A scattering of icebergs stranded along the shores offered a clue to the presence of a tidewater glacier in the neighborhood of Frederick Sound. As we navigated into Wrangell Narrows for our approach into the small borough of Petersburg, a few Steller sea lions used the buoy as a napping place. We explored the town with its brightly colored accents of Norwegian rosemaling adorning windows and doorways and the harbor with its fleet of commercial fishing boats.
In the afternoon, we didn’t let the rain dampen our spirits as we set off for a variety of walks including along the Ohmer Creek Trail. We learned of the traditional Tlingit uses of plants for food, fiber, and medicine. Highlights included not only our newfound knowledge, but a large, ambling porcupine nearby, a brief glimpse of a swimming beaver, and numerous Sitka black-tailed deer on the trail and the roadside. It was the perfect day to explore the temperate rainforest, and we did.
