A warm and cloudy morning welcomed us to LeConte Bay. In the distance we could see our destination, the icebergs grounded around the shallow waters before us. We took to our Zodiacs and zipped by large flocks of murrelets and scoters en route to tour the towering ice. The cloudy day brought out deep hues of blue and gave us spectacular sightings of dynamic ice. Harbor seals peeked at the Zodiacs between fishing attempts. It was a wonderful morning that left us in awe of this beautiful place.
Our afternoon destination was the fishing village of Petersburg. This quaint town is a favorite stop of ours, and we were lucky enough to visit during the 3rd of July celebration events. We watched and participated in a watermelon-eating contest,flag-tag, and other lively events with the people of Petersburg. The shops and bike lanes offered us many different ways to enjoy town throughout the day.
While in Petersburg we walked the docks, peeking at all the marine life growing between the boats in the fishing fleet as the ships got ready for their season. Across Wrangell Narrows on Kupreanof Island we walked to the muskeg, a local term for the bogs in the area. In this environment we had chances to see plants we haven’t had opportunity to see yet including carnivorous sundews and bog varieties of many of the berries in the forest. Forest birds sang beneath the forest canopy as we returned, including four very noisy and gregarious ravens which gave us cooperative views towards the end of our hike.
After a delicious crab buffet night, we slipped away from the dock to watch the July 4th fireworks as a great way to end yet another fantastic day in Southeast Alaska.
