Munsey’s 2021 Mid-Summer News

Greetings from Amook Pass and Munsey’s Bear Camp. Today is sunny, calm, and beautiful, but there’s a bite in the air, and it’s beginning to feel like autumn. Overall, we’ve had a cool, windy summer, so we are enjoying every moment of this sunny, breathless August day.

Guests often ask me if I ever tire of seeing the beautiful sights and amazing animals on Kodiak Island. My answer is, “Absolutely not. Each day is different, and I never know what we will see.” This summer, our guests and we had a front-row seat to a gruesome, fascinating saga. I will tell you more about it in a moment.

We’ve worked hard to accommodate parties who were booked last year but decided, due to Covid, to move their reservation to this year. Since we already had several parties booked for this summer, we opted to work straight through the summer with very few breaks. We’ve learned this pace is too exhausting and not something we plan to do again, but we’ve had wonderful guests, and they all seem happy to travel.

We enjoyed excellent pink salmon fishing in beautiful Brown’s Lagoon in July. We’ve also had good halibut fishing when the wind allows us to go to our favorite spots. We have not seen many silver salmon yet, but they should arrive soon.

After munching on berries for a few weeks, the bears are now concentrating on salmon on the small streams and rivers in Uyak Bay, and Mike and our guests see more bears each day. They saw 15 bears yesterday, and several fished in front of them. My favorite bear photos so far this summer picture two young bears wrestling and playing on a log.

Killer Whale Chasing Minke

Fin whales are finally entering the bay, and we see more of them each time we cruise toward the mouth of Uyak. The most spectacular sight we’ve seen so far this summer, though, involved two killer whales and an unfortunate minke whale. Soon after we left our mooring one morning, we encountered a bull and a cow orca, and we watched and photographed them for a while, trying to get the perfect shot of the male with his large, majestic dorsal fin. Then, we realized the horrific scene playing out in front of us.

The killer whales slowly maimed, tortured, and ate a minke whale while we watched.
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Minke Whale Trying to Escape

They first bit off the whale’s tail, probably so it couldn’t escape. The poor minke continued to struggle to swim while the orcas followed it, ripping pieces out of it as the whale slowly died. I reminded myself that killer whales are the top predators in the ocean, and they kill and eat everything from whales and sharks to squid. To us, though, their actions seemed cruel. Why didn’t they kill the minke and put it out of its misery?
Later, when I thought about the incident, I wondered if the killer whales left the minke alive so it wouldn’t sink, and they could more easily consume it at the surface. Perhaps their actions were practical and not cruel, but the orcas appeared to torture the minke while they ate it. The large bull once put his mouth around the minke’s head and then spit it out. To those of us watching the saga, it seemed the whales enjoyed taunting their prey and reveled in watching it suffer. We were possibly guilty of giving the whales human emotions, though. Unfortunately, we will never know their motivations.
When the minke swam toward our boat, we left before we became players in the drama. We didn’t need to stay to know how the story ended.

We are excited about the rest of our season. We have the perfect mix of new and returning guests. I’ll list all our adventures in our summer newsletter.

I have one more bit of news. Kodiak Island Wildlife, written by me and full of Mike’s photos, is now available. You can find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, other online booksellers, and various stores in Kodiak. You can also order it directly from me.

Robin
Robinbarefield76@gmail.com

Summer 2020

This has been a strange year, and the effects of Covid-19 touched even our remote corner of the world. One-half of our summer guests opted not to travel to Alaska this summer, and we could not blame them. Alaska required all incoming visitors to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test administered no more than 72 hours before boarding their Alaska-bound flight. This regulation proved difficult for many of our guests since either their city or state only offered tests to individuals showing symptoms of the virus, or the testing facility could not promise results within 72 hours. On top of this, airlines canceled many flights to Alaska, and Ravn Air, the primary air carrier between Anchorage and Kodiak, declared bankruptcy and closed its doors, not bothering to refund tickets or re-book travelers.

I am happy to report that we could re-book most of our guests for either the summer of 2021 or 2022. Meanwhile, those guests who managed to run the gauntlet and find their way to secluded Amook Pass enjoyed a few peaceful days away from the crazy world. 

