Survey at Behm Canal and Chatham Strait

DN161 of the year
DN38 of the Internship

JUNEAU, AK
We have spent the last week in Juneau for a long in-port after working on the Chatham Strait survey. Two weeks are allotted for this in-port and we are all taking full advantage of it!

BEHM CANAL
The Behm Canal survey is complete and part of Chatham Strait. Here is an informational poster I put together, showing what we found at Behm Canal. At the bottom of the poster you can see an extinct volcano and a historic riverbed at the top.

A lot of time and effort goes into surveying and it really pays off when you get to see cool stuff! Here are a few images of the data that I took while processing.

 

 

We have been very fortunate with the weather while under way. Most days were in the 60s and sunny. The sunsets are getting better and better and we can't believe some of the scenery that surrounds us everyday.

View from the porthole in the Holodeck

The Rainier

Doing a level run at Behm Canal

One of my shipmates leveling

Arriving at Petersburg, AK

  

Departing Petersburg

CHATHAM STRAIT
We will be returning to Chatham Strait to finish up the survey. Here is another informational poster showing our coverage. This area was last surveyed in 1897 by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (USC&GS) Steamer Patterson. We even received images from that survey. On the right side of the poster is a comparison photo of the Patterson in 1897 and the Rainier in 2013, taken at Gut Bay. The photo on the top left side is the entrance to Gut Bay.

Here are some more photos from our last leg. Some were taken in Sitka, where we stopped for a few hours to refuel. Others are on our way to Juneau.

 

  

  

Sitka, AK

Mount Edgecumbe, a dormant volcano just outside of Sitka.

This dormant volcano has a unique history. It is a stratovolcano and has three known eruptions in the past, the last of which occurred around 2220 B.C. It is reported that it also had a false eruption that was created on April Fools Day 1974 by a local who wanted to prank the town. This local brought mounds of old tires and dropped them into the crater, ignited them, and watched as the town of Sitka panicked. The Coast Guard was called in to investigate the smoke coming from the crater and found the tires burning, along with an enormous spray painted sign in the snow saying "April Fools" (According to local newspapers). I always find it amusing to learn about local Alaskan history.

We are heading back to Chatham Strait on Saturday. Until next time, greetings from Juneau!