Greetings from Munsey’s Bear Camp. While I am always sorry to see the summer end, I am happy to cherish another season of memories of wonderful people and great adventures. Four of our guests returned for a visit after a span of twenty years. Another guest made his 24^th visit to our lodge, and two guests returned for their 12^th trip.

We were thrilled to have MarciaMessier back for another summer In addition to creating her excellent meals, Marcia is central to our operation. Mike and I depend on her greatly, and I think the three of us make a good team. Joeleen Lane joined us this summer as the camp helper, and her perpetual good mood kept us smiling.

Our season began on July 15 with Yoram and Zipi Hoffman, and Ron Arbel from Israel. This group watched two bears nuzzle in the sedges near a small creek. Even though it was late in the year for breeding, the pair seemed to exhibit mating behavior. On another day, this group watched a sow with two newborn cubs. While mom chewed on the vegetation, the cubs stole curious glances at the humans.

On July 20, we greeted Brian and Kevin Kaub from California, Adam and Carter Kaub from Washington, and Donald Kidd and Bob Bollinger from California. On their first afternoon cruise, this group got a close look at a bear walking the beach. While they enjoyed the wildlife, these guys mainly wanted to fish. Adam caught our first “Club” halibut (40 lbs. and over) of the season, and we proudly hoisted our halibut flag. The other guys also caught nice halibut, and on a beautiful little river, they landed sixteen salmon and enjoyed a gorgeous, sunny day. A fox followed them downriver and tried unsuccessfully to convince them to share their fish with him.

Beginning on July 25, we spent five wonderful days expanding our family. We welcomed Mike’s second cousin, Jay, his wife, Penny; their daughters, Chelsey and Lexi; Chelsey’s boyfriend, Jorge Esteves; and Lexi’s husband, Teddy Beahm, and their adorable son, Theo. Mike and Jay had never met, but from their appearances to their personalities, there was no denying they were related. This group watched several bears on a small stream, including one that walked up close to them and posed for photos. Penny proved her fishing prowess by reeling in three halibut, a skate, and several cod, but Jorge landed the monster halibut (50 lbs.) of the week and joined our halibut club. Jay’s favorite memory of the week was casting a lure into a beautiful river, watching a salmon attack it, and reeling the fish to the bank.

We greeted Mike and Valerie Boltz on August 6. Due to a last-minute cancelation, Mike and Valerie had the camp to themselves for a few days. Mike and the Boltzes sat on the bank of a river one day and watched several bears, including a sow with two two-year-old cubs that fished in front of them all afternoon and a sow with three one-year-old cubs that stayed near them most of the day. A large male walked upstream into the mixture of mothers and cubs but opted not to stay long. Another day, Mike and Valerie watched a mother with two newborn cubs. On their last day on the riverbank, this group enjoyed another parade of bears, including two family groups and six single bears.

On August 11, we welcomed Rob Ryan and Michelle Baccaro from California and Francesca, Stefan, Zoe, and Querin Ronig from Switzerland. This group was only here for three days and spent both of their full days bear viewing. One day, they watched a large female bear expertly catch fish near them and then enjoyed the interactions between a mother and her three yearling cubs. On the second day, they watched several bears, including two that fished in front of them.

On August 17, we welcomed back Tom Lassman and met his friends, Margo Salisbury and Dave and Lynn West, all from Oregon. Jimmy Matiasevich and Christian Leon from California rounded out the group. They watched a very large male bear amble down the beach on their first afternoon, and one day, they sat on the riverbank and watched two single bears and a sow with a two-year-old cub catch salmon. On another day, a sow with three one-year-old cubs fished in front of them, and even the young cubs managed to land a few salmon. This group also watched bears fish at the head of the bay on the low tide, where they could trap the salmon in the shallow water. The group only fished for a few hours but made the best of it. They all caught fish, and Margo joined the Halibut Club with a 40-pounder. Speaking of clubs, Christian and Jimmy proudly joined our Puffin Club when they took a plunge off the end of our dock into the icy water of Uyak Bay.

