The mist that had been with us throughout the day gave way in the evening to breaks of blue sky and wispy linear clouds that hung silently against the snow-capped mountains. We had enjoyed a fine dinner of Dungeness crab and were now cruising slowly into Thomas Bay, a quiet fjord on the mainland of Southeast Alaska. At its head is Baird Glacier, and off to the side a tiny inlet named Scenic Cove. We enjoyed a few minutes of total silence on the bow and took the opportunity to experience the serenity of true wilderness. A black bear fed in the grassy meadow at the head of the cove. Arctic Terns flew silently by. A lone Bald Eagle stood guard on a tall hemlock. And all the time we were witnessing a spectacular sunset as a backdrop to the rugged peaks.

Our day had begun amid the glacial ice of Le Conte Bay near Petersburg. Zodiacs took us close to icebergs that had calved off the glacier days or weeks before. Some towered 20 to 30 feet above our small boats, and when we learned that up to 90 percent of an iceberg can be below the water's surface, we gained a better appreciation of the magnitude, power and relentless movement of glaciers.

An afternoon walk in a natural forest bog introduced us to the hydrology of the temperate rain forest. The tiny things are what deserve recognition here. We can all appreciate the lodgepole pines, yellow cedars and western hemlocks that dominate the scene, but today we took time to recognize the round-leaf sundew, reindeer lichen, bog cranberry, stair-step moss and other minute plants that are so much a part to this community.

There are many more things to see and marvel at in Southeast Alaska, and we intend to take advantage of every minute of every day.