I am by no means a writer but I thought some of you might be interested in reading about our adventure.

Monday July 10

We arrived at Andrews Airways about 3 PM, turned over our supplies etc. and waited. We were (6 of us) excited about our adventure. While I had always wanted to see more of the island, it had been a long time coming. It was a beautiful sunny day so we in for some great scenery and a smooth flight. We claimed our seats in the plane, I got the best seat, copilot. We followed pretty much the east coast of the island, passing over Ugak Bay, Kiliuda Bay, the village of Old Harbor, Three Saints Bay, Deadman Bay and Moser Bay then headed inland towards Frazer Lake. As we passed over Dog Salmon Creek, our pilot Dean circled around for a better view of the bears fishing the weir. Frazer Lake was larger than I expected. We landed about 4:30, unloaded our supplies to the beach, and waved good-bye to Dean. The scenery was beautiful but we were anxious to get in some fishing and bear watching. The sun is up till 11:30 and light till 12:30 so we had plenty of daylight left.

The path to the cabin was relatively short hike. We got all the gear up, Creston (11) & Barrett (15) stayed down at the lake to fish while Andrea, Jay and Steve did the Polar Bear thing by jumping in the lake. Andrea said about the third time she went under she was feeling a brain freeze. About 5:30 we felt a shaking, we were having quite a nice earthquake! The cabin shook like crazy. We got outside but all was okay. The boys down at the lake said that they could see the lake roll with the quake. An aftershock hit a short time later, this time a short hard jolt. This was Andrea, Jay & the boys first earthquake, but Steve and I had been through them before. We heard later that it was about a 6.5.

About 7 PM we headed across the lake in the Zodiac to fish a little and see some bears. The flies were terrible, not biting just very pesky. The guys started fishing and we went to the viewing platform to watch the bears. There were a number of bears fishing at the weir. We stayed for about an hour just watching them catch one fish after another. They often didn't eat all of the fish but just the skin and head leaving the rest for the gulls and eagles. On the trail back (about 3/4 of a mile from the lake) we saw a fox in the tall grass. He just sat down a and watched us for a minute then scampered off. We met up with Jay and Barrett fly fishing and having a great time. They were releasing all the fish they caught. The man that lives at the weir came down to say hello. We asked about the workings of the weir and about the area. He said that there were a number of memorable bears this year. A mother with a set of triplets a year old, some triplets born just this year, a sow with two cubs and a sow with one cub. There were also 3 juvenile cubs that stayed together most of the time, he warned that they were brave and stubborn. If they were in the trail we would have to go around them as they didn't ever run off. We started back to the lake as it was already 10 PM. One side was down on the Zodiac so Steve just took me across as the pump was across the lake. Once we got there Steve pumped up the zodiac and I headed up to start on dinner. Andrea and Creston came over next and walked up the lake shore to a stream to get water while Steve went to get the reluctant fishermen. Andrea and Creston didn't get too far before they saw fresh bear scat and blood on the beach so they turned around and headed back. We ate chili for dinner (canned chili tastes way better at Frazer lake than at home) and then turned in about midnight.

Tuesday July 11

Another beautiful day. Not bad sleeping, the bunks were incredibly hard though with prison style mattresses and it was surprisingly warm. Everyone headed over to start fishing after breakfast and Steve and I decided to take it easy, reading and just enjoying the day. About 12:30 we headed across the lake to join everyone else. Andrea, Steve, Creston and I headed to watch the bears again. The 3 juveniles were fishing on our side of the river. A couple of times they came pretty close to us but we never felt threatened. They continued to wrestle with each other just like little boys. Across the river the sow with the triplets that were born this year came to fish. She was very good about her cubs, watching them constantly. The cubs followed her very closely and would sit patiently on the shore while she caught fish. They where incredibly cute! Jay and Barrett joined us. The sow wandered off after a short time with the cubs close behind. The juveniles wandered away also, playing and wrestling all the way.

We All headed back towards the lake. The guys took the side trail back down to the river to get the gear that was left there. We headed on to the lake. A very short time later the guys showed up saying that they had surprised some bears hanging around the gear so left and would go back later. Jay and Barrett stayed to fish while we went back to the cabin. When they went back to get the gear they found that the bears had taken a bite out of 2 fishing poles, torn up a life vest, put a nice rip in Jay's jacket and had put some great teeth marks in the canteen. Bears are very curious and bite everything, they are also fond of rubber.

We cooked fresh dolly varden over an open fire for dinner. They were excellent! We went for a walk after dinner and washed the dishes in the lake. We played a game of poker with beach rocks as poker chips and turned in fairly early.

Wednesday July 12

Sunny and warm again today. We all headed across the lake together as the gas was getting low. After fishing the mouth of the river for a while all but Jay and Barrett headed to get a last look at the bears. The juveniles were there again playing and fishing. They were wrestling on the hill above us. One disappeared over the hill and the other two headed up the river. We watched as a sow and her cub made their way towards the weir. About 150 yards from us she caught a fish and carried it to the bank. While she was eating the cub scampered up a dead tree. A large male bear was getting close, so the sow became very watchful. She stood straight up to see were he was. As he was getting close she took her cub to a little knoll some 40 yards from us so she could see the male. She did not seem to mind us being so close, she would sniff the air in our direction every now and then. She continued to keep an eye on the male bear. After a while she laid down on her back so her cub could nurse. It was amazing to watch this huge Kodiak bear being such a gentle and loving mother. We felt very privileged to witness such an intimate moment. After a bit they both laid their heads down for a rest, but mom continued to lift her head to watch the male. Mama and baby sat up after a their nap and touched noses. We decided to slip away so the mama and baby could go back to fishing as the male had wandered further down the river.

We headed back about 2 PM to collect the fishermen and pack for our return home . We packed everything and carried it to the beach as the plane was due to pick us up about 6 PM. We snoozed on the beach in the sun while waiting for the plane. Dean arrived right on time, we loaded the plane and headed for home. Dean flew us over the western side of the island pointing out various land marks.

I can't possibly express in writing how wonderful this trip was for me, I had always dreamed of seeing the great Kodiak Bear up close. There are many stories of course about how fierce these bears can be and I would not like to meet one when they are hungry. We were very cautious while watching the bears fish but I never felt threatened. We were also aware of the fact that we were the intruders in their domain and were prepared to get out of their way at a moments notice.

Thanks for reading,
Marilyn

Pictures from the trip.