The float plane I took to Katmai National Park was a first for me! I just came back from a two week solo trip to Alaska and visited 4 National Parks, took 13 airplane flights, got umpteen mosquito bites, was scared by bears and awed by the magnificent beauty of the Alaska wilderness.
The beach at Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park is littered with moose antlers, driftwood and rocks. My kind of place.
The campground I stayed in on Katmai was surrounded by an electric fence. You can see it in the picture above. Every time I opened the gate I pictured myself getting fried by electricity. But it is a deterrent to bears coming into the campground. It can't stop them, just deter them.
My faithful orange tent that has been on so many camping trips with me. All the campers were required to keep all food in a secure bear proof building, propane in a metal shed and gear in another building. All we could have at our campsite was a tent. Kind of hard to eat, as you can only eat in the enclosed eating areas. I did lose a few pounds on this trip.
Purple flowers grew all throughout the campground and made me happy every time I walked by.
A lot of people fish up in Alaska, and I think that some of the guys who come up there and work are there just to fish. At one point I saw four rangers in the water at one time!
Brown bears, formerly known as Grizzly Bears, are everywhere in Katmai. They are on the beach, on the trails, in the waterfalls, in the ponds, in the marsh, and running through the trails to the lodge and campground.
This little bear was an offspring of Blondie, the big bear above and below. Everyone loved her and her cubs. They look so cute and cuddly, but believe me you do not want to mess with them.
My favorite picture of Blondie and cubs, taken from the viewing platform at Brooks Falls.
Every day on Katmai, I walked on the beach outside my campground. So many different colors in the sky, and so many amazing rocks and driftwood upon the shore. Quite of few of the rocks are pumice, from the volcanic activity in the surrounding area. It rained every day, sometimes not until I was in my tent at night. I love cloudy skies, so it made me happy. Except when I had to set up or take down my tent in the rain. That made me unhappy.
The round fireplace at the Brooks Lodge was a place of comfort for me. I ate most of my lunches at the lodge and could go there any time I wanted to sit around the fire and meet people. Great place to get out of the rain and cold, and to get away from my tent.
Up at Brooks Falls there is a lot of bear activity. Bears fight for the best fishing spots and the smaller bears back away when the boss comes around. These two were at each other, growling, opening their mouths, heads down, heads up, until finally in one split second they were at each other. It was actually very frightening to be there watching this explode.
On a more peaceful note, this was what I enjoyed the most about Katmai. Peaceful walks along the beach until a bear turned up, and then I had to quickly exit.
Brown bears stand in the cold water patiently waiting to catch a fish. A brutal, gory sight when they did catch one. It was amazing that I went there day after day, just to see this drama play itself out. Sort of a guy thing, but there I was with the best of them.
Salmon spend most of their lives in the ocean, but when it is time to reproduce, they head into the freshwater streams and up the rivers to reach their spawning ground. At Brooks Falls, where this female bear is fishing, the salmon have to jump up the falls before they can continue upstream. This is where the bears congregate. This female was smaller than the big males, and chose to stand on the ridge away from the boys, in order to fish. She stood there for quite some time, occasionally swatting at the fish. Finally she caught one!
She ripped that salmon open right there in the river.
This bear was standing up to look around when I caught sight of the deep red slashes on his chest, the result of a recent fight.
A mother Merganser, a fish eating duck, is followed by her numerous offspring. At one point a few of the babies hopped on her back, but she quickly shooed them off.
I shivered when I saw the brown bear tracks on the beach. So scary for me.
Just look at these claws! Able to rip you in pieces in a heartbeat.
This was another one of my favorite bears. He was very successful at fishing and seemed to always have a fish in his mouth.
Whenever a bear caught a fish, seagulls flocked to the site to get some of the bloody bits. One afternoon a bald eagle flew in to get some scraps, but the seagulls screeched and together they chased it off. Poor little eagle.
That would be me, on the bear viewing platform, smiling as the very handsome young ranger took my picture. I should have been taking his picture! All in all I am glad I went to Alaska, even though it scared the crap out of me. Some things need to be done, and for me that was one of them. This trip brought me to 58 National Parks that I have camped in and visited! There used to be 59, which only left me American Samoa National Park to see next year. But in February our president signed in another National Park, Gateway Arch National Park in Missouri. Another road trip is being planned......later this year? Anyway, a special thanks to our God and Father, who has kept me safe, brought me home alive, and as always, is my constant companion.