Le Conte Bay and Petersburg
The first part of our day we spent exploring the enormous icebergs from recent calvings of the Le Conte Glacier, the southernmost glacier in Southeast Alaska. Our Zodiacs made their way among the magnificent varying shades of white and blue ice sculptures. Our Zodiac driver turned off the engine so we could drift in silence, listening to the delicate calls of the marbled murrelets and bald eagles, and the soft pattering of dripping, melting ice. Our afternoon was spent exploring the scenic and thriving fishing community of Petersburg, situated on the north end of Mitkof Island. There was time to explore the colorful town, tour the cannery, take helicopter and float plane rides to view the spectacular landscape, and to hike in a lush, mossy forest. We quickly learned to love our boots and felt completely bonded to them as we sloshed through some “boot-sucking” mud on a fabulous forest trail that led us to beautiful bog, filled with sundew (an insectivore), shore pines, orchids, and a great diversity of sedges. As we gathered in the lounge before dinner, exclamations of “absolutely beautiful”, “fabulous”, “one of the greatest highlights of my life” resounded throughout and continued during dinner as we dined on delicious Dungeness crab! This day offered something for everyone and was filled with some of the best sights, sounds, smells, and tastes Alaska has to offer!
The first part of our day we spent exploring the enormous icebergs from recent calvings of the Le Conte Glacier, the southernmost glacier in Southeast Alaska. Our Zodiacs made their way among the magnificent varying shades of white and blue ice sculptures. Our Zodiac driver turned off the engine so we could drift in silence, listening to the delicate calls of the marbled murrelets and bald eagles, and the soft pattering of dripping, melting ice. Our afternoon was spent exploring the scenic and thriving fishing community of Petersburg, situated on the north end of Mitkof Island. There was time to explore the colorful town, tour the cannery, take helicopter and float plane rides to view the spectacular landscape, and to hike in a lush, mossy forest. We quickly learned to love our boots and felt completely bonded to them as we sloshed through some “boot-sucking” mud on a fabulous forest trail that led us to beautiful bog, filled with sundew (an insectivore), shore pines, orchids, and a great diversity of sedges. As we gathered in the lounge before dinner, exclamations of “absolutely beautiful”, “fabulous”, “one of the greatest highlights of my life” resounded throughout and continued during dinner as we dined on delicious Dungeness crab! This day offered something for everyone and was filled with some of the best sights, sounds, smells, and tastes Alaska has to offer!
