We awoke to another sunny Southeast Alaska day. Our morning began with stretching on the bridge deck. It was a full house, with little deck space to spare. A montage of yoga, the MELT method, and a massage circle helped prepare us for our active day of exploration.
Our first land excursion in the Tongass National Forest was a hike on the Ideal Cove Trail. Many of us were feeling ambitious and opted for fast or medium walks. The single-wide board walk trail allowed us to experience the lush forest of Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and yellow cedar trees. Below the canopy, skunk cabbage, devil’s club, lady ferns, dwarf dogwood, blueberry bushes, and many more temperate rainforest plants created a dense understory. The first bear of the trip, a cub crossing the trail, was observed by a group. Others were either disappointed or relieved they were not in the meadow when the bear was spotted. All hikers made their way back to shore, some more exhausted than others, all excited for our next adventure.
Petersburg was bustling with activity on this unusually warm day. The town was established near to Le Conte Glacier so fishermen could take advantage of the icebergs calved from the actively retreating glacier to keep their catch fresher. The harbor was filled with commercial fishing vessels: long liners, purse seiners, gill netters, trollers, and combination gear types. Fishing boat crews and visitors intermingled on the docks and streets.
Most of us combined a number of activities during our afternoon in and around Petersburg. Popular activities included a guided walk along the docks to learn more about the commercial fishing industry, a guided hike to a muskeg, shopping at local stores, and flightseeing. During our guided muskeg walks, we were amazed at how many of the small pools were devoid of water and how dry the sphagnum moss was. An unprecedented number of us took the opportunity to fly over Le Conte Glacier in a float plane. Harbor seal mothers and pups dotted the icebergs floating on the surreal turquoise water. After a full day of activities, we returned to the ship and prepared for our evening.
Crustaceans were the main course for both our and the humpback whales’ dinners. Shortly after we dined on Alaska Dungeness crabs and partook in local brews, humpback whales were spotted. Their food of choice this evening was planktonic krill about 100 feet below the ocean’s surface. Humpback whales are about 50 feet in length, so they only needed to dive twice their body length down to reach their prey on an evening like tonight and surfaced often. The water was glassy, the sun was sinking lower in the sky, and the air was punctuated with the sharp, yet soothing exhales of the humpback whales. Suddenly, a whale launched above the water, executing a full breach. Our already excited group burst out in exclamation!
Our excitement settled into reverence as a beautiful sunset unfolded before our eyes. The humpback whales were still surfacing, but now their black bodies were breaking through an orange-colored sea. Even after the sun set behind the mountains, we stayed and watched and listened to the whales until the sky darkened and we said goodnight to another amazing day in Southeast Alaska.