On August 21, we welcomed back Steve Schlag from Hawaii and met his wife, Janna, his daughter, Kate, from California, and his son, Nick, from Colorado. We also greeted John and Janet Chelf from Oklahoma. Janet said she didn’t know how to fish, but we doubted this claim when she landed an 82-lb. halibut on the first day of fishing – the largest club halibut of the year. Everyone in the group caught big, beautiful silver salmon in the ocean, and they had a close encounter with a sow and three cubs on a small stream. Nick, Kate, and Janna hiked up a river with Mike and enjoyed watching several bears catch salmon. They had bears around them the entire time they sat on the riverbank.

On August 27, we welcomed back our yearly group of August fishermen. However, this year, the trip was bittersweet. One of the guys and our good friend, John Mendoza, passed away unexpectedly a few months earlier. Gordy Sexton, another long-time group member, was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and unable to make the trip. To make things even worse, Gene Fanucchi had to rush his wife to the emergency room on the morning he was supposed to fly to Alaska. This year, Dan Robertson from Nevada and Mike Saner and Howard Hancock from California were joined by Sammy Mendoza (John’s brother) and Bruce Sexton (Gordy’s brother). Despite some rainy, windy weather, these guys had no trouble catching fish. Sam, Mike, and Bruce joined our halibut club, and Mike’s 80-pounder was the second largest of the summer. On the last day of fishing, they landed fourteen large silver salmon, and each guy went home with a box full of fish. Best wishes to Gordy and Gene’s wife, and we look forward to seeing you next year, Gene!

On September 5, we welcomed back Tony and Karin Ross from Pennsylvania for a twelve-day stay. Ross and Diane Nowell from New Zealand joined them. This group of hikers enjoyed the long trek upriver to watch the bears and were here for the peak of the bear-viewing season. After two nights of freezing temperatures and frost, the bears seemed to know it was time to fatten up as fast as possible before hibernation. One day, this group watched twenty-five bears fish on a small river, and many caught salmon in front of them. They saw it all – a sow with three one-year-old cubs, a sow with two two-year-old cubs, a sow with two newborn cubs, a large male, and an old female we have been watching for years. She is distinguishable because she has a large scar on her hindquarters. They laughed at the curious behavior of a small female bear that dug in the gravel for over half an hour close to where they were sitting. Diane said there were so many bears and so much activity she didn’t know which way to look.

On September 10, we welcomed back Terry Douglas from Alaska, and joining Terry, Tony, and Karin were Tom, Deb, and Monica Boucek from Ohio. This group alternated two intense days of hiking upriver to bear view with two lighter excursions on side streams. The bear viewing on the main river was still at its peak. On their last day, they watched thirty bears wander in front of them, fishing and interacting. They saw mothers with newborn cubs, mothers with one-year-olds, and mothers with two-year-olds. They also watched several single bears, including two large males that strode down the river and melted into the brush. On a day of fishing, Karin joined our halibut club with a sixty-pounder! On our boat trip back to camp the last afternoon, we saw a humpback whale, and Tony took a distant photo of the whale leaping out of the water.

A storm altered our plans for the end of the season. Terry, Tom, Deb, and Monica were stuck in camp for two days, waiting for the weather to improve enough to fly to town, and Tony and Karin spent their last full day hiking through the pouring rain with Mike to watch bears. They did manage to catch a couple of silver salmon, but we fought to tie our boat to its mooring in 50 mph winds when we returned to camp on our last day, and we knew it was time for our summer season to end.

One of the big thrills for us this summer was to reunite with Yoram Hoffman, Ron Arbel, Tom Lassman, and Steve Schlag. Each of these four men was here approximately twenty years ago and wanted to come back for another visit. They shared photos showing much younger versions of us – yikes – it has been twenty years!  For Dan Robertson, this was his 24^th year visiting our lodge, and one year; he came twice. Tony and Karin Ross have made twelve trips to Munsey’s Bear Camp, and Tony always brings entertainment. We wished we would have met Mike’s cousins Jay (and his wonderful wife, Penny), Chelsey, and Lexi (Beahm) Munsey long before now, but late is better than never.

Thank you to our dear friend Marcia for all her hard work and to Joeleen for rounding out our team. Thank you to our guests, and we hope to see you again soon!

I invite you to check out my website, robinbarefield.com, to see my books (including Kodiak Island Wildlife) and listen to my podcast.

