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| Sow, Katmai National Park, AK |
Ok, I'll admit it.
I was out on the tundra in Katmai National Park in search of brown bears
and what really made me nervous was wading the rivers.
I knew I wouldn't die.
Probably.
But if I dunked with my camera gear on my back I might wish I were dead.
I'm risk averse when it comes to gear, not unlike a mother bear with cubs.
Plus, my experience wading in fast current up
to my butt is lacking.
No harm no foul. I
had lots of help from Chris Cornetet, our guide, and Stan Cunningham, the bear
and photography expert who organized and led this trip.
There was plenty to see; foxes, eagles, ptarmigan, and
quite a few more photobombing gulls than we wanted. My husband was learning to fly fish so I got
a sort of peripheral education about the fish biodiversity and there was a
moment wading down a long chute when we were herding sockeye in front of us as
we walked and they got thick enough that we couldn't see the bottom.
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| Landing |
Each day we set out in a seven passenger De Havilland
Beaver. I remember having a conversation with a group of photographer friends
once about the way modes of transportation can epitomize place; cable cars in
San Francisco or gondolas in Venice.
Alaska's is airborne, specifically these 60-year-old lovingly maintained
float planes. Alaska artist
Jon Van Zyle says "flying feels as natural to
Alaskans as driving does to most other people." During my first trip to
Alaska I thought these flights would be no more than a means to an end, but I
was mistaken.
I adored the overview of
the landscape as well as the chance to see bears and moose from above.
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| Sow swimming, Katmai NP. She seems to have porcupine quills in her nose. |
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The trip, though, was really all about bears.
I did a very similar expedition four years
ago with Stan.
We had a great time, and
the grizzlies seemed to be everywhere.
We spent a bit more time waiting and hoping during this trip, sometimes
hanging out in the wind-battered wilderness waiting for hours and once in one
of the infamous "bear jams" (think traffic jam, not toast topping) at
Brooks Camp.
2 1/2 hours waiting to
cross a bridge because a sow and cubs were sleeping close by.
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| A sequence of images of a boar fishing. Katmai NP, AK |
There were moments, though, especially on day 4 after a
three-mile jaunt through creeks (these watercourses would certainly be called
RIVERS at home) and over tundra.
We
found four adult bears fishing; charging through the creek after salmon and as
if that weren't enough, a sow with two cubs downstream.
There was no cooling our heels on what we
called "Tundra Tuesday," and we all came back to the lodge giddy with
our photographic success.
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| Sow and two cubs, Katmai NP, AK |
And there were more cubs! One day at Margot Creek we were
standing in the water when a sow brought her two cubs and parked them on the
beach while she swung around us, presumably to fish.
We had nowhere to go, and Stan explained that
sows are particularly fearful of boars, who often kill cubs, and will drop off
the young close enough to humans to discourage the big males.
I suppose getting between mom and babies is
less dangerous when it's her choice, but our guide was vigilant and we were all
more comfortable when they moved on.
More images from this adventure are at the end of the
Wildlife Gallery on the website.
