Random Blog Post #1: Bear Encounters

Ever seen a bear before? I have. Only in a zoo – until I went to Alaska. People who have seen bears in captivity often wonder what the big deal is with these animals. They seem lazy and far from being a danger to humans. I remember I used to think to myself how dumb people must be if they actually got attacked by a bear. I was this naive up until the point where I found myself face to face with a twelve-foot grizzly bear in the middle of the Alaskan tundra. I then knew exactly why these creatures are so feared.

We had just arrived in King Salmon, Alaska and were already boarding a small Cessna to fly out to a remote creek in the Katmai National park to fly fish. There were five of us: my dad, grandfather, great uncle, myself, and our guide. Our guide kept repeating himself on bear safety. He made us all carry bear mace and emphasized never leaving the group. I didn’t understand his concern. I figured we would either see or hear the bears coming and just walk the other way.

After we finally arrived at our destination, we began fishing in this open clearing along the stream. Within five minutes of being there, I hear my dad shriek “Bear!” I turned to see a massive animal standing within twenty yards of my dad and I, standing on its’ back legs. We slowly backed away and rejoined the group as the bear watched every movement we made. The bear finally noticed it was outnumbered and retreated back into the brush.

We went on to have ten encounters like that in the few hours we were fishing – each time equally as terrifying. Needless to say, I now have more of an appreciation for bears than I did before. After that trip, it is clear that the bears rule the tundra and not humans.