A Grizzly Experience

It was a bright and sunny Saturday morning when Tina and Chris Fuller called and invited us out for a day of island exploration. It didn’t take me two seconds to reply an enthusiastic, “yes!” We gathered the gear, snacks, and camera for the trip. As I sat in the car, ready to go, I felt like a kid on the way to Disneyland.

Tina is the Kindergarten through 2nd grade teacher. Her husband, Chris, is a retired engineer and has the joy of being a stay-at-home Dad. H spends his day taking care of 10 month old Even and loves every minute of it. Chris also is a great photographer and has captured many amazing shots of Alaskan wildlife and landscapes. Also along with us for the trip, was Renee Hewitt; the recently hired counselor for the school.

Only 30 minutes after the excursion began we were rewarded with an exciting bear sighting. We stood on a small wooden bridge and watched the Grizzly wade trough the water. The stream was full of fish and this beauty was slapping the water with his clawed paws, finding his favorite Coho to gobble. Another gentleman had stopped on the bridge to watch the bear. He had been there for over an hour carefully observing the bear go from one end of the river bed to the other. She showed Andrew the grassy spot where the bear feasted on his kills. The muddy bodies still remain but the fish heads were taken as a bear snack.

The bear sauntered out of sight and we moved hopped back in the truck; all thrilled with seeing our first Grizzly.

This is a view from the roadside, on our way to the next stop.

We arrived at small side road where a little pathway was in view. Chris, carrying his own gun, also armed Steve with a rifle; just in case hostel bear encounter occurred. Tina, Mom and baby Evan stayed behind in the safety of their car. We quietly and slowly walked down the path. Thick huckleberry bushes, fireweed, mushrooms, ferns and tall pines gave adequate refuge for all forest creatures…no matter how big. Chris stepped a few yards ahead of us scouting for smells or signs of a bear. Many of the berry bushes had been picked clean and the evidence of who did the picking was in the bear scat we spotted on the path.

Once we reached the stream, no bear were in sight. Renee was relieved and I was just happy to see a new and beautiful spot of our island.

Our next stop was False Bay. It was lovely. The beach was clean and the water, clear. By the rocky edge of the shore the water gave off a translucent turquoise glow. We lunched and laughed and strained to list on one hand places that were prettier than this.

We ventured next to Wukulook Trail. Supposedly this area is highly populated by bear. We didn’t see a one, but we sure had fun looking.

Our outing was so much fun. I loved seeing the island, the excitement of seeing and looking for bear and being with family and friends, made for a great experience.
I say we do it all again tomorrow….wha'do ya think?