It has been at least twenty years since the National Geographic Sea Lion has been in the waters near the LaConte Glacier, but as we all rose from our sleep this morning, that is exactly where we were. The reason for this long hiatus is that in order for a ship our size and weight can cross the notorious LaConte Bar, you need a perfect storm of tide, wind, and ice conditions, today, was the day. Without delay we set out earlier than usual so that two rounds of expedition landing craft rides could be had. Even though the conditions were perfect, the navigation through the ice was deliberate as icebergs were as numerous as they were beautiful. We had a distance to cover to reach the glacier known to be one of the fastest moving glaciers on earth, with a speed of about 90 feet per day. Still, the bountiful ice around us provided us with an endless supply of photographic subjects, making the time it took to travel through the fiord go by much too fast. In the end, it would not have mattered if we never saw the face of ice that was our goal, we could have stopped anywhere and spent the morning lost in photographing whatever ice floated our way. Deep blue mountains of ice slowly passed by, and smaller frozen sculptures of ice of every shape captivated our interest, and filled the guests with questions about how such shapes might have been formed. For the guests, it was a magical place filled with ice, mountains, and a cloudy and misty aura that surrounded it all. For the staff, it was a victory once again being able to explore such an inaccessible treasure.
Lunch greeted us back on board and soon we were sailing towards Petersburg, a small but successful fishing community here in Southeast Alaska. Petersburg is always one of my favorite stops on our voyage. Besides the natural history walks, like the bog walk across the bay, complete with carnivorous plants. A dock exploration on the fishing pier adorned with spectacular anemones and feather duster worms to name but a few of the organisms attached to the docks, and bicycles one can borrow to peddle through town. It is also a great place to simply wander on your own and discover a lifestyle lived by some of Alaska’s most hardy people. There is the book store, one of the more eclectic shopping destinations here in town, and then an obligatory stop at hardware store, filled with most of the necessities of life here in the north. Whether your needs are that of a traditional hardware store, or possibly some new bed ware or some fancy dinner plates for your next party. There is also one more part of our visit to Petersburg; it means it’s all you can eat crab night here on the National Geographic Sea Lion. Now that’s a fitting end to a remarkable day of exploration.
