Looking for Bears

Tuesday 8-16-2011
Arrived at the Bear Viewing Platform about 7:00 a.m. While we stood in the rain focusing on the creek hoping for a sighting, a Golden Eagle soared down the creek chasing and scattering all the gulls that had been dining on leftover fish carcasses strewn on the banks.  He landed in a tall Sitka Pine near the top where he kept a watchful eye on his/her surroundings.

Golden Eagle-Eye

 It was there a very long time.  I kept watch hoping to get a better picture of it, maybe even in flight, but people were starting conversations and while we were talking, the Eagle took flight.  DRAT - Missed the photo op!

Then it happened!  "Jaws", the 800 lb male Grissly wandered into view at 9:00 a.m. making his way slowly up the creek.  He was aptly named because of his drooping lip as a result of fighting.  I would not have wanted to run into the bear that won that fight.  It was fun to watch him fish.  We watched for a half hour until he turned and went back into the trees and disappeared.





"Jaws" showing his good side - the drooping lip






"Jaws" with 30# Chum Salmon

 By this time, we were drenched, even in our rain gear.  The rain came down steadily as rain does in a rain forest, dripping off the canopy of the very old Sitka Pines that line the boardwalk.  Have you ever been in a rain forest to hear the rain? or listened to it on a sound machine?  There is something very soothing about it, very rarely any lightning or thunder.



Bear Viewing Platform

 We went back to our cabin to change rain coats and went for a late breakfast at the Glacier Inn in Hyder, which happens to be a bar/gift shop/restaurant.  Since we want to have seafood while in Alaska, I opted for the Seafood Omelet and wasn't disappointed with the generous portions of crab, shrimp, tomatoes, green onions and a hollandaise sauce covering it all.  Served with it was thick sliced homemade bread (baked fresh daily) toasted, roasted red skinned potatoes lightly seasoned and two large very sweet orange wedges.  Mmmmmmm good!!! Gary ordered a Seafood Dredge which was like Eggs Benedict without the ham, but with generous portions of shrimp, tomatoes and dredged in the wonderful hollandaise sauce with the same sides.  Along with that was numerous cups of really good coffee.  My mouth is watering all over again.  It's not like we never eat!  LOL

We returned to our cabin after breakfast.  I went to the laundromat/restrooms/showers (for the campers) to work on the blog. I was told the signal would be much stronger there.  Technically, it was.... signal strength went from "very low" to "low".  Oh joy! like that was going to help  HA!  Loading the pictures was impossible no matter where I was.  I think I could have been sitting on the satellite dish and would still have problems.  Do you think it's the fact Hyder sits in a narrow strip between two mountains? and everyone in Hyder was on the Internet?  lol  Oh well, will just have to wait until we have "normal" Internet access.

While I was in the laundromat, I talked with several people going in and out.  One young man recently graduated from college and was on a motorcycle biking trip.  He started in Florida at his Mom's, traveled to the state of Washington, then rode up around the Northwest Territories, coming back down and landed in Hyder.  From here he's going to go visit friends in Washington, then traveling across the north through the U.P. of Michigan where he will go back up into Canada touring.  He expects to return to see his Mom sometime in November.  I asked him if he was keeping in contact with her, especially since he was all she has. He told me he bought a satellite tracking device where she can find out where he is.  He bought that because so many times he has no cell service or Internet.  He's a good son!  :) He eventually wants to settle in the Northwest and work in Forestry.  He was very interesting to talk with and was so polite.  His Mom would be proud.  :)

We went back to the boardwalk later in the afternoon about 3:45.  More success! Yea! We stood in the falling rain an hour and 45 min again focusing on the creek as we kept staring at where we thought he would  appear like if we stared hard and long enough the bear would just appear.  Well, apparently that worked because "Jaws" appeared again making his way up the creek ever so slowly, when he got spooked because of all the truck traffic coming down the mountain from the Gold Mine (which by the way is booming) above Salmon Glacier.  Salmon Glacier is more than 30 miles up the mountain.  It is a treacherous road - sign at the bottom states: "Travel At Your Own Risk".  We did that trek on a previous trip... outstanding views of the glacier though. Well worth the harrowing trip!

Anyway, back to the bear. We continued to vigilantly stand and watch and wait for another bear appearance.  It was worth it because he showed up again.  He would appear and disappear hunting for Salmon along the creek bank working his way through the overhanging tag alders.  Even when we couldn't see the bear, we knew where he was by the movement of the alders.  When we thought he wouldn't return, we decided to leave.  It was 6:30.

 Much to our surprise, as we were walking along on the the other end of the boardwalk, a 300 lb. male black bear was coming from the other direction.  We watched him searching the bank for previous Grissly catches.  He wanted the easy stuff.  Sometimes when Grizzlies have plenty of food, they will only eat the eggs and brains and discard the rest of the fish.  He found that easy "catch" under the boardwalk and waddled off into the brush and forest to feast.

Under the Boardwalk Bear with his "catch"

Plenty of Chum Salmon to go around

By now, we were starvin' marvins' and continued on our way to return to the cabin to change clothes and hang up the rain gear to dry.  We went back into Stewart, passing through the Canadian Border Crossing patiently answering all the usual questions as he studies our passports:  name? where do you live? why are you here? where are you staying? how long have you been in Alaska? where are you headed? any weapons or bear spray on board?, etc.

Pizza sounded good so we ate at the Silverado Cafe & Pizza.  We ate until we were overly stuffed (not wise) and headed back to our home away from home.
We showered , then savored our day.  Sigh..... another great day in the Tongass National Forest! :)

Blue skies and sunny days.......