–Robin

Hello once again from Munsey’s Bear Camp. We had a cool, wet summer. June was one of Kodiak Island’s driest months on record, and August was one of the wettest. When I think about this summer, though, I don’t remember the rain. I recall fun times and wonderful guests. Most of our groups included returnees, and several included returnees bringing their friends and family. It was fun to catch up with folks who have become our friends and to experience new adventures with them. Three of our groups traveled from Switzerland; all three were initially booked for 2020. They had to wait two years for Covid testing and monitoring restrictions to relax before making the trip.

We were thrilled to welcome back Marcia Messier as our head cook and housekeeper. Marcia is a special friend and someone we know we can always count on to do a great job. Our camp helper this year was Josie Allison.

Our summer season began on July 10^th with our good friends from Kansas. Jeff and Michele McHenry have visited our lodge three times. Their first trip was in 1998 when they brought their kids, Mason, Megan, and Molly, and Megan was 15 years old. This time, Michele and Jeff returned with  Megan, her husband, Wesley, and their children: Ben, Joseph, and Vivian. The kids loved beach combing, so we explored a beach at low tide and showed them sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and even an octopus den. The adults were more excited about fishing, and they proved their skills. Wes caught a 35-pound halibut, and Megan and Jeff were the first inductees of the year into our halibut club with a 45 and a 70-pounder.

On July 15^th, we greeted returning guest Perry Haines. Perry brought his wife, Kathy, his son and daughter-in-law, Perry Jr. and Karen Haines, and his daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Steve Seccia. The salmon were arriving in Brown’s Lagoon, and this group caught 14 on their first day. On another day, they watched a bear wander along a small creek in front of them. Then,a huge bear approached them. Perry Jr. and Steve had not yet had their fill of salmon fishing, and on their last morning, Mike dropped them off on the salmon river, where the guys caught eight more salmon to add to their box.

On July 20^th, we welcomed Wayne Barnes and Robert McMurray back and met their friends, Jack Wiesner and Jody Spears, all from Tennessee. These guys wasted little time catching all the salmon they wanted to take home. In less than four hours, they caught their limit in Brown’s Lagoon, and then, Robert and Jody each caught a 35-lb. halibut. On another day, they watched a bear swim across the bay and run up on the bank. During their stay, we battled wet, windy weather, and our beautiful summer began to disappear.

Rick and Karen Fryklund from California and Bill and Judy Mastick from Oregon arrived on July 25^th. This group watched a bear catch half a dozen salmon, and they could hear the fish’s bones crunch as the bear devoured them. On another day, they saw several bears, including a big bear that fished in front of them, and on their last day with the bears, a sow (female bear) with three newborn cubs fished among the other bears. She knew the humans were there, but she didn’t seem to care. On an afternoon of fishing, Bill caught five skates and cleared the way for Karen to land a 35-lb. halibut.

The Frankhauser family from Switzerland first visited us in 2011 when their girls were teenagers. Beat, Marie Christine, their daughters, Sabine, Nadine, and Karin, and Sabine’s fiancé, David Schork, arrived on August 1^st. The girls are grown, and we marveled at their accomplishments over the past eleven years. One day, this group watched a sow with three two-year-old cubs. Mom caught a salmon, and the cubs growled and fought over her catch. On another day, the Frankhausers saw a very large bear, but what they enjoyed most was watching the tolerant sow with the three newborn cubs (coys). She caught salmon, and her babies watched as she consumed the much-needed protein.

On August 6^th, we greeted our second Swiss group of the summer. Willy and Patty Renfer, Willy’s sister, Theresa, and Theresa’s son and daughter-in-law, Alain and Sybil, were enthusiastic about finally making it to Munsey’s Bear Camp. This delightful group kept smiles on our faces. They endured rainy, windy weather, but they enjoyed two afternoons sitting on a riverbank while watching several bears chase and catch fish. They enjoyed all the bears, but the sow with the three coys stole the show again. The cameras whirred as mom fished and her babies wrestled and boxed right in front of them.

