The field blogs from the Chugach Children’s Forest Expedition Series have arrived! As part of a partnership between Alaska Geographic and the Chugach National Forest, and supported in part by the National Geographic Society, this pilot trip offered an opportunity for nine teens from Southcentral Alaska to share stories and document their national forest while living on a boat for eight days in the Prince William Sound.  Bloggers found themselves discovering an Alaska quite different from the urban Alaskan communities they were used to as they mingled with humpback whales and calving glaciers.

Join theses explorers as they map their way through the Sound and discover the wildlife, landscapes, and stories of the Chugach National Forest; we will share a selection of student posts over three days on the blog.

Photo credit:  Melissa Goslin

June 19 2009

Mallard Bay: Jake

This trip has been amazing. During the camping I loved the walks that we went on. The people are so nice and generous. I really liked the ice worm safari. Yesterday I encouraged part of the group to hike up this mountain. When you get to the top you feel so amazing that you didn’t give up on yourself and you pushed yourself to finish. After we got back to the boat we all changed and jumped into the water to cool off. Then I went kayaking in the freezing cooled water. I found an island that I went onto. Before we anchored up we saw a hump back whale. It was so awesome. I got to see it breech out of the water.

Photo credit:  Cory Glasen

Knight Island: Joey

The trek we went on yesterday was fun and
challenging. It was so hard because we were climbing up [a] 50 degree
angle for 10 minutes. It was also wet and slippery. After that trek, we
headed back down and it was so much easier. When we reached bottom, we
went to the little boat called the “Zodiac.” I felt like swimming so I
stripped down and went into the freezing water. I started swimming
toward the boat and the cold water made my breathing hard so I went on
the Zodiac. Then I jumped into the water from the Babkin.

Photo credit:  Nancy Robinson/Babkin Charters

In route to Chenega: Sara

Greetings
from the land of the midnight sun: Alaska! Right now I’ve been finding
out that I have a talent for making watercolor pictures of plants.
Well, at least I think I can. Earlier today I lost a hook and 400 lbs.
test in the ocean floor while trying to hook a fish. I like to sing
while I walk or take photos. I am best known as a shutter-bug and a
bookworm. I am from Anchorage and I lived for a while in North River in
a house near a river in the lower 48. I wonder how many people think we
live in igloos because if you do I could tell a story about my uncle’s
igloo “it was a cool two story until it burned down.” So if anyone asks
say that…Bawh, ha, ha. I have really enjoyed the company on the ship
and the best thing I have done so far was going around in the water and
seeing the wildlife. The oddest thing I have learned about is called a
‘sea slug,’ they [are] small animals that live in the ocean and [are]
completely clear so you can see their internal organs. If you pick it
up for a short time you have a nice pine smell on your hand.

Photo credit:  Melissa Goslin