July 6th - 10th: Darcy and I fell in love with Petersburg the moment we arrived at the airport. A fishing town with a strong Norwegian heritage, Petersburg's cultural and physical landscape felt unique in comparison to many of the Southeast towns we have visited. Our several days in town were mostly spent working, but we did get out on runs through the muskeg each morning and took a day to drive out to the end of the road for some rainy, but beautiful hiking. The highlight, though, might have been the crab leg feast we enjoyed courtesy of the fantastic Australian family who shared our hostel.
Petersburg is located on the northern tip of Mitkof Island with views across Frederick Sound toward the mainland and the towering Boundary Range Mountains. We were particularly surprised at the amount of snow still left on many of the mountains in the area, the remains of one of the heaviest snow years ever in Southeast. 
This is what happens when you give us free reign with the camera...
... but we managed to take a decent looking picture eventually. 
We had a rainy hike out to Ideal Cove, which made the board walk trails very slippery and I took a couple of spectacular falls. Luckily, a stubbed toe was the extent of my injuries. Like most forested areas in southeast, the vegetation was incredibly lush and green, reminding this New Mexican exactly how far I was from home. 
Darcy and I were very excited to have hard-boiled eggs for dinner on our hike. I am not really sure why... but they were pretty tasty.
By the time we got to Ideal Cove, the rain had just about stopped and we enjoyed a beautiful evening eating our picnic dinner and looking out across Frederick Sound toward the mainland. It never quite got clear enough to get a good look at Devils Thumb, a notable peak in the boundary range, but we could see icebergs coming off the LeConte Glacier which is visible in the valley in the center of the photo. 
Being the responsible biologist that I am, I try not to anthropomorphize animals too much. I have to admit though... porcupines are incredibly cute and might win out for one of my favorite animals. This one couldn't quite decide why it was crossing the road... giving me plenty of opportunities to get a picture.
Petersburg is located on the northern tip of Mitkof Island with views across Frederick Sound toward the mainland and the towering Boundary Range Mountains. We were particularly surprised at the amount of snow still left on many of the mountains in the area, the remains of one of the heaviest snow years ever in Southeast. 
This is what happens when you give us free reign with the camera...
... but we managed to take a decent looking picture eventually. 
We had a rainy hike out to Ideal Cove, which made the board walk trails very slippery and I took a couple of spectacular falls. Luckily, a stubbed toe was the extent of my injuries. Like most forested areas in southeast, the vegetation was incredibly lush and green, reminding this New Mexican exactly how far I was from home. 
Darcy and I were very excited to have hard-boiled eggs for dinner on our hike. I am not really sure why... but they were pretty tasty.
By the time we got to Ideal Cove, the rain had just about stopped and we enjoyed a beautiful evening eating our picnic dinner and looking out across Frederick Sound toward the mainland. It never quite got clear enough to get a good look at Devils Thumb, a notable peak in the boundary range, but we could see icebergs coming off the LeConte Glacier which is visible in the valley in the center of the photo. 
Being the responsible biologist that I am, I try not to anthropomorphize animals too much. I have to admit though... porcupines are incredibly cute and might win out for one of my favorite animals. This one couldn't quite decide why it was crossing the road... giving me plenty of opportunities to get a picture.
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