On August 11^th, we welcomed returning guests and friends Bob and Sandy Comstock from California. The Comstocks were joined by their friends, Nick Long, Shirley Apapricio, and Chris and Amy Hunsberger, all from California. This group spent an afternoon with the tolerant sow and three little cubs. Mom caught several fish and then stretched out on the riverbank. One of her cubs curled up against her while the other two rough-housed. Everyone in this group caught fish, but Bob was king. On his birthday, he landed a 35-pounder and a 30-pounder! We celebrated that evening with a birthday cake and excellent Comstock wine.

Our fishing buddies from California arrived on August 16^th. We greeted Dan Robertson from Nevada, Gordy Sexton, Howard Hancock, Gene Fanucchi, John Mendoza, and Mike Saner, all from California. Silver salmon were scarce around Kodiak Island this summer, and we caught very few. After much effort, one day, Mike caught a 12-lb. silver, and John landed a 25-lb. king salmon. Halibut fishing also wasn’t as good as usual this summer, but these guys caught three “club” halibut. Howard caught a 62-pounder, and Mike caught a 55-lb. and 40-lb halibut.

On August 21^st, we welcomed another group of guys, including our friends Andy Vena, Al Strydesky, and Sil Squeri. Al’s son-in-law and grandson, Jim and Jackson Newsome, and Jackson’s other grandfather, Dave Newsome, rounded out the group. These guys enjoyed two days of good fishing, including four club halibut. Andy caught two 45-pounders, Jackson landed a 60-lb. halibut, and Dave caught a 92-pounder, the largest of the summer. After seeing very few whales all summer, fin whales finally appeared in the bay, and four giant whales surfaced near our boat. On a day of bear viewing, Sil snapped a beautiful photo of a bear standing on her hind feet in the sedges while checking out the humans.

On August 26^th, we were thrilled to welcome back our Florida friends, Ken and Summer Groves. Ken and Summer’s friends, Jeff and Nancy Swenson, joined them. This group brought their Florida sunshine, and we said, “THANK YOU!” One day, they sat on a riverbank and watched a sow with three yearling cubs and the friendly sow with her three coys. The older cubs were beginning to fish on their own, while the young cubs waited for their mom to catch a fish and then stole scraps from her. One of the babies took a piece of salmon and climbed up on a log to eat it. On a gorgeous, calm, sunny day, we sat in the middle of Uyak Bay and watched huge fin whales surface and feed around us.

On September 5^th, we were excited to welcome back our good friends Tony and Karin Ross from Pennsylvania and Nino and Celine Veronese from Switzerland. Tony and Karin stayed for twelve days. Jeff and Robert Caldwell from Colorado rounded out this  group. Fantastic bear viewing continued, and their last full day sums up their adventure:Mike spotted orcas just after breakfast and rushed everyone out to photograph and watch the majestic whales. Next, the group hiked up a river and watched several bears. When the three little cubs decided they wanted to play on the log where they were sitting, the humans quickly moved back to give the bears space, and one of the cubs stopped to sniff Mike’s gear.

On August 10^th, Tim and Jan Rollman from Colorado and Gary Struthers from California joined Tony and Karin. This group watched many bears catch salmon on a small river, but the friendly sow with the three coys  again stole the show. Mom seemed very comfortable when the cubs jumped up on the log where the humans were sitting and checked them out. The cameras clicked while the cubs looked quizzically at the strange animals in front of them. Everyone got great photos. This group watched a family drama on another day when the friendly sow walked away with two of her cubs. When the third cub looked up and didn’t see his family, he began to cry. Mom finally came back for him after several minutes, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the happy ending.

Tony and Karin spent two more days with us. Tony caught a nice halibut, and they hiked again with Mike to their spot on the river to watch the bears and say goodbye to them for another year.

This summer reminded me of how much I appreciate our guests. While catching up with returning guests is fun, it is also exciting to watch the awe-struck wonder of a new guest who is visiting our beautiful little corner of the world for the first time. Thank you to all of our guests this summer, and a huge thank you to Marcia and Josie for your hard work.

On a personal note, my true-crime book Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier will be available in late December.

Hello from Munsey’s Bear Camp. I love my job. Each morning during our summer trips, I sit on our dock for a few minutes and gather myself before heading out to our boat. I think about the day and imagine what we will see or catch. I have a good imagination, but it rarely matches nature’s magic. No two days are alike.

