Michael Peterson

Interviewed by Riley M

Loving camping, hiking, and nature never hurts when living in Alaska, as Michael Peterson can attest to. Mike is not an Alaskan native, being born in New Jersey and calling Montana home after ending up there when his father retired from the coast guard. His father’s job was the reason that he ended up as far from his birthplace as he did, as his father was moved from port to port while working in the Coast Guard.
Mike has been in Alaska for the past two years. He spends his time in the spring and summer working for Kenai Fjord Tours on the Chugad as a deckhand. During the spring he works on the tour boat as an instructor for school children who come onto the ship to learn a little bit about marine biology as well as the ecosystem of Resurrection Bay, where they take groups through. Mike’s deckhand duties are pretty standard, being that he helps maintain the boat, handle lines and make sure that passengers are okay.  His duties as a senior deckhand mean that he also drives the boat when the captain needs a break, makes sure that they are logged into the log book for the correct course, checks the engine room to make sure it didn’t catch fire, and just overall makes sure the boast is still functioning.
Michael’s absolute favorite thing about working on the ship would be the wildlife. He loves the whales, birds, and otters.  Michael also enjoys talking with others on the ship about wildlife; be it passengers, school children, or other crew members. Michael’s favorite animal is the Ancient Murrelet. This is because the Ancient Murrelet will fly out to sea, just 36 hours after hatching, for the next five years.
Along with hiking Mike’s hobbies include reading, photography, playing video games and rock climbing. Alaska is great for reading and photography. Mike loves his new home in Alaska and couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.