Frederick Sound
Wrangell Narrows is a thread of a channel running between Kupreanof and Mitkof Islands. It is too small for large ships to navigate, but perfect for the Sea Lion. Early this morning we made the transit, ending at the small town of Petersburg. In addition to exploring town, most of us went with the naturalists to Petersburg Creek where we explored a beautiful muskeg, or bog. Many also took advantage of options to explore the LeConte Glacier by float plane or helicopter, spotting moose, mountain goats and black bears as well.
“Mustached Whales” was the topic of Pete Pederson’s program after lunch. During the afternoon, we made our way through Frederick Sound towards Chatham Strait, two of the major passages in Southeast Alaska. Originally created as fault lines, these channels were further sculpted by glacial activity. As Pete’s talk ended, a humpback whale was spotted and we headed to the decks for a look. We had views of the whale surfacing for series’ of breaths. After about half an hour the whale surprised us by pulling right along the starboard side of the Sea Lion for a breathing sequence before showing its flukes and diving. We enjoyed more fine looks with a full rainbow in the background before moving on. This was followed by a sampler of foods and wines of the Pacific Northwest, hosted by our Hotel Manager, Judie.
Eliza Harbor is a tiny sliver of an inlet into Admiralty Island. Before dinner, Captain Martin deftly maneuvered us through the entrance and into the intimate bay surrounded by the dense temperate rain forest of Southeast Alaska. As we left, we had evening recap, including Judie’s famous crab eating demonstration. This was followed by a Dungeness crab fest for dinner. But the day was not done. During dinner, in the midst of spectacular lighting and a grand backdrop, humpback whales fed around us. We stayed until the light faded, the end of a magical day.
Wrangell Narrows is a thread of a channel running between Kupreanof and Mitkof Islands. It is too small for large ships to navigate, but perfect for the Sea Lion. Early this morning we made the transit, ending at the small town of Petersburg. In addition to exploring town, most of us went with the naturalists to Petersburg Creek where we explored a beautiful muskeg, or bog. Many also took advantage of options to explore the LeConte Glacier by float plane or helicopter, spotting moose, mountain goats and black bears as well.
“Mustached Whales” was the topic of Pete Pederson’s program after lunch. During the afternoon, we made our way through Frederick Sound towards Chatham Strait, two of the major passages in Southeast Alaska. Originally created as fault lines, these channels were further sculpted by glacial activity. As Pete’s talk ended, a humpback whale was spotted and we headed to the decks for a look. We had views of the whale surfacing for series’ of breaths. After about half an hour the whale surprised us by pulling right along the starboard side of the Sea Lion for a breathing sequence before showing its flukes and diving. We enjoyed more fine looks with a full rainbow in the background before moving on. This was followed by a sampler of foods and wines of the Pacific Northwest, hosted by our Hotel Manager, Judie.
Eliza Harbor is a tiny sliver of an inlet into Admiralty Island. Before dinner, Captain Martin deftly maneuvered us through the entrance and into the intimate bay surrounded by the dense temperate rain forest of Southeast Alaska. As we left, we had evening recap, including Judie’s famous crab eating demonstration. This was followed by a Dungeness crab fest for dinner. But the day was not done. During dinner, in the midst of spectacular lighting and a grand backdrop, humpback whales fed around us. We stayed until the light faded, the end of a magical day.
