free to explore independently, or to join a guided walk or bicycle tour of the area.
Our day was capped off by a feast of locally caught Dungeness crab. Prior to dinner, an unusual expert provided an entertaining lesson on how to best eat this sort of crab.
Berit grew up on the rocky shores of Marblehead, Massachusetts. In the tidal cove behind her family’s home she found horseshoe crabs, eels, and feeding frenzies of fishes and birds. Low tides exposed clam flats, crabs, mussels, and snails. She explor...
Enter travel details to receive reports from a single expedition
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Send Daily Expedition Reports to friends and family
*By clicking the submit button, I authorize Lindblad Expeditions to email me; however, I am able to unsubscribe at any time. For more details, see our Privacy Policy.
Please note: All Daily Expedition Reports (DERs) are posted Monday-Friday,
during normal business hours. DERs are written onboard the ship only and do
not apply to land-based portions of expeditions.
The day’s events started earlier than expected with a brilliant showing of the aurora borealis at around midnight. The lights danced above the bow as people captured the show on camera or just drank in the moment. The real adventure began early as National Geographic Quest docked at Bartlett Cove, the gateway to Glacier Bay National Park. Guests disembarked for some quick early morning hikes, and we took aboard a national park service ranger to join us for the day to provide information and interpretation about the park. Glacier Bay was in high form today as the blue skies and sunlight poured over calm seas and abundant wildlife. Coastal mountain goats, humpback whales, brown bears, sea otters and tufted puffins were just a portion of the animals spotted from the bow of the ship. South Marble Island provided views of sea otters and pelagic birds of all kinds. The crowning destination of the day was Margarie Glacier, one of the many rivers of ice flowing into the great Pleistocene basin.
Except for a few hardy souls who were up at 04:00 for crossing the terminal moraine into Tracy Arm, most of us awoke well inside the Fords Terror Wilderness. Shortly before breakfast, we chanced upon a black bear grazing on the shore, and stopped to say “HI”, while Ann Marie started stretch class on the sun deck. As we passed Sawyer Island, we saw that the ice would not be so thick as to hamper our approach to the glacier, and by 09:00 the first of our Zodiacs were headed off in a light, May mist. We saw (and were seen by) many seals as we made our way toward the glacier’s face, and just as the cold and damp were starting to penetrate, we were greeted by the storied cocoa pirates, bearing hot cocoa with a little something extra! After lunch, we stopped for a peek at the Hole in the Wall waterfall, where Captain Paul put our bow right up against the cliffs, so we could all get an up close and personal view! The rest of the afternoon was filled with talks and wildlife viewing as we made our way toward tomorrow’s destination at Glacier Bay National Park! Photos by: Jeff Campbell, Karson Winslow, and Antonio Segura
Alaska is dotted with small communities and villages, each with its own spirit and story. Petersburg is one of these communities, and it’s one of the highlights of the Alaskan experience aboard National Geographic Quest. Docking early in Petersburg allows guests to see this small island town come to life in the morning. Fishing vessels drift out of the harbor, eager to secure the day’s catch of herring, salmon or halibut. Fishing being the life blood of Petersburg, the harbor is a prime place for meeting locals and viewing the array of boats, old and new, that provide transportation to a town devoid of connecting highways. The harbor holds more life under the water’s surface than it does above; our undersea dive team sank into the icy depths to document the beautiful bouquet of sea anemones, starfish, and crabs that make the Petersburg dock their home. Guests had many options for activities in town, including guided bike tours, a muskeg hike on an adjacent island, a longer aerobic hike to Raven’s Roost Viewpoint, Zodiac cruises, guided dock walks, or even just taking time to explore town on their own. Whatever the choice, time spent in Petersburg is always uniquely Alaskan.