Our dear friend, Marcia Messier, returned to cook for us this summer. Marcia retired from the cooking job ten years ago, but with the promise of a camp helper to assist her with the never-ending list of chores, she jumped at the chance to return to the solitude of Munsey’s Bear Camp and a cool Kodiak summer. Our camp helper this summer was Chelsea Moran, and we struck gold with her. Her endless energy and can-do spirit gave us all a lift and lightened our workloads. Chelsea probably never expected to paint a warehouse this summer, but during one of our long, unscheduled breaks, she grabbed a paintbrush and went to work. Marcia and Chelsea formed a seamless team. 

Our summer began on July 20th with the arrival of Dan Robertson from Nevada, and his grandson, Ashton Cornell, from California. Due to the pandemic, Ashton was an unfortunate high school senior who graduated without a ceremony. Dan was determined to make his grandson’s graduation special, though. Dan brought Ashton to Munsey’s Bear Camp for Ashton’s graduation gift, a place Dan has visited 19 times. This was Ashton’s second visit to our lodge. We were excited to make Ashton’s trip special, and it turned into the trip of a lifetime on day number one. Mike took Ashton bear viewing, and they watched several bears, including a large male. The bear saw Ashton and Mike and began ambling toward them. He walked to the edge of the creek across from the guys and growled, foaming at the mouth. He put on quite a show until Mike spoke calmly to him. Then, he slowly turned around and walked away. After an exciting bear encounter, we stopped at a favorite fishing spot, and Ashton caught a 115 lb. halibut! Two days later, Ashton and Mike caught pink salmon, and we grilled them on the beach for lunch. Dan and Ashton shared an adventure they will always remember. 

On July 25th, we welcomed Bill and Bobbie Parken, their daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer and Robin Hoon, and the Hoon’s kids, Karlyn, and Kade, all from Florida. This family enjoyed the full Kodiak experience. While they sat on a stream bank, a young bear put on a show for them. He wandered up to them, stared at them, stomped his feet, woofed, and left. Then, he came back and repeated the sequence. He finally walked away but then returned later to study the humans. Bill, Bobbie, and family saw several other bears, including a large, old female with ivory claws, and they also enjoyed watching a fox and two kits play and wrestle in the grass. Everyone had fun halibut fishing, but without a doubt, Robin, Kade, and Karlyn most enjoyed catching salmon in Brown’s Lagoon. 

On August 10th, we were excited to welcome our friends Andy and Candice Vena from New Jersey. Candice’s sister Kim Kenworthy, also from New Jersey, joined them, and Virginia McCarthy from Minnesota, completed the group. On a day of bear viewing, a sow with a two-year-old cub calmly walked in front of this group. The cub seemed nervous, but mom was not at all worried about the people. Virginia and Candice caught our first silver salmon of the summer, and Virginia expertly reeled in a 121-lb. halibut, joining Ashton in the “Munsey’s Bear Camp Halibut Gold Club!” This group enjoyed watching fin whales and even saw the exposed fin of a salmon shark as it cruised near the surface. They experienced perfect weather during their entire stay. 

On August 10th, we greeted our fishing buddies. After bringing Ashton on a graduation trip, Dan Robertson from Nevada returned to our lodge for a second trip, this time with his friends, Gene Fanucchi, John Mendoza, and Mike Saner, all from California. We missed Gordy Sexton and Howard Hancock, who decided to stay home this year. John brought a “party lure” and began the trip with a bang when he caught a 61-pound halibut on the first afternoon. John also caught the group’s first silver salmon, but salmon fishing was slow. On a beautiful, sunny, calm day at Aleutian Rock, Dan joined our halibut club with a 40 pounder, and the other guys also caught fish. At Green Banks, a pod of six fin whales surfaced near us while we fished. 

