Day 32: Katmai National Park

I don’t know how many pictures we took today, but after sorting through and deleting the ones we didn’t want to keep, Jay had 60 and I had 130 left!

The day started with our 8 am flight from Anchorage to Katmai National Park (accessible by boat or plane only) in a 7 passenger floatplane. Jay got to sit in the co-pilot’s seat and had the best views of everything. We all wore headsets to block out the noise and so we could communicate with each other. Flying in a floatplane was a new experience. The takeoff was surprisingly smooth. The 2.5 hour flight to Katmai was definitely long, but we flew at a relatively low altitude, not a cloud in the sky, and the views were wonderful, so that helped pass the time. We flew along the coast, past active volcano 10,200 ft. Mount Redoubt and inactive volcano 10,000 ft. Mount Iliamna, both in Lake Clark National Park and part of the Aleutian Range, then past 7,000+ ft Mt. Douglass and Mt. Denison, in Katmai. The plane’s landing on Naknek Lake was so smooth; I didn’t even realize we had touched down! We taxied to the beach and the pilot got out and pulled the plane to shore, just like you would a boat.

When we stepped onto the beach, we saw a sow with her three cubs on the beach, about 150 yards away. We stopped to watch as the cubs played. Then they started heading our way, so we quickly turned and went in the opposite direction, towards the Visitor Center in the Brooks Camp area. This turned out to be a good choice. As we looked back, within minutes, the bears were right by our plane!

As soon as we reached Brooks Camp we put all the food that we had in the designated food cache. Besides food, that included anything with a scent: perfume, chap stick, wrappers, gum, bug spray, or beverages other than water.

Next we attended the required bear orientation put on by the park ranger. We were told to stay at least 50 yds from a bear, stay in groups and to make noise while walking so as not to surprise the bear. If the bear knows you are coming it will probably go a different way. If we should encounter a bear: don’t run (may think you are prey), don’t look the bear in the eyes (may think you are challenging it). Instead, just speak to it calmly and slowly back away. Then we got a pin to wear to identify us as having attended the orientation.

Safety is paramount. There are two viewing platforms. You must cross a floating bridge to get to the viewing platforms. Since the bridge is not a designated safe viewing platform, if bears are within 50 yds of the bridge, you are not allowed cross the bridge. Sure enough, as we made our way up the path towards the bridge we were met by a group of people walking towards us. The ranger was pushing everyone back, since a bear was coming near the path. We waited with the others for about 25 minutes and then our pilot had an idea. We got back in the plane, flew to Brooks Lake, on the other side of the platforms and hiked about 1 mile to the platforms, thus avoiding the bridge.

We spent one hour watching the bears from the lower platform. It’s hard to say how many bears we saw in total because some would come and others would leave, but there were about 5 or so at a time.

When it was our turn, we moved to the platform by Brooks Falls (only 40 people are allowed on the platform at a time, with a one hour viewing limit.) This was the best spot to watch the bears up close. This time of year the salmon were just starting to run, so the bears were by the falls to do some “fishing”. Again, the bears would come and go, but here we saw 7 or so at a time. Some came very close, just 10 or 15 feet away. All the bears in the park are brown bears. They range in color from blonde to very dark brown: from cubs still with their mother to older bears. Some sat patiently staring at the water, waiting to catch a fish. It reminded me of how a Great Blue Heron will wait and wait for a fish. Others put their faces in the water and walked about searching for a fish underwater. The bears were very territorial and chased other bears away if they got too close. Watching the bears so close, in their natural habitat was amazing.

After our viewing time was up, we hiked back to the plane and flew to the other side to have lunch. We recovered our lunches from the cache and ate in the picnic area. It was a small area, with maybe 6 picnic tables, all enclosed by an electric fence to keep out the bears. It reminded me of the scene in Jurassic Park where they set up an electrified perimeter to protect them from the dinosaurs.

Then it was time for the flight home. I have to say, I was not looking forward to the long flight back. It started off okay, but it wasn’t long before our pilot offered to give us an extra treat by flying not around the mountain range, but OVER the mountains. Ugh. I did not want to be the party pooper, so I went along with the plan. We flew much higher and the ride was a little bumpier than I would have liked. I had two medals along with me: Saint Christopher (guardian of safe travel) and Our Lady of Loretto (patroness of air travelers), but that wasn’t enough to calm my nerves. We flew over several glaciers, sapphire blue lakes high in the mountains, and topography that looked other worldly. I was a wreck at the time, but once we were safely landed, I could appreciate the experience. On the other hand, Jay LOVED the flight. He thought flying over Lake Clark, through the valley between the high peaks, and then almost as high as the tallest peak was breathtaking. Wherever he looked he thought it was beautiful!

Best day of our journey so far!