We were thrilled to have Marcia Messier join us again this summer to cook her delightful meals and excellent soups. Anna McMurchy joined our team as the camp helper. 

Our summer began beautiful and sunny on July 15^th with the arrival of Zach and Rachel Culbertson and their children, Eli, Charlie, and Camille, all from Virginia. This active group started our summer off right. They helped boost our energy to prepare us for a long season with few breaks. The children waved at the funny sea otters and enjoyed watching the colorful puffins. The kids loved catching pink salmon in Brown’s Lagoon, and the family enjoyed sitting on the bank of a river, watching bears. One bear seemed comfortable with their presence and stretched out near them in the stream to cool down on a hot, sunny day. 

On July 20^th, we greeted our friends, George Havice and Jeff Geist, both from Kansas. We were also happy to welcome back Russ Duncan and his wife, Marilyn, from Washington state.This group experienced an abrupt change in weather and battled rain and wind for the first three-and-a-half days of their stay. They did not let the weather dampen their spirits, though. They enjoyed salmon fishing in Brown’s Lagoon, and on a day when the wind forced us into a small cove, they saw bears, deer, and a fox on the beach. Finally,the wind calmed on their last full day, and they enjoyed good halibut fishing. 

On July 25^th, Paul and Pat Dunn, Steve and Cindy Erickson, Leah Dunn, and Dave Baker, all from Washington state, arrived. On their first morning, Dave brought a big halibut up to the boat and then watched in horror as it swam under the boat and cut the line. Leah caught a 62-lb. halibut the following day, and Steve landed a 55 pounder. In Brown’s Lagoon, this group caught twenty salmon and six Dolly Varden, and on another day, most of the group watched a large male bear eat a fish in front of them, while Dave enjoyed the thrill of catching halibut in shallow water.  

On August 1st, we were happy to welcome back Bob and Sandy Comstock from California. Their son, Bob, and his partner, Julian Fisher, joined them. On their first afternoon, this group saw puffins, eagles, sea otters, seals, a bear walking the beach, and another bear climbing a cliff. Bob Sr. joined our halibut club (40 lbs. and over) with a 55 lb. halibut and a 40 pounder. Sandy, Bob Jr., and Julian caught salmon in Brown’s Lagoon, and during a summer when we saw only a few large whales, this group enjoyed the thrill of watching two giant fin whales.

On August 6^th, we were excited to welcome back Paul and Polly Neldner from Colorado. They were last here 14 years ago! Steve Frank and Judy Holden from Florida joined the Neldners. Nature always surprises me, and during this stormy week, we experienced a wildlife moment that I am sure none of us will ever forget. Soon after we left our mooring one morning, we encountered killer whales. And watched in horrid fascination as the orcas tortured and ate a minke whale. Here is the link to my video: https://vimeo.com/597907562. Judy and Steve caught their limit of halibut one afternoon, while Paul decided to try for the camp skate record, hauling up ten of the heavy fish. Beautiful weather finally prevailed on this group’s last day. While the rest of the group watched bears, Judy persevered until she caught a 40 lb. halibut and joined our club. 

On August 11^th, we happily welcomed back Doug Hihn and Kathryn McCormick, who brought their friends, Peter Kozak and Gearin Broderick, all from South Carolina. We also greeted Gary and Linda Litzenberger from Missouri. This group spent two afternoons sitting on a riverbank watching bears fish and interact. They laughed while two young bears batted each other and played on a log, and the cameras whirred when the bears stood on their hind legs and boxed. Linda and Kathryn caught the first two silver salmon of the season, and two days later, Pete and Doug also caught silvers. 

On August 16^th, we were excited to welcome back Dave and Pam Slaughter from Colorado. Dave’s brother, Darien, and his wife, La Nee, from Louisiana, and Dave’s sister, Dana, and her partner, John Mitchell, from Texas accompanied Pam and Dave. This group enjoyed a great day of bear viewing. They saw a sow with one cub, a sow with two cubs, and a sow with three cubs. Everyone in this group caught halibut, but LaNee had the catch of the week when an 8-ft. salmon shark grabbed her hook and swam around the boat. 

