Southeast Alaska is a land shaped by ice. Everywhere that we have been on this voyage has been influenced in many different ways by ice. Glaciers have not only carved the landscape that we see, they have also created the waterways amongst which we navigate. Certain critters depend on the ice for breeding, while others need it for resting and molting. And finally, our ability to use ice has influenced where human settlements originally were, and now allows fishing communities to congregate away from the fishing spots.
Our morning was spent amongst a sculpture garden of ice. The LeConte Glacier is the southernmost tidewater glacier in the northern hemisphere, and it dumps ice into the sea at an incredible rate. The terminal moraine or “bar” is a shallow area where icebergs concentrate as they become grounded with the tide. Here, they are shaped by the warm air melt from above, and the currents and warmer water from below. We cruised amongst these bergs, deploying our fleet of expedition landing craft to get up close.
With overcast skies, the intense blue of the glacial ice was accentuated. Every direction was a photo opportunity. Ice was the foreground, in many layers and textures, with a backdrop of massive mountains covered in trees and shrouded in fog. Thousands of images were created! At low tide, many of the bergs were stranded, allowing us to observe their entire structure. Taking advantage of the exposed tidal area, we were able to stand amongst the grounded bergs and even touch them. What a treat!
In the afternoon we visited the fishing community of Petersburg. Long ago, every major salmon stream would have an onsite cannery, as there was no other way to preserve the fish. Our ability to now use ice to preserve fish has allowed people to live where they want, and still harvest the riches of Southeast Alaska. Petersburg is a very successful fishing community and we enjoyed its diversity. Some of us walked on the docks, learning about the various boats and also the invertebrate life living on the docks. Others set off to explore a new habitat, the muskeg. And many of us wandered the streets, enjoying a true Alaskan town, and even a few icy cold beverages!
