Wrangell Narrows and Petersburg, Alaska, 5/6/2013, National Geographic Sea Lion
Aboard the
National Geographic Sea Lion
Alaska
After an additional night of the northern lights dancing in the sky, we woke up to yet another beautiful day. National Geographic Sea Lion spent the morning weaving its way through the tight, restricted waterways of Wrangell Narrows.
Elise Lockton gave a fascinating presentation about the history of Alaska just before we tied up to the dock in Petersburg.
After lunch we had the chance to wander along the docks and the main street of this small fishing community. The only way to reach Petersburg is by a boat or plane. A Norwegian immigrant established the town in the late 1890s and you can see many Norwegian influences still today.
In the mid-afternoon, there was an opportunity to go back across Wrangell Narrow to walk with the naturalists through a muskeg, a bog habitat. The photographers went “On Assignment Petersburg” with National Geographic photographer Kim Heacox and photo instructors Rikki and Jack Swenson.
At the end of Recap, the expedition leader became a sea otter look-alike to tell us about Crab Feast and everyone enjoyed this super delicious local specialty. The finale of the day was seeing a lone male killer whale travelling along Frederick Sound as the sun set over the towering mountains. Ho hum, just another day in amazing Alaska!
Stephanie is a marine mammal scientist who began her career studying finback and humpback whales from a small isolated lighthouse island off the coast of Bar Harbor, Maine. This project—an effort to identify individual whales by matching dorsal fin ...
Since 1995, Rikki Swenson has traveled widely with Lindblad Expeditions–National Geographic, and was a founding member of the Photo Expedition program. A graphic designer for 20 years, Rikki owned a small agency, handling projects for large corporate...
National Geographic Sea Lion arrived into the city of Queen Charlotte at 6:00 a.m. this morning. The sunrise made its way over the hill behind Queen Charlotte to light the harbor and surrounding waters. A fishing boat made its way out of the harbor and passed with its reflection along the still morning waters. Slowly, everyone prepared for our morning destination at the Haida Heritage Center. Our group was divided into two smaller groups, and half of us went outside to view the totem poles. Each pole represented a specific Haida community and the collection of stories presented in Haida carvings. We came to a carving shed, where four hand-decorated Haida canoes were resting. Guests of the other group then spent their time inside half of the museum seeing one of the finest collections of totem poles, argillite carving, old and new weavings, and several new exhibitions newly opened at the Heritage Center. After our visit to this fine Haidan interpretive center, we took a short ride to the Balancing Rock, a well-known site in Haida Gwaii. A large rock sits on a tiny point where it “balances” for all to see. Gorgeous weather, not a breath of wind, new spring plants and bird song surrounded us. Finishing out our first day in Haida Gwaii, we spent our afternoon walking the Spirit Lake Trail. For two hours a variety of walks enjoyed the Haida Gwaii’s version of a coastal temperate rain forest; albeit, on a very warm, sunny day! Large western red cedar, giant western hemlock, Sitka spruce, and massive groves of red alder, along with all the new soft green leaves of early spring plants pushing their way towards the sun. Returning in the late afternoon to National Geographic Sea Lion , our ship departed immediately, heading south toward tomorrow’s destination. On the way, a California grey whale decided to surface with its heart shaped blow, making our third whale species sighted for this trip! Slowly in the late light of the day we continued our voyage to explore our next destination, traveling in the ancestral territory of the Haida people.
A Final Night’s Expedition Report It started with a tour of Sitka town, where ravens are raucous and eagles abound, Tlingits and Russians and rainforest tall, church, shops, and totems, we saw it all Then embarked the ship, intros and a sip, and slipped away North, as explorers went forth unsure what we’d find but with bears in mind, and then, there, we saw one, furry and rotund, hoping to be fatter, fishing near a salmon-stream-ladder. Next it was whales, a few blows, a few tails, then look! the great prize the bubblenet guys! A mountain of whales erupt from the sea front row to the feast: you and me. In Chatham Strait, orcas, great, in Glacier Bay, a gorgeous day. Mama bear on the beach, goats within reach, sea lions groaning, a walk in the gloaming. Then Point Retreat Light and a forest wander we were wet while we listened and pondered: how did Dave stay dry in the rain? and could we cross that rocky beach again, without pain? Juneau the gold town, now a government place waterfalls racing at a furious pace the museum with its treasures and opportunity to measure huge ships versus ours (we gave ourselves four stars). Tracy Arm sculptures of ice crystal blue steep rocky cliffs that it carved right through, small boats and a walk then in for some talk while we sailed to the town where they plundered wealth from the sea, and we wandered the docks and look under to see creatures thriving, like those Justin sees diving. Now onward, to Snow Pass, the whales they are waiting we watch for their lunges, with breaths abaiting. The beautiful sunset of another day predicts Misty Fjords, not misty, where we play in kayaks and boats. Salmon float. Prince Rupert is Canada, B.C. at last where Tsimisian culture stretches into the past we are honored guests at the Winter Feast from the greatest of clans, down to the least. A morning of cruising, the shorelines perusing then into the boats to see nudibranchs wave like fans, and tall trees. Or a forested walk, on the mossy ground where our footfalls made nary a sound while the tide crept in, forcing a rest or a swim, or a footsoak – Luna was best. In Alert Bay we learned and made merry with story and dance, and blackberry, then on to the dolphins, sleek grey and white on the bow, all around, there’s no word but: delight. Though we squeezed in a talk, the cameras weren’t done; here’s the challenge of shooting orca whales in the sun. Ripple Rock, Seymour Narrows, and on, ever South we’re experienced sailors, it’s been a long path, and we sail the San Juans with smiles on our faces; we’ve found friends and been to these wonderful places. Now the ending is near to our epic trip, but to finish this poem, here’s Nat Geo guy Flip: “Oceans are blue, killer whales are black and white, It has been a great trip, have a good night”.
I could nearly feel the drums beating as the National Geographic Sea Bird steamed out the fog and into view of the quaint First Nations village of Alert Bay. Tempted by the goods Europeans brought to the area in the late 1800s, the Namgis’ band moved from Woss Lake on Vancouver Island to Alert Bay across the channel on Cormorant Island. Today we witnessed the pride and resurgence of an ancient culture carved from the land and sea that supports it. Dancers whirled; singers and drummers invited us to enjoy a glimpse into the potlatch ceremony, a look at the powerful way this matrilineal culture of the Northwest Coast still orders their lives. A swirl of supernatural beings danced in the traditional way and specially prepared bannock and salmon brought us deeply into the center of Kwakwaka’wakw culture. The weather dance must have chased the fog down Johnstone Strait as we emerged from the cloud bank into sun and up ahead—a long line of Pacific white-sided dolphins! How lucky can you get? After a wild breathtaking photo-making hour with at least 500 of these amazing leaping joyful beings, we continued down the strait toward our meeting with slack water in Seymour Narrows. Great looks at killer whales were the next incredible surprise encounter—this group of about eight whales were very likely resident or fish-eating animals; they are matrilineal like the humans of the Northwest Coast. Killer whales are revered as special and sometimes supernatural beings so perhaps the similarities among these First Nations are not too unexpected. Both groups rely on the yearly migration of salmon. As we travel south into more populated, structured and less wild places, may some of the magic of the Northwest Coast travel home with each of you.
