Shortly after dawn, National Geographic Sea Lion glided into the aptly named Scenery Cove, where guests and naturalists alike enjoyed the forest vistas and birds flying over the water. We then headed to our main destination of the morning: Cascade Creek, which is a roaring, whitewater stream that spills from the mainland into Thomas Bay. Groups of hikers were led by naturalists along the creek, through a lush rainforest. Our young guests joined naturalist Jeff for a kids-only hike. On some steeper sections of the hiking trail, we climbed steps which are carved out of the bedrock. We admired the wide waterfall on the creek and followed the trail until it was time to turn around and return to the ship. The fun continued for our young explorers after the hike: they each got to try their hand at driving an expedition landing craft.
Before lunch, we were treated to another fascinating presentation by Birgit Buhleier on her Crittercam footage collected from penguins, harbor seals, brown bears, and house cats. We docked in Petersburg in the early afternoon. Our guests zoomed off in all directions to enjoy a variety of activity options. Some rode bikes or walked through the small fishing town. Some took an expedition landing craft cruise along the harbor and were lucky to find a group of about 10 humpback whales. Naturalists Lee and Ivan took a large group across Wrangell Narrows to Kupreanof Island. There, we took a pleasant walk along a boardwalk to explore a large muskeg. ‘Muskeg’ is the local name for a special type of wetland, also called a peat bog. Sphagnum moss forms and dominates the muskeg, creating a soggy, acidic environment that limits the growth of many other plants. However, some amazing plants such as the carnivorous sundew have adapted to life in the muskeg.
Once everyone was back on board the National Geographic Sea Lion, Becky Knight came aboard to give a talk on the local fishing industry. Becky is a resident of Petersburg and an expert in commercial fishing. We enjoyed a delicious, messy feast of Alaskan Dungeness crab. During dinner, many of us rushed out onto the decks to watch a pod of humpback whales swim alongside the ship. As the last light of day faded, we watched as the whales’ massive tail flukes rose above the water, one by one, and then gracefully disappeared beneath the waves.
