LeConte Bay, Alaska
Travelers on the Sea Bird arrived in Petersburg early this morning and prepared for a variety of activities including exploration of the town, walks through the large muskegs on Kupreanof Island, flights over glaciers in the Coast Mountains, and a challenging hike up Petersburg Mountain. High early morning clouds mostly disappeared during the morning as we enjoyed the Petersburg area. The activities around Petersburg lasted until just before lunch, at which time the Sea Bird departed for LeConte Bay. We enjoyed chili and salad in the sunshine on deck as the Sea Bird turned south in Frederick Sound toward LeConte Bay. After lunch the Sea Bird approached the shallow water above the flooded terminal moraine outside the bay. A strong ebb tide carrying numerous icebergs prevented anchorage as we loaded the Zodiacs in the mouth of the bay. We were treated to spectacular views of icebergs that ranged from less than a foot to over one hundred feet wide. The icebergs displayed a tremendous range in color that included shades of blue, grey, and white with remarkable shapes sculpted by melting and fracturing. Many of the boats rounded Indian Point where we viewed dikes and sills of the 90 million year old Indian Point pluton intruding metamorphic rocks. In addition to great views of rocks, numerous harbor seals and bald eagles could be seen on Indian Point and the bergs floating offshore. The afternoon was augmented by hot chocolate and biscotti to warm us after the chill air around the ice and prepare us for the trip back to the Sea Bird. After our Zodiac exploration we returned to the Sea Bird for a feast of crab and ribs and a scenic voyage north along Frederick Sound.
Travelers on the Sea Bird arrived in Petersburg early this morning and prepared for a variety of activities including exploration of the town, walks through the large muskegs on Kupreanof Island, flights over glaciers in the Coast Mountains, and a challenging hike up Petersburg Mountain. High early morning clouds mostly disappeared during the morning as we enjoyed the Petersburg area. The activities around Petersburg lasted until just before lunch, at which time the Sea Bird departed for LeConte Bay. We enjoyed chili and salad in the sunshine on deck as the Sea Bird turned south in Frederick Sound toward LeConte Bay. After lunch the Sea Bird approached the shallow water above the flooded terminal moraine outside the bay. A strong ebb tide carrying numerous icebergs prevented anchorage as we loaded the Zodiacs in the mouth of the bay. We were treated to spectacular views of icebergs that ranged from less than a foot to over one hundred feet wide. The icebergs displayed a tremendous range in color that included shades of blue, grey, and white with remarkable shapes sculpted by melting and fracturing. Many of the boats rounded Indian Point where we viewed dikes and sills of the 90 million year old Indian Point pluton intruding metamorphic rocks. In addition to great views of rocks, numerous harbor seals and bald eagles could be seen on Indian Point and the bergs floating offshore. The afternoon was augmented by hot chocolate and biscotti to warm us after the chill air around the ice and prepare us for the trip back to the Sea Bird. After our Zodiac exploration we returned to the Sea Bird for a feast of crab and ribs and a scenic voyage north along Frederick Sound.
