Another day here in the temperate rain forest of Southeast Alaska once again brought... sunny skies. An entire week of sunshine with no rain is incredibly unusual for here, but we certainly enjoyed it. We once again hiked, kayaked, and did scenic cruising. Again, we were surrounded by tall peaks, thick forests, and abundant wildlife. Dall’s porpoises played off the bow, bald eagles flew overhead, and red paintbrush flowers carpeted the floor. Our certain highlight of the day, however, was the bear action in the morning!
Salmon are the food for many, many things in this ecosystem. Streams with healthy salmon populations are a mecca for wildlife. We visited a gorgeous waterfall with abundant pink and chum salmon, and we waited... Within just a few minutes of arriving, our first bear walked out of the forest. We watched, enthralled, as this brown bear caught salmon after salmon. After trying to hide at the edge of the woods for a few minutes to devour a female pink salmon, the bear returned and tried a new technique. It went into a deeper part of the stream; put its head and front paws under, and came up with a large chum salmon. It then proceeded to walk along in front of everyone, proudly showing off lunch and disappearing into the woods.
After only a few more minutes of waiting, a different bear emerged, and impressed us as well with its ability to catch salmon. After catching a few fish down lower, the bear changed tactics and went up to the falls. Quickly grabbing a fish at the base, it then walked up the falls, and finished off its meal standing in the top of the falls. What a dining room! From there, it wandered off into the forest and it was time for us to return “home.”
This week, we enjoyed the best of Southeast Alaska. With the greatest weather you could ever dream of, and enjoying wildlife as diverse as a wolf, orca, porcupine, yellow-billed loon, bears, countless humpback whales, and river otters, it does not get any better than this!
