BEARS! Our main theme of the trip continued today. We have had great experiences throughout the trip with multiple bear sightings and today added onto this. As we pulled into our morning anchorage, multiple bears were spotted on shore. This did not slow us down and we still went ashore because these bears are way more interested in salmon than us.
Approaching a waterfall filled with salmon, many of us quickly got to experience brown bears catching fish. Throughout the morning, various bears came and went from the stream. The buffet was open, everyone knew it, and we watched the procession. Each bear seemed to have a different technique. Some would choose a shallow spot and chase the fish, at times becoming picky and discarding fish they didn’t want. Others worked into the falls themselves, catching fish as they attempted to jump to the lake above. And finally, one skittish bear plunged deep into a pool filled with fish. Coming up with a large male pink salmon, it quickly ran off into the woods. It was an incredible morning and a fascinating experience to spend our time at the salmon buffet.
In the afternoon, it was time to start heading towards Sitka. On the way, we found another mother with two cubs of the year feeding in the intertidal zone. We approached slowly and watched as the little cubs and mother were feeding on an algae line. Very cute, the two were a treat to watch running, eating, and play fighting with each other. Our last stop of the day was a sheltered bay with spectacular scenery. Here, we spotted our last bear of the day. This final bear was feeding in a grassy area and fairly quickly disappeared into the woods, but was another interesting encounter.
We have had an epic week filled with calving glaciers, humpbacks and orca, massive mountains, sunshine, and rain. For me, the abundance of brown bears including 10 cubs of the year show what a special place Southeast Alaska is.
