The morning began with killer whales before 7:00am! Waters were choppy as a single young male orca made his way alongside the ship. Clouds hung low and steely gray above gray water, and a light drizzle accompanied us as we approached Ideal Cove.
After breakfast we headed to shore and broke into groups: short walks concentrating on the plants and trees, moderate walks arriving at a bridge below a lake, and long walkers strolling along the banks of a boggy lake. The rain forest was beautifully green, dripping with rain and vibrant with life. Water pooled in moose tracks paralleling the boardwalk trail and a stunning array of fungus peeped from low greenery. Fall has come to Southeast Alaska, showing in subtle fall colors of reddening leaves, plump highbush cranberries, watermelon berries hanging heavy, the last of the blueberries and red huckleberries ripe and sweet. We returned to the ship in heavy rain, and warmed up in the lounge with a presentation by Lee Moll on birds.
The afternoon was spent in Petersburg, a small fishing community with a strong Norwegian flavor. Bog walkers trooped out to a muskeg on a neighboring island, finding carnivorous sundews, spindly shore pines and majestic yellow cedars. Flightseers took to the skies on float planes, viewing the Le Conte Glacier and Stikine Icefield from the skies. Photographers wandered town with cameras in hand, and dock walkers strolled among the fishing boats to see what makes this town tick. It was a wet but gratifying afternoon, giving us an idea of what life for small-town Southeast Alaskans is all about.
After a delicious crab feast we finished off the evening with our video chronicle preview and berry crisp.
