Ideal Cove and Petersburg
We woke up this morning aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion, anchored in the sheltered bay of Ideal Cove. After a stretch class held on the aft bridge deck and a hearty breakfast, we went ashore for a morning hike. Ideal Cove is located on Mitkof Island at the southern end of Frederick Sound. The trail is comprised of long boards laid end-on-end to form an “Alaskan boardwalk” through the temperate rainforest. In addition to the tall Sitka spruce and western hemlock trees and the abundance of ground vegetation, several guests also spotted a black-tailed Sitka deer. Another surprise was a golden-eye duck with her ten small ducklings.
Back onboard, we picked up anchor and headed north to Petersburg, a small fishing town of about 3,500 inhabitants. With no roads leading in or out, Petersburg residents rely mainly on fishing and the seafood industry, a $22 million per year business. There were many options for guests to choose from while in town. A local floatplane operation offers to fly guests over the LeConte glacier where they can see the ice from above, a spectacular sight. Several of our naturalists led a muskeg walk on Mitkof Island, a short Zodiac cruise across Wrangell Narrows. There they saw insectivorous sundews, bog laurel, and water lilies, to name a few plants. A dock walk introduced guests to a number of large fishing vessels as well as sea creatures, such as anemones, that live beneath the dock. Another naturalist led a bicycle tour of the town, peddling out past the small airport and along the rocky coastline. Several guests also opted to walk around town, visiting the bookstore, library and numerous local gift shops.
Before dinner we were joined by Dr. Fred Sharpe and his assistant of the Alaska Whale Foundation, an organization dedicated to the study and conservation of humpback whales in Alaska. Dr. Sharpe talked about whale behavior, characteristics, and population among other interesting facts. For example, an adult humpback whale has a brain three and a half times the size of a human’s and studies have shown that the spindle neurons within the brain indicate that the animals may be capable of compassion, empathy and social intelligence. Amazing!
As dinner commenced, we pulled away from the Petersburg dock and guests sat down to a Dungeness crab feast, complete with melted butter, lemon wedges and complimentary wine. Another perfect day in Southeast Alaska.
