Our welcoming party to Katmai - after deboarding our boat, we were taken to a bear safety orientation. The rangers told us they haven't seen bears all week... and then this family showed up! With Lake Naknek in the background, this picture shows a mother and cub, and her adopted cub. This is a rare occurance, and only the second time ever documented at Katmai.
View of Lake Naknek from atop Dumpling Mountain.
The famed "Brooks Falls." In the height of salmon runs, there could be up to 30 brown bears surrounding the waterfall, with webcams broadcasting the spectacle. We were a bit early... and the anticipation for the salmon run and the accompanying bears was palpable.
Common Eider sitting below Brooks Falls. Without brown bears, bird watching filled our time.
Mt. Kelez and the Brooks Camp from atop Dumpling Mountain.
Big Man on Campus. This male brown bear was patrolling the beach of Lake Naknek, following the pheromones of a sow and her cubs. Male brown bears will kill cubs to send the sows into heat.
This mother (Bear 901) and her three newborn cubs were spotted along the shore of Lake Naknek near Brooks Camp throughout our week at Katmai. To avoid the dangerous male brown bears, sows will keep her cubs near humans to deter the large males.
A mother brown bear (901) catches a snack in the tall grasses, and her cubs beg for her to share.
Brooks Lake - the weather in Southwest Alaska was consistently overcast and rainy.
Backpacking through Katmai's wilderness.
River crossing in the backcountry, which required wading in rushing water past our knees.
View of the Buttress Range before entering the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.
Hiking on the historic volcanic eruption of Mt. Katmai. Although known for its brown bear population, Katmai National Park was established to preserve the site of the Novarupta eruption.
Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, and clouded view of Mt. Katmai.
Grace and I in the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.
Bear 901 attempts to teach her cubs to swim before fishing for salmon near Brooks Falls. The cubs were not having it!
Bear 901 and her cubs sprint along the beach, startled by an onlooker.
Green Algae growing on a tree in Katmai National Park.
A bald eagle stands perched above Brooks Camp, lit by the late-evening glow of the Solstice Sun.