Tag: Bears

Homer to Seldovia, Alaska: A whale of a trip across Kachemak Bay

Kachemak Bay, Alaska
Gull Island, with the Kenai Mountains as a backdrop

In a recent post, we talked about our trip to Seldovia, a remote town that can only be reached by air or water.  There are several options for getting there, and we chose the Seldovia Wildlife Tour, a sightseeing excursion with Rainbow Tours.

This boat tour, which was seven hours round-trip from Homer to Seldovia and back, took us across Kachemak Bay, an incredibly rich habitat that supports many wildlife species, from sea birds to sea otters, seals, and porpoise as well as whales.  And the view—of the glacier-carved Kenai Mountains—is spectacular.

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Katmai National Park: Bear 410, queen of the bear jam

Brooks Camp, Bear 410
Sleeping beauty

No blog series about the bears of Katmai would be complete without a profile of 410.

Any bear at Brooks Camp has the capacity to cause a human traffic jam (see our recent post), but Bear 410 (nicknamed “Four Ton” because she’s one of the largest females in the park) goes above and beyond.  So renowned is her ability to shut things down that she’s been called “queen of the bear jams.” Continue reading “Katmai National Park: Bear 410, queen of the bear jam”

Katmai National Park: Brooks Camp bear jams

What they are, and how to survive ’em

Brooks Camp, bears at the Point
Bears at the Point, (probably) unaware of the disruption they’re causing
“Point, you’re going to want to retreat; Point, you need to retreat.”

During the day, park rangers stood sentry at various places throughout Brooks Camp, monitoring bear activity and sharing details with one another via radio.  We were on the Lower River Platform, and the ranger had his binoculars trained on a spot across the Brooks River known as the Point.  He was letting his counterpart know that a bear was headed their way.

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Katmai National Park’s Zen Momma: 409 Beadnose and her cubs

We stood on the Lower River Platform one afternoon and watched a family of bears for some time.  The mama, a beautiful sow with blonde ears and a distinctive, upturned nose, occasionally lifted her head to check her surroundings and then returned to napping.  One of her cubs lay beside her.

The other cub, however, had no intention of taking an afternoon nap.

Katmai National Park--Beadnose and cubs
Mom. Mom. Look at me. Mo-om.

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Katmai National Park: Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes

Hey, Otis, it wasn’t always about you.

Katmai National Park is known for its brown bears, but the origins of the park are centered around something entirely different, an event you’ve probably never heard of even though it was one of the most significant geological occurrences of last century.

I’m referring to the volcano Novarupta, which erupted in 1912.  As part of our visit to Brooks Camp, we took a tour to the site of the devastation, a place now known as the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.  We also learned a great deal about the most powerful volcanic eruption of the 2oth century.

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Katmai National Park: Bear fight!

151 Walker and 503 play fighting

“Oh, sounds!”

It was September 9, and we were on the Brooks Falls Platform, where two Katmai Park Rangers, Dave and Becca, were broadcasting a “Play-by-Play” streaming video for the Bear Cams audience, with Becca narrating the activity.  Dale and I were listening as well, hoping to learn a little more about Brooks Falls bears.

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Katmai National Park’s Otis the bear: Celebrity, tough guy, and ambassador

Brooks Falls bear--Otis

It doesn’t take long to figure out why Bear 480—better known as Otis—is one of Katmai’s most popular bears, a celebrity on the Explore.org Bear Cams and a reason why people make the trip to Katmai National Park.

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Katmai National Park: My favorite bear

A look at the bear that stole my heart

Brooks Falls bears
My favorite bear (left), in her favorite spot, at the lip of Brooks Falls

 

“That girl’s gonna be the first female president,” I said, and Dale laughed.  He understood what I was talking about.

We were on the Brooks Falls platform, observing the bears.  The falls provide the best fishing on the river, and, while the occasional mom and cubs passed through, the area was dominated by big boars.  Amidst all of them, however, stood a little female, waiting patiently at the lip as the salmon jumped around her.   Continue reading “Katmai National Park: My favorite bear”

Katmai National Park: Alaska’s coastal brown bears

 

Bear 410 (“Four Ton”) doing what she does best—sleep

At first glance, bears may seem, well, lazy.  They eat, they sleep, they play…and that’s about it.  It’s quite a lifestyle they enjoy.

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