"Milkshake" and Her Cubs

It was my first time for sighting brown bears. We were walking around the bushes and had almost arrived at a pond when a young female ranger stopped another group of hikers. Just ahead was a mother brown bear with three cubs fishing salmon. The ranger told us all to move away as the mother climbed up the riverbank with a fish in her mouth. By now we were about 80 yards away from the bears. The four bears started gingerly walking toward us. The mother bear was still carrying her fresh catch of salmon and was followed by the three cubs.

Dominant Bear "Bibi"

Suddenly the mother bear rushed toward us. The trail was narrow, but straight. One young woman screamed and began to run. Soon we were all scrambling madly. The young ranger was screaming something, while running with us. I was behind the other hikers and hid with my camera equipment behind bushes. In a flash, four dark objects dashed several feet away in front of me. This was my first encounter with bears at Katmai.

Upon arriving at Brooks Camp located within the park, everyone must take a bear safety class at the ranger station. "If you see bears, don't look in their eyes and do give up the trail to them," "While walking in the woods, always make noise and let them know of your presence, and don't surprise them." "The bear with cubs is dangerous; stay more than 80 yards away from them," "Do not carry food, only water." The main rule is to show respect while moving away from them. The crash course did not prepare anyone for a bear's sudden rush. Even the experienced ranger panicked and acted like the rest of us. This place is bear's territory. The mother bear with hungry cubs thought that human beings were invading her territory. Now I realized that having a real encounter with nature had taught more than the classroom about the behavior of bears.

Catching Salmon

Katmai National Park is located southwest of Anchorage. The park is about the same size as Akita Prefecture, Japan. It has no ground transportation. The only way to reach this place is by seaplane from either Anchorage or Homer. This reduces the human presence and preserves the brown bear's habitat, especially within the park where they are fully protected. Here bears have priority over people.

At the end of June, when thousands of salmon return for their annual trip up Brooks River, bears come down from the mountains. Until then their main diet has consisted of grass and berries. Waterfall pools are the best places for salmon fishing. Visitors gather at a nearby platform to watch the bears catching fish at the falls or in the river. But visitors cannot fish freely like the bears. Under the "catch and release" rule of sports fishing, a fisherman can take away only one salmon per day from this river.

These brown bears differ from grizzly bears living in mountains like those in the Denali National Park in Alaska. People tend to think that grizzly bears are larger than brown ones. But in reality the brown bears are bigger especially if they live near the seacoast and can eat a lot of nutritious salmon.

Air Taxi

Because brown bears hibernate and do not eat for one-half of a year, the other half is essential for their survival. That's why in the summer time they gorge themselves eating salmon with protein-rich eggs. Their bodies are in excellent condition and their fur is shiny. When beginning its annual hibernation, the average bear weighs almost 100 pounds more than in early spring.

Brooks Camp has one lodge and campsite and by the high season in July reservations have often been booked for two years. Even the campsite is fully reserved by January. It is very difficult to find overnight lodging within the park. That's why most visitors stay at the motel in King Salmon and commute by air taxi (hydroplane) from there. Luckily I managed to stay north of the park at Kulick Lodge next to Nonvianuk Lake. This lodge is called the fisherman's paradise.

Best Fishing Place

It was a really exceptional place to enjoy fully Alaska's pristine nature. In summer the night descends around 1 AM, while the "white midnight sun" continues to shine. Four hours later the sun rises again. The sun welcomed me in this way on the day of my arrival with an elderly mother and daughter from California who also wanted to see the bears. Our pilot Ed lives in Florida during the winter and works here only in summer time. Similarly the cook, Jim, and the tour guide, Wayne, work only in the summer. They are so-called "Alaskaholics."

When Ed's plane took off with a bit of splash from Kulick Lodge to Brooks Falls, everyone beamed all smiles. Below us were endless miles of trees. Moose were busy eating their breakfast moss, and looked up briefly before putting again their faces into the water. Ed avoided the clouds by flying low in the valleys. The mountains were still capped with brownish colored snow. Soon we saw Lake Naknek reflecting the morning sun. The plane landed at Brooks Camp as if it were skating on the water.

Sharing Dinner

The hiking trail from Brooks Lodge to Lake Oxbow is shaded by various species of trees. It takes about 20 minutes to reach Brooks Falls. Whenever I stepped away from the hard-packed trail, the forest carpet of soft moss relieved my tired feet. Along the trail were white wild berry flowers in bloom, announcing their survival through winter. While walking, I shouted: "Kuma San, Kuma San" (Japanese for "Mr. Bear"). Everyone else also began to shout the same words in English, As if they understood Japanese, two young bears appeared from the bushes. I was reassured by recalling my first encounter with bears. I didn't panic. I tried not to look at their eyes and kept telling them, "Kuma San, Kuma San," as though I was talking to myself. The two bears concluded they were not in danger, and disappeared in the forest. Bears like walking on trails made by humans and compacted by their feet.

At Brooks Falls three bears were already salmon fishing, even though it was early in the morning. Bears compete for the best fishing sites. Young bears must wait to catch salmon jumping to the top of waterfalls on route to the spawning area. Stronger and older bears have the favored spots at the bottom of the waterfalls where salmon are more numerous and easier to catch. When the dominant male bear shows up, all others leave the area.

Ground Squirrel

This dominant bear was called "Bibi." His brown fur was thick and shiny, while his muscles made him look extra big. Bibi didn't catch any salmon after the departure of his competitors until he went to the middle of the river. Suddenly he jumped into the water and caught fish without much effort. Then he disappeared in the woods to feast on his salmon away from the view of people.

The mother bear that I met on my first day at the park was called "Milk Shake." Her three cubs were now one year old. Mother bears nurse their cubs for two years before they separate. Meanwhile the cubs remain together and learn from their mother how to survive in the wilderness. The four were the perfect bear family because the male parent did not live with them. In fact, no one knows who was the father of the cubs. Adult male bears sometimes even kill cubs, sad to say, as nature tries to ensure the survival of a species in a habitat with scarce food resources.

Hungry Red Fox

Although anxious to fish at the foot of the waterfalls where there is plenty of salmon, the mother went downstream lest the dominant male harm her cubs. The cubs watched quietly their mother's fishing, but as soon as she caught a salmon, they fought over the right to be first to share the catch. I laughed remembering my childhood when my brothers and I struggled for a morsel of some food delicacy.

After our all-day visit with bears Ed picked us up. We returned to the lodge, where the manager Pete welcomed us with a bottle of brandy. He made a joke that fishermen smelled like fish but that I smelled like a bear. The brandy soothed my empty stomach and my tiredness went away. His hospitality was memorable because I usually travel in frugal style. While waiting for supper, I sat in a rocking chair and listened to the sounds of waves on the lake. Ground squirrels visited me until the bell rang and a pair of fox took over their place outdoors. Alaska's short summer was slowly passing away.

Katmai National Park & Preserv P.O. Box 7, #1 King Salmon Mall, King Salmon, AK 99613 Phone: 907-246-3305 www.nps.gov/katm

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