On August 21st, we greeted Ron Utterback and Judy Kenny from Georgia. They started their trip with a cruise to the mouth of the bay on a beautiful day and saw foxes, deer, and a baby eagle sitting by the edge of the nest, preparing to take its first big step. Four fin whales surfaced near our boat, and when we anchored and started fishing, the whales fed and surfaced close to us again. Judy caught a 35-lb. halibut, and Ron landed a large silver salmon. One day, Ron, Judy, Chelsea, and Mike sat on a riverbank and watched a bear chase salmon in front of them. 

On September 5th, we were happy to welcome back our friends Tony and Karin Ross from Pennsylvania. They were here for a 12-day stay. Frank and Barbara Easterbrook from Alaska and Brian Cesare from New Mexico joined the Rosses.  On the first day of their trip, a storm drove us into a protected spot to fish. Tony, Karin, and Brian caught silver salmon, but Tony ruled the day with three silvers, including one that weighed 18 lbs.! On day two of the storm, Mike took Tony, Karin, and Brian on a hike along a salmon stream near our lodge, where they watched nine bears. Good weather prevailed the following day, and the entire group went bear viewing on a small stream, where they watched a large, old female bear recline on her back in the sunshine and play with a piece of bark. On their last day of bear viewing, this group watched 25 bears fish and interact in front of them, including two sets of sows and tiny cubs and a big bear that marched down the river, walking 30-ft in front of them. 

And that’s before the cost of any potential aftercare is taken into account. buy levitra online Once considered as a taboo, sexual supplements are not indented to treat or cure any kind of disease? They can only professional cialis support natural functions of your body. This constituent performs the reaction generico levitra on line to form the cell membrane. Besides, generic tadalafil many have told that their sexual problems interfere with the quality of their relationships as well. On September 10th, returning guests Jim Smith and Mary Hill from Colorado joined Tony and Karin. Jim and Mary were accompanied by Jim’s daughter, Martha Smith, from Los Angeles, and his granddaughter, Emma Smith, from Colorado. This group enjoyed three days of spectacular bear viewing. They watched interactions between a sow with three newborn cubs and another sow with two tiny cubs. They saw young sub-adult bears tirelessly chase salmon and dig fish out from under a log. Cameras whirred as a huge male bear walked downriver, snorkeling for fish by sticking his head underwater. Growls and woofs pierced the silence when the bears interacted, and while the vocalizations between the young bears seemed harmless, those between sets of sows with cubs sounded more serious. On their last day of bear viewing, this group sat in the middle of eleven bears within a 75-yard radius. When they hiked back to the boat at the end of the day, smiles plastered their faces.

Tony and Karin stayed for an extra two days to end our season in style. Their fish box still was not full, so Tony quickly caught a 50 lb. halibut to solve the problem. On their last day with us, Tony and Karin opted for one more day with the bears, so they could say goodbye – until next year! 

Mike and I felt lucky this year to operate even an abbreviated summer season. As we soaked in the beauty of Uyak Bay and laughed with our guests about our shared adventures, the world seemed normal again. Our guests looked sad on their last morning with us when they stood on the dock and pulled up their face masks for their return to society. For five short days, they’d forgotten about the pandemic and enjoyed nature. 

To our guests who could not travel to Alaska this summer, we look forward to seeing you soon. Thank you to those who made the trip. We appreciate you and enjoyed spending time with you. Marcia, we cannot thank you enough for jumping in when we needed you, and Chelsea, I don’t know how we got so lucky to find you – especially during this crazy summer, but thank you for all your hard work. 

Be sure to check out my blog post on Kodiak wildlife at http://robinbarefield.com/blog. While you are there, sign up for my newsletter if you are interested in true crime stories in Alaska. You can also listen to my murder and mystery tales on my podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. 

I hope the pandemic is under control by next summer, and things return to normal. I wish you all good health and happiness! 

Robin

 

 

 

Munsey’s Bear Camp 2019 Summer News

We enjoyed another wonderful summer here at Munsey’s Bear Camp topped off by beautiful weather. The high temperatures set new records throughout much of Alaska, and while we enjoyed the sunshine, Kodiak suffered a rare drought. Due to the lack of precipitation, water levels dropped in the rivers, preventing salmon in many areas from swimming upstream to spawn. When the hillsides turned brown, we began hoping for rain.

