From midnight to sunset on this day, glorious light enchanted us. After a night of bubble-net-feeding humpback whales and a spectacular display of the northern lights we were greeted with another day of sunshine! Yes… this is only day two of our trip! Today’s hike to Spurt Lake took place in Thomas Bay, just north of Petersburg, our afternoon destination. Our two options were a hike in the forest or to go on a scenic small boat cruise around Thomas Bay. The small boat cruisers headed up the bay towards the Baird Glacier. On the way, three animals were abundant—seals, marbled murrelets and Arctic terns, all looking for some kind of lunch. Before the water got too shallow we got close enough to see some spectacular terminal and recessional moraines formed as the glacier recently retreated.
This was the hikers’ first venture into the Tongass National Forest, and it was an authentic representation of a typical Alaskan trail, with boot-sucking mud, devil’s club galore and skunk cabbage surrounding us as we made our way up over and under fallen trees. Words to describe our boot-sucking mud experience… “Eewww” “Gross!” “Cool!” “Help!” “I can’t get my boot out!” “This is fun!” “Best hike ever!” These were actual quotes I heard on our way up to Spurt Lake. Along the way we saw a brilliant fluorescent orange fungus growing on the side of a fallen log called “chicken of the woods.” Perfect timing for a breath-catching photo opportunity! Literally! The way back down was carefully thought out as we gingerly tested the trail for soft spots in the mud; occasionally we sank up to our knees in mud. Fortunately, when we got back to the ship there was a boot washing area already thoughtfully set up for us to clean our muddy boots. Before lunch, I gave a talk titled “The Salmon Journey” as we made our way south to Petersburg.
Our next adventure was the fishing town of Petersburg. Several options were available… bicycle riding, a walk in town, a bog walk, a strenuous hike to Petersburg Mountain and a dock walk to see the many fishing boats that were busily getting ready for another day of fishing. To end our day, we enjoyed a delicious and messy Dungeness crab feast with apple-berry crisp for dessert. Yum! After dinner, David Stephens gave a presentation on “Animal Identification in Northwest Coastal Indian Art.” Our day ended with another spectacular sunset… a bright red sun slowly setting on the horizon.
