Petersburg is the southern-most town on our voyage and is situated strategically close to North America’s southern-most tidewater glacier. This is no coincidence as the aforementioned glacier, the Le Conte, is also one of the planet’s most active, and, as a result, offered easy access to the dense glacial ice necessary to preserve local salmon headed to southern markets. This morning we took to the ice that helped put Petersburg on the map. Four miles from the terminus of Le Conte glacier a submerged line of rock where the glacier once stood filters out the large iceberg from the small. With ever changing light and icebergs in various stages of brilliant decay, we spent the morning zodiac cruising through a sculpture garden of ice.
Before all boats made it back to the ship the stage was already set for our afternoon activity: killer whales. Accompanying us on our four mile run to Petersburg was a large, dispersed pod of fish eating Orca seemingly on the move north just as we were. With many close passes this was a great introduction to the ocean’s most dominant predator.
With opportunities to take to the air, trail, or bike, our time in Petersburg couldn’t have come on a more inviting day. Overcast yet warm the charm and hospitality of this tiny fishing town was on display.
The final display of the evening was another round with our killer whale friends. We reconnected with them while pulling out of the Wrangle Narrows, east of town. This time the pod was a little friskier and the light was in our favor photographically. With the Le Conte glacier as a backdrop our day finished as it began, with an unforgettable combination of ice and whales.
