Ideal Cove/Petersburg
Sunshine in a rainforest is a rare sight. We enjoyed and savored our second consecutive day of it here in Southeast Alaska. Sunscreen was advised for our activities today. Temperatures were close to 80 degrees F.
We had a full and active day of hiking, flightseeing and visiting the Norwegian-style fishing village of Petersburg. In the morning groups hiked a boardwalk through forest and bog at Ideal Cove on the east side of Mitkof Island. Although it was warm and dry, the spongy moss in the forest stores moisture to protect it in times of drought, along with shading from the canopy of trees in a mature forest.
Petersburg is on the northwest side of the same island. Big ships can’t come in here, but we did see one of the state ferries later in the afternoon. They are recognized by blue hulls and the stars of the big dipper and North Star (the pattern of Alaska’s flag) on the smokestack. They are affectionately known as “Blue Canoes” and are named after Alaskan glaciers. Many of the locals, as well as summer visitors get from one place to another via Southeast Alaska’s “marine highway” system.
Across the Wrangell Narrows from Petersburg there is a trail system on Kupreanof Island. Those who still had energy joined the naturalists for walks through a peat bog. This is an interesting community of plants which includes Alaska’s only pine – the shore pine – and two species of sundew, a carnivorous plant that digests insects for nutrients. There were signs that wolves and bears had passed through the area.
From the air one can get a wonderful perspective on the landscape here. Floatplanes flew over the Le Conte Glacier, spying mountain goats on the precipitous slopes and harbor seals on the bergs at the base of the ice face. Helicopters landed on the Patterson Glacier, where guests were able to get out and walk around on the icy surface.
The fireweed is in bloom now. This aptly named plant not only has fiery pink flowers but also has fluffy seeds that are useful to start fires in an emergency, and is one of the first plants to come back into a burned area or after any other kind of disturbance, such as the recession of a glacier. The edible leaves can be a nutritious addition to a meal and the flower nectar makes good honey. Native people used it as padding, mattress stuffing and in weaving. It is also known as the Alaska Calendar. The flower spike blooms from the bottom up. When all the flowers have opened to the top, summer is over.
It was right near the dock, visible from the ship, where we saw what eluded us in the relative isolation and solitude of the forest – five Sitka blacktail deer, four bucks and a doe, down by the water’s edge below a parking lot and residence. Quietly and patiently they endured the proximity of camera-toting humans. Ravens, northwestern crows and bald eagles also manage to blend in and coexist with the busy, semi-urban environment of this working Alaskan fishing town.
Sunshine in a rainforest is a rare sight. We enjoyed and savored our second consecutive day of it here in Southeast Alaska. Sunscreen was advised for our activities today. Temperatures were close to 80 degrees F.
We had a full and active day of hiking, flightseeing and visiting the Norwegian-style fishing village of Petersburg. In the morning groups hiked a boardwalk through forest and bog at Ideal Cove on the east side of Mitkof Island. Although it was warm and dry, the spongy moss in the forest stores moisture to protect it in times of drought, along with shading from the canopy of trees in a mature forest.
Petersburg is on the northwest side of the same island. Big ships can’t come in here, but we did see one of the state ferries later in the afternoon. They are recognized by blue hulls and the stars of the big dipper and North Star (the pattern of Alaska’s flag) on the smokestack. They are affectionately known as “Blue Canoes” and are named after Alaskan glaciers. Many of the locals, as well as summer visitors get from one place to another via Southeast Alaska’s “marine highway” system.
Across the Wrangell Narrows from Petersburg there is a trail system on Kupreanof Island. Those who still had energy joined the naturalists for walks through a peat bog. This is an interesting community of plants which includes Alaska’s only pine – the shore pine – and two species of sundew, a carnivorous plant that digests insects for nutrients. There were signs that wolves and bears had passed through the area.
From the air one can get a wonderful perspective on the landscape here. Floatplanes flew over the Le Conte Glacier, spying mountain goats on the precipitous slopes and harbor seals on the bergs at the base of the ice face. Helicopters landed on the Patterson Glacier, where guests were able to get out and walk around on the icy surface.
The fireweed is in bloom now. This aptly named plant not only has fiery pink flowers but also has fluffy seeds that are useful to start fires in an emergency, and is one of the first plants to come back into a burned area or after any other kind of disturbance, such as the recession of a glacier. The edible leaves can be a nutritious addition to a meal and the flower nectar makes good honey. Native people used it as padding, mattress stuffing and in weaving. It is also known as the Alaska Calendar. The flower spike blooms from the bottom up. When all the flowers have opened to the top, summer is over.
It was right near the dock, visible from the ship, where we saw what eluded us in the relative isolation and solitude of the forest – five Sitka blacktail deer, four bucks and a doe, down by the water’s edge below a parking lot and residence. Quietly and patiently they endured the proximity of camera-toting humans. Ravens, northwestern crows and bald eagles also manage to blend in and coexist with the busy, semi-urban environment of this working Alaskan fishing town.
