Scenery Cove & Petersburg, Alaska
“Changes in latitudes. Changes in attitudes. Nothing remains quite the same. Through all of the islands and all of the highlands if I couldn’t laugh I would just go insane,” sings and writes Jimmy Buffet.
It’s summertime, with a hint of autumn in the air here in Southeast. The season is changing as we explore the Tongass National Forest edges from our fleet of Zodiacs, kayaks, and with our cameras. Color is painted between the Sitka spruce and yellow cedar that becomes more predominate as we travel south. The tide too is changing in Scenery Cove this morning, exposing beds of muscles, rocks with acorn barnacles, and patches of rockweed algae. A 20-vertical-foot exchange of water will transport nutrients in and out of this remote area that we are sharing with harbor seals, bald eagles and a pair of green-winged teals this morning.
We too are changing on National Geographic Sea Bird. We are making new friends. We are discovering the expanse and diversity of this coastal temperate rain forest as we wander with our naturalists. We are learning the buttons and icons on our aim & create cameras, so as Michael Nolan said, we can use our cameras to literally “write with light.” We are sampling local, fresh, sustainably caught fish and Dungeness crab. We are taking in the privilege of wilderness. And we are thinking about how individually and collectively we will preserve and protect the Inside Passage and old-growth forests for future generations of wildlife and others who travel these latitudes. These are all integral layers of a Lindblad expedition.
Petersburg, known as Little Norway, a small thriving fishing town on Kupreanof Island in Alaska, offered a change in weather. Low misty white clouds layered and gave dimension to the expanse of forest that surrounds the working float docks bustling with fish, nets and fishermen. Flight-seeing trips encountered blue sky and sunshine illuminating the crevices and glacial hues of blue that make Le Conte spectacular from the air. Ice from the glacier was used by the early fishermen to chill salmon and crab. Bog, dock, photo and exercise walks gave us unique opportunities to find the treasures of Petersburg and shared footprints.
The islands and highlands surrounded us as we sailed north and west once again. We cracked Dungeness crab while sharing stories and laughter. Gifts of nature multiply naturally when we experience them with others who share our passion for exploration and discovery.
