August 2015
This was the most amazing day I have ever spent. Grizzly Bears in the wild, abundant salmon throughout the streams and so many birds. It's been a dream to walk and sit beside the Grizzly Bears. I didn't want to just see them from a distance, behind a fence, in a vehicle - I wanted to immerse myself in their surroundings. I spent a great deal of time researching how to do this, and was so lucky to come into contact with a Air B&B owner in Homer, Alaska. She recommended Bald Air, a company she personally knew. They were amazing. After a 2 hour flight over such astonishing scenery, we landed via sea plane, in Grizzly Bear country.
As I exited the plane, I was hit by freezing, gusty winds in this remote, desolate but highly stimulating landscape. A quick lesson on how to get to shore without falling into the icy cold water and we were off to find our bears.
As soon as we hit the tundra on top of the hill, I saw these magnificent creatures, fishing for their morning breakfast. As we approached the water where the Grizzly's were feeding, there were masses of dead salmon carcasses floating in the water and washed up on the shore line. I could see the bears grab a live salmon, take a bite and then spit them out. The guide informed me that the bears try to find the freshest salmon to eat and discard those that are about to die (this was the season that the salmon were swimming upstream to mate and die).
Hopefully my pictures will portray the beauty of watching and spending a day with these impressive brown bears.