On August 21^st, our fishing buddies arrived for their annual week with us. Dan Robertson from Nevada and Gene Fanucchi, Mike Saner, John Mendoza, and Howard Hancock, all from California, climbed out of the plane, ready to relax and fish. Unfortunately, Gordy couldn’t make the trip this year, but the sent his brother, Bruce Sexton, from Washington. Mike Saner wasted no time joining this year’s halibut club. He caught a 40 pounder the first afternoon and landed a 60-pound halibut three days later. Bruce, Dan, and John also joined our club, and all the guys caught nice halibut. We found the silver salmon on their last full day and finished filling their fish boxes. 

It mainly cialis lowest price happen because, men think the erectile dysfunction treatment . Other undesirable effects are buy cialis australia back pain, increase of muscular mass, stuffy nose and “flushing”. As a result, men can overcome several sexual complications, such as: Low libido Erectile dysfunction Premature ejaculation Spermatorrhea Muscular weakness Nocturnal emission Exhaustion Physical weakness. free levitra A viagra pills without prescription small piece of jaggery can treat the condition effectively. On August 26^th, we greeted John and Ann Murray and Charles and Vickie Beaver, all from Pennsylvania, Beth Harris from Colorado, and Patrick Rudicill from Alaska.This group was interested in bears and other wildlife, so Mike led them up a river, where they saw 29 bears. They sat and watched two bears rough-house and photographed them rolling on the ground and playing. They saw a large male bear, mothers with their cubs, curious bears, and one funny bear sprawled in the water, playing with a fish and a twig. The following day, this group watched and photographed fin whales and killer whales, and the next day they saw 23 bears.  

On September 5th, we were thrilled to welcome back longtime guests and friends Tony and Karin Ross. The Rosses stayed with us for 12 days. We also greeted Mark McCaffrey and Eric Newcomb from Alaska and Steve Pelphrey from Illinois. On their first day, this group enjoyed sunny, calm weather while two young bears clumsily chased fish in front of them. The following day, a bear caught a salmon and held it up for everyone to see and photograph. He seemed to be posing for them. Several other bears fished near them, and they laughed as they watched two cubs play with and chase a fox. On a day of fishing, this group caught 23 silver (coho) salmon on a beautiful little river.  

On September 10th, Brian and Allison Bloch from Kansas joined Tony and Karin.On their first day, they saw a huge male bear stretch out in the water to cool down, and later, Mike saw the silhouette of the large bear, standing in the brush watching them. On a rainy, windy day, Brian joined our halibut club with a 55 pounder. When the storm subsided, this group hiked up a river, where they watched three family groups, including a sow and two cubs of the year. Two of the family groups fished near them, and the sows seemed to ignore each other and the humans.The Blochs and Rosses laughed at a young red fox that caught one fish after another and lined up his trophies on the bank. 

Tony and Karin stayed two extra days and helped us wrap up our summer season.On a hike up a small stream, they watched and photographed a bear sleeping on a log and saw another bear take a bath in a pond. On their last morning, the sun shined, and Tony decided to get serious about fishing. At the last minute, he hauled in an 80-lb. halibut – our largest of the summer. 

Can you imagine sitting behind a log on a riverbank watching a fox steal a fish from two little cubs? Nearby, mom catches salmon and ignores her babies and their new friend. I’ve been working as a guide for a long time, and I still have to pinch myself to believe I am here in the middle of this beautiful place. 

Thank you, Marcia. You are wonderful, and we appreciate you. Thank you, Anna, for joining our team this summer. We had a very busy season, but you two made our lives seamless. 

We thank all of our guests this summer. As I wrote this newsletter, I relived the adventures we had with each of you –from the gruesome killer whale behavior to the startling appearance of the salmon shark to the funny fox that played with the cubs — and so much more. 

I am thrilled to announce the publication of our Kodiak wildlife book, filled with photos by Mike. You can purchase the book through Amazon, Barnes and Noble (online), and other booksellers. You can also buy it from me. Just drop me an email (robinbarefield76@outlook.com) if you want a signed copy. 

This post with more photos will soon be online at our website www.munseysbearcamp.com. Also, check out my website at https://robinbarefield.com.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 -Robin