Launching from Petersburg, Alaska, I know this trip will be a special one. Our mission is simple: sail the Northern Song from Petersburg to a dry dock in Bellingham, Washington. The journey is long yet comfortable, and I look forward to the time at sea.
From the dock, I look to the east and see Devil’s Thumb rising from the Stikine Ice Cap just across the border in British Columbia. From the ice cap, a fast-moving glacier belches hunks of ice into the sound. As a result, icebergs float about the cold, blue water in abundance.
We float around the icebergs and make a close pass at them. Their texture is smooth on the surface yet jagged around its edges.
Soon, we’re headed into the Wrangell Narrows. This skinny cut separates Mitkof Island and Kupreanof Island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska. Our pace is plodding and smooth through the pristine waters. The mountains, thick with hemlock and the untold mosses that hang from their boughs, ripple away from us as far as the eye can see into the Tongass National Forest and beyond. The region’s beauty is indescribable.
Along the way, we spot whales, dolphins, deer, bears, and a host of other wildlife that complement the scenic and wild beauty of the region.
For an entire week, we eat well, commune with one another, and make our way through Canada and back into the United States. The trip was over all too soon, but it was so well worth it.
We’ll be chartering the boat for exclusive Alaska photography workshops trips in 2024. If you are interested, stay in touch, and we’ll announce the details soon.
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