We awoke to another fine day as we cruised toward our morning destination at Ideal Cove on the southeast side of Mitkof Island. After breakfast we ventured ashore for our first up-close exploration of the Tongass National Forest. Extra layers were shed in the warmth of the morning as the groups moved along the boardwalk at various paces – speedy, fast, moderate and leisurely. We enjoyed many seasonal wildflowers and other plants of the forest and wetlands. There was time for photography and interpretation of our surroundings by the naturalists.
Back on board, guest speaker Andy Szabo, director of the Alaska Whale Foundation, talked about recent research on humpback whales. The whales feed in the rich Alaskan waters in the summer and then migrate to Hawaii for the winter. One interesting feeding method, called bubblenetting, is highly sophisticated, involving communication, cooperation and coordination amongst a group of humpbacks and can sometimes be seen in the waters of Southeast Alaska. With protection from hunting, the humpback whale population has been making a good recovery.
After lunch we arrived and docked in the friendly fishing town of Petersburg, founded by Peter Buschman in the late 1890s and officially incorporated in 1910. The nearby Le Conte Glacier provided a ready supply of ice for commercial fishing ventures. There were several options to choose from this afternoon, including hiking to a bog or up Petersburg Mountain, biking around town, walking the docks to learn about the fishing boats, and/or strolling through the unassuming town. A few sprinkles, known as liquid sunshine, gave us a taste of more typical Southeast Alaska weather, but quickly gave way to more sunshine.
This evening, delectable fresh Dungeness crab, harvested sustainably and responsibly from local waters, was prepared in the ship’s galley. Cracking crab shells to extract the tasty meat is a fun, sometimes challenging, often messy, but rewarding experience, made more pleasant by warm, moist wash cloths handed out after we had our fill. Dessert and coffee were enjoyed in the lounge and the evening concluded with a presentation by Paul about salmon – one of the icons of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. People spent some time out on deck before darkness fell and National Geographic Sea Lion cruised northward.
