LeConte Bay and Petersburg
The Sea Lion turned into LeConte Bay and wound back and forth through blue-sculptured masses of ice. Our morning began to unfold with gripping scenery. Fog hung like drapery against distant rock walls. Jagged lines of trees poked out of the mist in stair-like ascents. Snow and ice lay plastered against distant cliffs and filled the hollows. Holes through the higher clouds revealed bits of blue mixed with pointy peaks. Thanks to the superb driving skills of Captain Graves in an ice-choked fjord, this was the first time in almost 10 years that any of us had entered into the hidden world of LeConte Glacier. Soon we were in Zodiacs. The sky partially cleared as we cruised shorelines, gawked at hanging glaciers, and fell under the spell of magic waterfalls like the one in today’s photograph.
The small town of Petersburg fulfilled our desire for authenticity in a region of cruise- ship economies. Trawlers, trollers, seiners, and gill-netters are plentiful here, as well as the fish processing plants and hardware stores that support them.
Most of our guests had the opportunity to hike on a boardwalk over a moss-covered muskeg. These bonsai gardens have gnarly and stunted shore pines emerging through the sphagnum carpet. Small brown pools were ringed by carnivorous plants called sundews. These represent disaster for a low-flying insect that could smash into a veritable waiting stomach. Beauty oozes from the oddness of these delicate landscapes.
The broken cloud cover allowed those who wanted to go flightseeing to get a ride. Float planes and helicopters offer a view of the complexity and enormity of Alaskan scenery that can’t be enjoyed in any other way. Glaciers are complex and fascinating and are a blast to view. Everyone who went was thrilled by the opportunity. A dinner of Dungeness crab topped off the evening.
The Sea Lion turned into LeConte Bay and wound back and forth through blue-sculptured masses of ice. Our morning began to unfold with gripping scenery. Fog hung like drapery against distant rock walls. Jagged lines of trees poked out of the mist in stair-like ascents. Snow and ice lay plastered against distant cliffs and filled the hollows. Holes through the higher clouds revealed bits of blue mixed with pointy peaks. Thanks to the superb driving skills of Captain Graves in an ice-choked fjord, this was the first time in almost 10 years that any of us had entered into the hidden world of LeConte Glacier. Soon we were in Zodiacs. The sky partially cleared as we cruised shorelines, gawked at hanging glaciers, and fell under the spell of magic waterfalls like the one in today’s photograph.
The small town of Petersburg fulfilled our desire for authenticity in a region of cruise- ship economies. Trawlers, trollers, seiners, and gill-netters are plentiful here, as well as the fish processing plants and hardware stores that support them.
Most of our guests had the opportunity to hike on a boardwalk over a moss-covered muskeg. These bonsai gardens have gnarly and stunted shore pines emerging through the sphagnum carpet. Small brown pools were ringed by carnivorous plants called sundews. These represent disaster for a low-flying insect that could smash into a veritable waiting stomach. Beauty oozes from the oddness of these delicate landscapes.
The broken cloud cover allowed those who wanted to go flightseeing to get a ride. Float planes and helicopters offer a view of the complexity and enormity of Alaskan scenery that can’t be enjoyed in any other way. Glaciers are complex and fascinating and are a blast to view. Everyone who went was thrilled by the opportunity. A dinner of Dungeness crab topped off the evening.
