Ideal Cove & Petersburg
Sunrise found the National Geographic Sea Lion heading south in Frederick Sound. We were cruising towards our morning destination of Ideal Cove on Mitkof Island. Frederick Sound is famous for its many inlets and deep bays, many dotted with salmon streams and waterfalls. This early Monday morning there was an extremely low tide making our landing by Zodiac part of the experience of getting access to yet another extraordinary section of the Tongass National Forest. There are 16.8 million acres in this national forest, with only 7.8 million acres that are forested; the rest include alpine, muskeg, wetlands, freshwater systems, rock and ice. Although much of these forested acres are old forests less than two per cent are considered prime old growth; a forest dominated by massive conifers. Our morning would be spent walking a boardwalk trail provided by the Forest Service allowing us to explore a forest that included a stream and access to three different lakes; all within the boardwalk trail system.
Once all guests were ashore we separated into several groups and entered a world dominated by plants both extremely large and infinitely tiny, all making a living amongst at least second growth Western hemlock and Sitka spruce. We found springboard cuts in several trees, evidence of single hand logging sometime in the last 100 years. There were also signs of beaver, moose, deer and brown bears. We listened to Winter wrens and ravens calling through the forest. We heard the rain on leaves and watched the light change as squalls of rain and sun marched across Frederick Sound over Mitkot Island, our hiking parties moving south on the wind. Life continued in this coastal temperate rain forest much as it has for thousands of years. We were taught some of the traditions of the indigenous peoples and that knowledge was passed on to the younger members of our hiking group, as Tomas picked a skunk cabbage leaf, folded it into a cup or basket shape and began collecting the many berries ripening along the boardwalk. The indigenous peoples believe that children are our greatest resource, and what we teach and give to them in experience represents our future. Standing back and watching the passing of knowledge and the simple enjoyment of not just children but older family members experiencing their first salmon berry or Alaskan huckleberry was delightful.
Soon all hikers began converging on the beach ready for the return Zodiac ride to the National Geographic Sea Lion. Once everyone was on board, our vessel began her short journey towards our afternoon destination of Petersburg, Alaska, a fishing community of approximately 4,000 people that was settled in the late 1800’s. This small town on the edge of Frederick Sound is an important link between Alaskan fishermen, their homes and families and also a conduit to the outside world when it comes to fresh Alaskan seafood, processing over 100 million pounds of fish and shellfish annually.
Our afternoon would provide an opportunity to explore this working Alaskan town, go for a bike ride or take a short Zodiac ride across Wrangell Narrows to Kupreanof Island for a walk to muskeg. After about half a mile through the forest our groups arrived at a slightly higher elevation and at the entrance of an Alaskan muskeg. Sculpted shore pines, miniatures of huckleberry, cranberry and junipers, all living in a thick carpet of sphagnum moss. Due to heavy rains, water ran over and under everything, leaving this otherworldly place decorated in glistening raindrops. In the distance a bald eagle nest was spotted with two of this year's new eagle population standing on the edge of the nest. Sharing binoculars we each took a look at these young birds, also very obviously enjoying the intermittent sun breaks while experiencing their world during their first year. One of our young guests, experiencing Alaska for the first time during this year, lifted his camera and captured an image of two exuberant baby eagles who were watching us watching them.
Sunrise found the National Geographic Sea Lion heading south in Frederick Sound. We were cruising towards our morning destination of Ideal Cove on Mitkof Island. Frederick Sound is famous for its many inlets and deep bays, many dotted with salmon streams and waterfalls. This early Monday morning there was an extremely low tide making our landing by Zodiac part of the experience of getting access to yet another extraordinary section of the Tongass National Forest. There are 16.8 million acres in this national forest, with only 7.8 million acres that are forested; the rest include alpine, muskeg, wetlands, freshwater systems, rock and ice. Although much of these forested acres are old forests less than two per cent are considered prime old growth; a forest dominated by massive conifers. Our morning would be spent walking a boardwalk trail provided by the Forest Service allowing us to explore a forest that included a stream and access to three different lakes; all within the boardwalk trail system.
Once all guests were ashore we separated into several groups and entered a world dominated by plants both extremely large and infinitely tiny, all making a living amongst at least second growth Western hemlock and Sitka spruce. We found springboard cuts in several trees, evidence of single hand logging sometime in the last 100 years. There were also signs of beaver, moose, deer and brown bears. We listened to Winter wrens and ravens calling through the forest. We heard the rain on leaves and watched the light change as squalls of rain and sun marched across Frederick Sound over Mitkot Island, our hiking parties moving south on the wind. Life continued in this coastal temperate rain forest much as it has for thousands of years. We were taught some of the traditions of the indigenous peoples and that knowledge was passed on to the younger members of our hiking group, as Tomas picked a skunk cabbage leaf, folded it into a cup or basket shape and began collecting the many berries ripening along the boardwalk. The indigenous peoples believe that children are our greatest resource, and what we teach and give to them in experience represents our future. Standing back and watching the passing of knowledge and the simple enjoyment of not just children but older family members experiencing their first salmon berry or Alaskan huckleberry was delightful.
Soon all hikers began converging on the beach ready for the return Zodiac ride to the National Geographic Sea Lion. Once everyone was on board, our vessel began her short journey towards our afternoon destination of Petersburg, Alaska, a fishing community of approximately 4,000 people that was settled in the late 1800’s. This small town on the edge of Frederick Sound is an important link between Alaskan fishermen, their homes and families and also a conduit to the outside world when it comes to fresh Alaskan seafood, processing over 100 million pounds of fish and shellfish annually.
Our afternoon would provide an opportunity to explore this working Alaskan town, go for a bike ride or take a short Zodiac ride across Wrangell Narrows to Kupreanof Island for a walk to muskeg. After about half a mile through the forest our groups arrived at a slightly higher elevation and at the entrance of an Alaskan muskeg. Sculpted shore pines, miniatures of huckleberry, cranberry and junipers, all living in a thick carpet of sphagnum moss. Due to heavy rains, water ran over and under everything, leaving this otherworldly place decorated in glistening raindrops. In the distance a bald eagle nest was spotted with two of this year's new eagle population standing on the edge of the nest. Sharing binoculars we each took a look at these young birds, also very obviously enjoying the intermittent sun breaks while experiencing their world during their first year. One of our young guests, experiencing Alaska for the first time during this year, lifted his camera and captured an image of two exuberant baby eagles who were watching us watching them.
