Ideal Cove and Petersburg
Not only did we wake up to blue sky and sunshine, but a pod of Orcas was in sight to celebrate a rare and well deserved summer day in Southeast Alaska.
As we were doing our morning stretch, the National Geographic Sea Lion was gently sailing along the east side of Mitkof Island to reach Ideal Cove, our morning destination.
Ideal Cove is a very picturesque bay surrounded with a chain of snow covered mountains standing tall against the bright sunny sky this morning. Many groups went hiking the beautiful Three Lakes Trail exploring the temperate rain forest, the shore lines of the lakes and the green meadows.
Most of the trail is built with wood planks to minimize the impact on the vegetation. We carefully walked along at a steady pace as our group was eager to walk the 5 miles loop around the lakes.
We encountered many Stellar's Jays along the way, and saw foot prints of black tail deer and moose, but none of them presented themselves to the group.
On our way back, Andy Szabo, from the Alaska Whale Foundation, joined us on board to present the social behaviors of Humpback Whales.
We arrived in Petersburg right after lunch and the familiar cry of the Eagles welcomed us to the thriving fishing community with the Norwegian heritage.
Guests had the choice between many activities. Some chose to fly over the LeComte glacier while others were eager to explore the area on bicycles. The Zodiacs took other guests across the Wrangel Narrows to Kupreanof Island, to go explore a beautiful muskeg, where plants learned to adapt to a very acidic environment. A smaller group of avid hikers attempted to summit Petersburg Mountain, but time was running short and the idea of feasting on freshly caught Dungeness Crabs was too tempting to pass.
Everyone had a wonderful day and smiles were seen throughout Petersburg as the Sun was shining all day in Southeast Alaska.
