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| Pack Creek |
Celestine inched up to Pack Creek Bear Observatory, in
Admiralty Island National Park , shrouded in fog and
drenched in rain, searching for the 4 florescent orange buoys that mark the
area, when a skiff surged over and Jane, of Alaska Fish and Game, directed us on where
to drop anchor and how to come ashore in our dinghy. When the boat was secure we suited up in full rain gear and headed to the
beach where US Forest Ranger Ehren, from Oklahoma, met us. Once we disembarked, he
tied up our dinghy to a continuous line with a pulley system and then towed it
back out into the bay - away from the shore so bears do not get into them. Hmm…
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| Ehrn Ready to Assist Us |
This designated wilderness area on Admiralty Island, exceeds 1 million acres and is
home to approximately 1,600 grizzly bears, one per square mile. The Alaska Fish and Game Service has an
employee as does the US Forestry Service – and they have rifles, but no shots
have been fired in 56 years. This is
comforting on many levels.
Ehren gave us a brief orientation on how to react if we are
approached by the habituated bears – don’t run, stand your ground until they retreat – uh huh,
I won’t run, no, not me – and then we
were off, the four of us (Wyman & Gay) clustered in a
pack – safety in numbers - to walk to
the viewing area. Jane and her rifle
met us there: a large green rolling pasture with a burbling creek, surrounded
by lush green mountains. A high powered
viewing scope gave us an up close and personal look at a 26 year-old grizzly pigging out on the sedge grasses, another
grizzly lying on her back with paws in the air snoozing and two other bears
frolicking. Meanwhile, in a tree above
us, 2 baby eaglets were being watched by mom and dad. Really…, has Disney been here staging this?
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| Jane Guarding Us |
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| Noshing |
We were glued to this nature extravaganza for about an hour and then embarked on an unguided 3 mile
round-trip hike up into the forest to a wooden platform with a ladder – the
only man-made structure in the wilderness preserve – overlooking the
creek. When the salmon run – which they
weren’t yet – the bears congregate in the river to feed off the fish. Even though we didn’t encounter any grizzlies
on our hike, their presence was felt. The path was strewn with large leafed Skunk plants
carelessly yanked out by the bears for tuber and root munching
pleasure and, predictably after such a feast, their scat also littered the path. Jane met us on our way back – she claimed she
wanted a hike but I think she was checking on our well-being. And really, should we be allowed to walk around
like this, unsupervised, in the midst of these grizzlies?
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| Clamming with Mom |
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| An Evening Outing |
We spent the night anchored just yards from the beach where
a mama bear cruised the
shoreline teaching her two cubs to “clam,”
dig out the clam, use a paw to pop it open and then down the hatch. Jim and I had to scan the shore for bears
before taking Zippy for his business and again, Jim stayed with the boat while
I took on the dangerous shore duty, singing and talking loudly to alert grizzlies
of my presence so they would not be unexpectedly scared. I was, on the other hand, expectedly scared.
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| Waiting for Zippy to Come Ashore |
The dedication of these federal and state employees is remarkable. They work ten days on, four off, living in
primitive conditions: tents with no fresh water, no showers and minimal
heat. Thank you, US Forest Service and Alaska Wildlife, for making this amazing
place possible.
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| Also waiting for Zippy |
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