Lake Clark, Alaska
Fear is excess baggage…
…and over the fifty pound weight limit.
Two bush planes delivered our small group to the beach landing area near Silver Salmon Creek Lodge on the edge of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve for a six-day photography workshop led by the eminent photographer, Lewis Kemper. It is an image-rich environment but our main objective was bears.
The Park is a little over four million acres - time and distance are difficult concepts with human "benchmarks" so far apart and limited travel options.
The Lodge is isolated and self-sustaining but is only occupied for the five months without snow.
Transportation was ATV “trailer taxi” which efficiently took us over the river and through the woods. The culinary staff provided "five star" meals that were augmented by garden-to-table from their own garden.
The few humans peacefully coexist with the bears because we don't take up enough real estate to concern them and nobody has bothered them for generations.
They amused us when they became curious and poked around the grounds.
But most of our viewing time was spent observing them in their environment in the wilderness around us....
Tubers in the land, fish from the river, clams from the surf - everything to make a hungry bear happy…
....especially since the salad bar is included.
An eagle found his fish in the same river.
One person in our group took a try at a more conventional form of fishing in the very same river - she was just instructed to defer to the the bear in a question of possession.
Dave was our intrepid guide with ten years of experience tracking bears. He knew their patterns and personalities and could anticipate their probable locations.
He always carried bear spray as a precaution but he said he has never had a need to even think about using it. The bears don’t think of us as predators or prey.
The bears seemed to have travel routines and ignored anything inedible.
An occasional one would surprise you when you weren’t paying attention.
“Pardon me, folks. Just passing through.”
Dave found us a “sow” with three cubs strolling along the beach.
He figured that she was heading to a nearby meadow so we circled around to wait for her on the other side.
Mom has much work to do. She has the cubs for two years.
She has to nurse them and teach them to forage on their own when they are weaned. In the meantime, she has to watch out for the adult males who would kill the cubs in order to mate.
But she relaxed in our presence. She knew her cubs were safe from us despite our desire to take one home.
We also provided some extra surveillance security.
And the cubs were curious - as they should be.
The cubs would stand up on their hind feet to get a better view but they were still working on balance - hence the “boogie bear” dance.
The “juveniles” have left mom and spend three to five years hanging out together. First they eat.
After a big meal, you take a little siesta and work on your tan.
Then it’s time to run and play.
When the juveniles are not eating, sleeping or running, they are wrestling. We watched one match go on for over an hour. This is practice for the future when the contest will be serious and they will be vying for territory or a mate.
This is the quintessential juvenile bear.
Captain Dave…
…was his title for the day as he piloted us up the coast to Duck Island. It is a nesting island about the size of a couple football fields and the home for a variety of birds - but we didn’t see any ducks.
We drifted in slowly and quietly disembarked so as not to disturb the inhabitants.
We stood motionless for a few minutes and then spread out along the beach.
Every group had its own little “neighborhood”. The Murres preferred the high-ground with the penthouse view.
There were a few Gulls around….
They were active and animated but such is their nature.
Although common in many locations they commanded special attention in this environment.
But the main attraction on this island is the Horned Puffins.
Abundant on the island due to the lack of predators…
…they are esentially cave dwellers.
They burrow their nest deep into the hillside.
In the air they appear rather awkward but underwater they can swim like fighter jets as they collect fish.
After an hour or so, we left so as not to overstay our welcome.
Dave steered into the channel to show us the Puffins’ fishing grounds. He pointed us in the right direction but he couldn’t do much about up and down. 400mm lens, handheld, in a rolling earthquake is a challenge.
Their most fascinating maneuver is the takeoff. They have to get a “paddlewheel” running start in order to get airborne. Dave managed to position the boat so that I could get a “launch” sequence.
As a bonus, while tracking the puffins, I caught a glimps of the elusive Parakeet Auklet. It will nest in small numbers in remote rocky cliffs but they spend most of their life at sea.
I also got a fleeting glimpse of a Tufted Puffin which is less common in this area.
Our bobbing platform returns. A long but worthwhile trip.
A fox wandered by, consumed some sort of field creature, licked its lips and wandered off again. This naturally svelte breed had the same lack of concern about our presence as the bears.
Our most photogenic encounter was this young adult that grazed his way through a fireweed field near the beach. We were standing near our transport when he plowed his way through the foliage. He needed a napkin.
He stuck his head up in a moment of curiosity and promptly went back to consuming.
After a sufficient quantity of roots and tubers, he barged his way through our group and headed to the beach for a course of clams.
Lake Clark is an alternate reality. It is special enough to warrant two lines on your “bucket list”.
I think the bears pretended to ignore us but they are really awaiting our return…
….THANKS FOR THE LOOK1