Petersburg and Le Conte Glacier
It was another beautiful morning with crystal blue skies and warm sunshine. Our expedition leader, David Cothran, gently woke us up with an early morning announcement that a humpback whale had been spotted just off the Sea Bird. The water was still and we could see the whale’s breath hanging in the air as some of us came out on deck in our pajamas. We watched this single humpback whale for a few surfacings before making our way towards Petersburg. What a way to start your day!
Petersburg is named after a Norwegian homesteader Peter Bushmann who started a cannery business in the late 1800’s. It is located the northern end of Mitkof Island along the Wrangell Narrows. Fishing is still the predominate industry and the Captain expertly docked the ship along side the Petersburg fishing fleet. Many people took the opportunity to go flight-seeing either by helicopter or float plane for brilliant views of the Le Conte Glacier. Those who rode in the helicopters experienced the thrill of taking short walks on the glacier.
Many other people opted to go for hikes with the natural history staff on nearby Kupreanof Island. Harold Stowell led a small group of adventurous hikers up along Petersburg Mountain where they had sweeping views of Petersburg and the surrounding mountain peaks of the Coast Range. Steve MacLean led another group for a shorter walk through some fascinating bogs or muskegs as they are called in Alaska. Steve shared his enthusiasm and knowledge about the forests, wildflowers and plants found along the trail.
After flight-seeing and the short walks were finished, there was time to explore Petersburg. We wandered along the main street looking for souvenirs and enjoyed seeing some of the Norwegian influences with the traditional rosemaling paintings on several of the buildings.
We left Petersberg just before lunch and sailed into Fredrick Sound. After lunch Harold Stowell gave an excellent presentation about mountain building. Just as the talk was finished we arrived off the Le Conte Glacier. We spent the afternoon surrounded by the icebergs that calve off the Le Conte Glacier, which is North America’s southernmost glacier and part of the Stikine-Le Conte Wilderness area. The Zodiac’s slowly cruised by the icebergs as we admired the brilliant blues and whites. We also had glimpses of harbor seals resting on the ice. Each summer approximately 2,000 female harbor seals give birth to pups on the bits of the icebergs. It was superb way to spend a warm and sunny afternoon.
We had an interesting recap followed by the Crab Fest for dinner. Many people lingered on deck after dinner to catch glimpses of the sunset. Just another sunny day in Alaska!
It was another beautiful morning with crystal blue skies and warm sunshine. Our expedition leader, David Cothran, gently woke us up with an early morning announcement that a humpback whale had been spotted just off the Sea Bird. The water was still and we could see the whale’s breath hanging in the air as some of us came out on deck in our pajamas. We watched this single humpback whale for a few surfacings before making our way towards Petersburg. What a way to start your day!
Petersburg is named after a Norwegian homesteader Peter Bushmann who started a cannery business in the late 1800’s. It is located the northern end of Mitkof Island along the Wrangell Narrows. Fishing is still the predominate industry and the Captain expertly docked the ship along side the Petersburg fishing fleet. Many people took the opportunity to go flight-seeing either by helicopter or float plane for brilliant views of the Le Conte Glacier. Those who rode in the helicopters experienced the thrill of taking short walks on the glacier.
Many other people opted to go for hikes with the natural history staff on nearby Kupreanof Island. Harold Stowell led a small group of adventurous hikers up along Petersburg Mountain where they had sweeping views of Petersburg and the surrounding mountain peaks of the Coast Range. Steve MacLean led another group for a shorter walk through some fascinating bogs or muskegs as they are called in Alaska. Steve shared his enthusiasm and knowledge about the forests, wildflowers and plants found along the trail.
After flight-seeing and the short walks were finished, there was time to explore Petersburg. We wandered along the main street looking for souvenirs and enjoyed seeing some of the Norwegian influences with the traditional rosemaling paintings on several of the buildings.
We left Petersberg just before lunch and sailed into Fredrick Sound. After lunch Harold Stowell gave an excellent presentation about mountain building. Just as the talk was finished we arrived off the Le Conte Glacier. We spent the afternoon surrounded by the icebergs that calve off the Le Conte Glacier, which is North America’s southernmost glacier and part of the Stikine-Le Conte Wilderness area. The Zodiac’s slowly cruised by the icebergs as we admired the brilliant blues and whites. We also had glimpses of harbor seals resting on the ice. Each summer approximately 2,000 female harbor seals give birth to pups on the bits of the icebergs. It was superb way to spend a warm and sunny afternoon.
We had an interesting recap followed by the Crab Fest for dinner. Many people lingered on deck after dinner to catch glimpses of the sunset. Just another sunny day in Alaska!
