Petersburg & Frederick Sound, Southeast Alaska
This morning we sailed southeast in Frederick Sound for the town of Petersburg. Just outside the harbor, our boatswain spotted a black bear foraging along the beach on Kupreanof Island. Loping over and around boulders and logs, this bear made beach combing look easy. Typical of black bears this time of year, this animal was digging for spring shoots along the forest edge.
As we entered the inner harbor it became obvious that fishing is the back-bone of Petersburg, where the various types of work boats were well represented along the maze of docks flanking this small Norwegian village.
We had perfect weather for flight-seeing, hikes and strolling through town. Those who went flight-seeing soared over the Stikine Ice Field. The plane followed the flow of the Le Conte Glacier into Le Conte Bay where hundreds of harbor seals were hauled out on ice flows. High on mountain peaks, our shaggy friends the mountain goats were seen grazing in small bands and as the flight-seers prepared to return to Petersburg, the plane made a pass over a small slough where a sow and cub brown bear were traveling in an open meadow.
Hikers got down and dirty as they were treated to some awesome belly-botany over at the Kupreanof Muskeg. Labrador tea, buckbean, bog laurel, starflower and bog rosemary were all flowering and adding beautiful color to the boggy landscape. Those of us on the boardwalk were scolded several times by a Steller’s jay that was patrolling the muskeg from the branch of a nearby shore pine.
Once everyone was back on board we had lunch and sailed for Frederick Sound in search of marine wildlife. Following the wakes of halibut boats we traveled north. Two humpbacks surfaced in the distance and while their blows hung in the air, the Sea Lion carefully made her way closer. As we approached the whales, the sweet smell of productivity tickled our nostrils. The humpbacks surfaced at 3-minute intervals making it easy to track their movements. As they dove, they arched their tails allowing us a great look at the magnificent breadth of their flukes.
In the evening we continued sailing through Frederick Sound over to Eliza Bay off Admiralty Island. The Tlingit people were so impressed by the great number of brown bears on the island that they named it Kootznahoo, which when translated means “fortress of the bears.”
As we finished a feast of crab and ribs, a brown bear was spotted feasting on vegetation in a meadow at the end of Eliza Bay. With eagles and thrush calling from the woods, we watched as this magnificent creature lumbered along through the grass. As the ship prepared to leave, the bear stood up and eyed us. Both parties, human and bear, decided that the last view was the best and departed for other destinations.
This morning we sailed southeast in Frederick Sound for the town of Petersburg. Just outside the harbor, our boatswain spotted a black bear foraging along the beach on Kupreanof Island. Loping over and around boulders and logs, this bear made beach combing look easy. Typical of black bears this time of year, this animal was digging for spring shoots along the forest edge.
As we entered the inner harbor it became obvious that fishing is the back-bone of Petersburg, where the various types of work boats were well represented along the maze of docks flanking this small Norwegian village.
We had perfect weather for flight-seeing, hikes and strolling through town. Those who went flight-seeing soared over the Stikine Ice Field. The plane followed the flow of the Le Conte Glacier into Le Conte Bay where hundreds of harbor seals were hauled out on ice flows. High on mountain peaks, our shaggy friends the mountain goats were seen grazing in small bands and as the flight-seers prepared to return to Petersburg, the plane made a pass over a small slough where a sow and cub brown bear were traveling in an open meadow.
Hikers got down and dirty as they were treated to some awesome belly-botany over at the Kupreanof Muskeg. Labrador tea, buckbean, bog laurel, starflower and bog rosemary were all flowering and adding beautiful color to the boggy landscape. Those of us on the boardwalk were scolded several times by a Steller’s jay that was patrolling the muskeg from the branch of a nearby shore pine.
Once everyone was back on board we had lunch and sailed for Frederick Sound in search of marine wildlife. Following the wakes of halibut boats we traveled north. Two humpbacks surfaced in the distance and while their blows hung in the air, the Sea Lion carefully made her way closer. As we approached the whales, the sweet smell of productivity tickled our nostrils. The humpbacks surfaced at 3-minute intervals making it easy to track their movements. As they dove, they arched their tails allowing us a great look at the magnificent breadth of their flukes.
In the evening we continued sailing through Frederick Sound over to Eliza Bay off Admiralty Island. The Tlingit people were so impressed by the great number of brown bears on the island that they named it Kootznahoo, which when translated means “fortress of the bears.”
As we finished a feast of crab and ribs, a brown bear was spotted feasting on vegetation in a meadow at the end of Eliza Bay. With eagles and thrush calling from the woods, we watched as this magnificent creature lumbered along through the grass. As the ship prepared to leave, the bear stood up and eyed us. Both parties, human and bear, decided that the last view was the best and departed for other destinations.
