Cascade Creek and Petersburg
Early rising guests had an opportunity to see the Baird Glacier in the quiet calm of Thomas Bay. The terminus of this river of ice is vastly different from the white 200-foot wall of the tidewater glacier we experienced yesterday. This one has retreated onto a broad fan of braided stream deposits, and its terminus drops gradually onto gravel.
After breakfast, hikers climbed up to a spectacular waterfall in Cascade Creek. It roared and disrespectfully spewed its spray over all that climbed beyond the viewpoint. After a bit more hiking, we crossed a substantial bridge and peered into a cauldron of foaming water racing through a narrow slot below. Peering down from the bridge into this white violence made one feel a bit uneasy. Those on longer hikes continued on a challenging and beautiful route that climbed and dropped its way through the forest somewhat like an ant crawling along the folds of an open accordion. The sounds of the thundering creek accompanied us all morning.
Petersburg, airplane flights and bog walks occupied our afternoon. This fishing town has its own charm. Purse seine fishermen were unloading their catch at the canneries, working on nets and readying their boats for another “opener.” The flight-seeing was awesome. Floatplanes flew over complex ribbons of ice, beautiful green ridge tops and deep fiords. Hikers who ventured over the bog found a specialized group of plants well adapted to life in the wet, acidic conditions. A Sitka black-tailed deer walked across the boardwalk trail of old gray boards and new yellow cedar planks. Today’s photograph is of two young naturalists watching the deer. The future of wild places lies with these two and those that follow them.
If you listened carefully, you could hear the sound of Dungeness crab being cracked through the happy chuckling conversations at dinner. While eating, there were two different cheers that rang out. One when a bright sun broke out below the overcast skies and another when a humpback whale appeared. We raced to the decks to watch its immense body effortlessly break the surface to replenish its oxygen store then submerge again to the depths. There is no better way to end the day than to watch a humpback lifting its flukes and have the possibility of blue sky tomorrow.
Early rising guests had an opportunity to see the Baird Glacier in the quiet calm of Thomas Bay. The terminus of this river of ice is vastly different from the white 200-foot wall of the tidewater glacier we experienced yesterday. This one has retreated onto a broad fan of braided stream deposits, and its terminus drops gradually onto gravel.
After breakfast, hikers climbed up to a spectacular waterfall in Cascade Creek. It roared and disrespectfully spewed its spray over all that climbed beyond the viewpoint. After a bit more hiking, we crossed a substantial bridge and peered into a cauldron of foaming water racing through a narrow slot below. Peering down from the bridge into this white violence made one feel a bit uneasy. Those on longer hikes continued on a challenging and beautiful route that climbed and dropped its way through the forest somewhat like an ant crawling along the folds of an open accordion. The sounds of the thundering creek accompanied us all morning.
Petersburg, airplane flights and bog walks occupied our afternoon. This fishing town has its own charm. Purse seine fishermen were unloading their catch at the canneries, working on nets and readying their boats for another “opener.” The flight-seeing was awesome. Floatplanes flew over complex ribbons of ice, beautiful green ridge tops and deep fiords. Hikers who ventured over the bog found a specialized group of plants well adapted to life in the wet, acidic conditions. A Sitka black-tailed deer walked across the boardwalk trail of old gray boards and new yellow cedar planks. Today’s photograph is of two young naturalists watching the deer. The future of wild places lies with these two and those that follow them.
If you listened carefully, you could hear the sound of Dungeness crab being cracked through the happy chuckling conversations at dinner. While eating, there were two different cheers that rang out. One when a bright sun broke out below the overcast skies and another when a humpback whale appeared. We raced to the decks to watch its immense body effortlessly break the surface to replenish its oxygen store then submerge again to the depths. There is no better way to end the day than to watch a humpback lifting its flukes and have the possibility of blue sky tomorrow.
