It was another epic day in Southeast Alaska with incredible clear skies continuing! For some folks the day began in the wee hours of the morning with the Perseid meteor shower and humpbacks blowing around the ship. An early-morning wakeup call brought people out to the bow to see humpbacks at sunrise.
After breakfast guests headed to shore to enjoy a variety of naturalist-led walks up Cascade Creek. A narrow boardwalk wound through the rain forest alongside raging whitewater and a gushing series of waterfalls. A rough-skinned newt made an appearance, warning us of its poison with its bright colors.
After lunch we docked in Petersburg, a small fishing town of Norwegian heritage, where we had the opportunity to take part in a variety of activities. On the dock we meandered beside fishing boats and learned about the commercial fishing industry of Southeast. Walks to a nearby bog highlighted carnivorous plants, an eagle’s nest and the unique ecosystem of Southeast’s muskegs. A strenuous steep hike up the Petersburg Mountain Trail saw bright orange “chicken of the woods” (fungus), porcupine gnaw marks, and notches cut in the sides of very old stumps where “springboards” once held loggers using axes and crosscut saws. We also had a chance to wander around Petersburg, bicycle, and visit local shops. In the distance the Devil’s Thumb, a massive jagged tooth of rock, rose into blue skies.
The evening was wrapped up by a crab feast of locally caught Dungeness crab, a beautiful sunset, and a humpback whale lunge feeding off the bow.
