August 5, 2010

Wow! We saw the bear today! After work and dinner we drove to the salmon stream at Dyea Flats. As we drove up we saw a few people standing together, looking towards the stream. They said a bear had been there a few minutes ago before moving upstream. So we drove a bit further upstream to where another family was standing by the stream. The stream is set a little lower than the fields around it, so you can’t see it without standing right on the banks. As we walked towards the family, we heard splashing. I thought it must be the spawning salmon that were splashing about, because surely they wouldn’t be standing by the stream if there was a bear right there. But then I saw a pair of furry ears through the tall grass!



















He was on our side of the stream, probably about 120 feet from us. And just like that, I got scared. We were a long way from the car and it’s a lot different to be standing near a bear in a field, instead of watching it from a closed car. Randy and I quickly and quietly walked away and downstream. When we were about 300-350 feet away, we found a place where we could clearly see the stream. The bear was a juvenile, 3 or 4 years old. He splashed around a bit and caught a salmon without too much trouble, then walked up the bank and sat down to eat it. We watched him for a while and I got a few pictures - not too clear, but that was as close as I planned to get. This was such an amazing experience - can't wait to go back!