Lake Clark National Park, Alaska

After I visited Katmai National Park in Alaska, I was ready for a break. Back in Anchorage for one quick night, then I was up in the air the next morning, heading to Port Alsworth and Lake Clark National Park. The view of the river and the clouds are the first notable things I saw on the trip.

That would be me, smiling for the guy behind me who was not supposed to be taking my picture, but a picture of the river below! I had so much fun looking out my little window, and didn't even get sick!

We flew through Lake Clark Pass, one of the prettiest flights I have ever taken! From my little window I saw, glaciers, snow covered peaks, turquoise lakes, and green cliffs.

This glacier was outstanding!

As usual the clouds and rain were ever present, creating dramatic lighting for the photos.

We landed right near the lake in Pt. Alsworth on the 4th of July! Boats and planes lined the lake shore, but there were no fireworks, flags or decorations. I was startled by how small Pt. Alsworth was. It was basically just a gravel airstrip for the planes, one lodge, a post office, a church, the NPS Visitor Center and a food truck that made hamburgers and milkshakes. 

One  of the guys that worked for Lake Clark Air volunteered to take me and my purple suitcase about a mile down the airstrip to Dry Creek. Across that creek was where my campsite was. He dropped me off and I was left looking at that tiny little footbridge over a very wet creek and wondering how I would ever get across. I eventually pushed the suitcase ahead of me and very slowly walked and pushed, walked and pushed, trying not to look down until I reached the other side. I nearly had a heart attack!

Once across the creek, I rolled that purple suitcase down the trail until I found my Tulchina Adventure Camp Hut which was all screened in away from the bugs. You can see it in the picture above, over  in the far left corner. Beth left me plenty of wood, and I could hear the creek, but could not see it. After I set my tent up in the hut, I made some soup, then took a walk down to the beach.

The beach was covered with flowers, driftwood and rocks, just like Katmai was. I loved it and did not see one bear the whole time I was there. Yay!

Beautiful wild rose grew alongside the trees near the water.

Back at Lake Clark,  I sat by the lake, drinking coffee and watching the kids playing in the water. A blue and white float plane took off while I was sitting there. 

Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is one of our most remote National Parks. Not easy to get there! The park and preserve protect 4 million acres on the Alaska peninsula in southwest Alaska. I only had three days to stay there and see only a very tiny piece of the park, but what I saw, I loved!

I stopped by the Lake Clark National Park Visitor Center where they have the Trefon Fish Storage Cache on display. It was built in 1920 by Wassillie Trefon at Miller Creek on Lake Clark and could store 2000 dried salmon for both human and dog consumption. It has been restored and moved to the Visitor Center where people like me can see it and imagine what it was like to live at Lake Clark nearly 100 years ago. Love that sod roof! 

On my second day at Lake Clark I woke up with a raging migraine. I could barely move. All day long I lay in my tent, throwing up into a plastic bag. It rained all day and into the night, so maybe it was a good time to be sick. I couldn't eat one thing, or even take my medication I was so sick. That day and night I was the only one out there, so I was happy no one heard me moaning and groaning. God was merciful, and come morning I woke up happy and well! 

That morning, I had to pack up all my stuff and haul it back to the airport. I still felt so weak I wasn't sure I could navigate that little bridge and walk the mile down the gravel airstrip to the plane. Again, God was merciful, and Beth from Tulchina Adventures found me and packed me up in her ATV and took me down to the creek. She picked up that huge purple suitcase and walked it over the bridge and I meekly followed her, trying not to look down. Then she put me in her truck and drove me to the plane. Wow, thank you Beth! My plane wasn't taking off until 5pm, so I decided to hike to Tanalian Falls. That would be me, ready and willing to hike the trail. 

I passed this old shed on the way up to the Falls, and of course had to take a picture.

The hike was wonderful and it felt good to be out in the woods, singing my trail songs.

Alaska Cotton Grass grew along the trail, and looked so silky smooth flying in the breeze.

The view from the trail overlooks Lake Clark. So pretty!

Near the falls, there was a boardwalk to cross over the meadow. The whole experience reminded me of hiking in the Sierras, near Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite. As a child, my aunt used to take me and my sisters there during the summer, and it soon became one of my most favorite places! That was way back in the 60's and Yosemite was still a wild child.

 As I drew near Tanalian Falls, I could hear the roar of the water as it cascaded down the mountain.

 I got as close as I could get to the water without falling in. It made me so happy that there were no guard rails to stand behind. Made me feel alive and free.

 Looking down the river and listening to the roar of water, I felt such peace.

With one last look, I said goodbye and started walking back down to the lake.

One of my last views of the lake before boarding the plane to go back to Anchorage. Once I reached Anchorage, I had to rent a car and drive up to Fairbanks for the last half of my trip! Goodbye Lake Clark National Park!

Katmai National Park, Alaska

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.