We were thrilled to have Mary Schwarzhans back as our head chef this summer, and as a bonus, her sister, Abby, agreed to return as the all-around camp helper. These two brilliant young women take good care of us!

 

We began our season on July 6th with a visit from our dear friend, Cyndi Geisen, and her friend Shirley Symns, both from Kansas. Shirley and Cyndi caught the first pink salmon of the summer, and Cyndi landed a nice halibut. They watched bears on the beach and laughed at the funny sea otters as we cruised past them. On our last afternoon with Shirley and Cyndi, to our surprise, we spotted a mountain goat walking the shoreline.

On July 15th, we greeted Randy and Geremy Annis from New Hampshire. Geremy and Mike are distant cousins, but they had never met. On their first fishing day, Geremy caught his limit of salmon, and Randy landed four. One afternoon, Geremy spotted a bear on the beach, and we watched it reach up and pull down the limbs of an elderberry bush, gently eating the berries. On another day, the guys hiked into Brown’s Lagoon, where Randy and Geremy each caught his limit of five salmon, and they released six.

On July 20th, we were happy to welcome back Bud Coughlin and Diane Fantini from Pennsylvania, and Joanna and Yocasta Hudson from Delaware. New members of the group were Terri McCue and her brother, Sean McCue, both from Pennsylvania. Yocasta wasted no time. On the first day, he caught a 40-lb. halibut and joined our halibut club. Two days in a row in Brown’s Lagoon, everyone in this group caught his or her limit of salmon, and on one day, we enjoyed a grilled salmon lunch on the beach.

We greeted Tom and Janet Kochman from Pennsylvania on July 25th. Their first morning began rainy and foggy, but the weather steadily improved as their stay progressed. On their last day, they sat in the sunshine and watched a curious bear chase fish and play with a log. The bear walked up to them several times, apparently trying to figure out why they were sitting on her riverbank. Later the same day, they watched another single bear and a sow with two large cubs. The cubs ran through the river chasing fish while mom warily kept an eye on the humans.

On August 3rd, Kirstie Knittel from Fairbanks, Brigid Verry from New Zealand, and Michael, Sharon, and Jonah Naylor, all from Illinois, arrived for a three-day stay. On their second day of bear viewing, this group watched a curious, young bear tromp through the water chasing fish. When he saw a salmon stranded in the water 30-ft. from the people, he raced, over, grabbed the fish, and chomped down on it while the cameras whirred. The sound of crushing bones impressed everyone. On their last morning, this group enjoyed seeing a huge fin whale.

On August 5th, we were excited to greet our friends Richard, Vickie, and Alex Coffman, all from Kansas. Curt Kohlberg and Allegra Manacher from Massachusetts joined the Coffmans. This group basked in gorgeous, clear, calm weather their entire stay. On their first day of bear viewing, they watched a large bear catch and eat a fish near them. On the following day, we saw a large pod of Orcas, and several surfaced beside the boat. Halibut fishing instantly hooked Richard and Alex (pun intended). One day, Richard joined our halibut club with a 40 pounder, and Alex caught a 30 pounder.

On August 11th, we happily welcomed back Terry and Cynthia Douglas from Anchorage. They were joined by Elena and Theresa Kokta from Washington and Diane Basile from Colorado. We enjoyed another week of sunny weather with this group. On a day of bear viewing, everyone gasped when a bear walked out onto the river close to them, and Terry immediately began snapping photos. Awhile later, another bear ran past them chasing salmon. One morning, a pod of orcas greeted us in front of our lodge, and as we idled away from our mooring, the curious whales cruised past the boat, giving us a thrill.

On August 16th, we greeted Andy Erickson, one of our favorite people. This year, Andy brought his two daughters, Linda Ulrich from Pennsylvania and Beth O’Donnell from Virginia. They were joined by returning guest Gene Dragonoski and his wife, Emma Pyle, from Pennsylvania and John Eaddy from New Zealand. The orcas were still feeding on salmon in front of our lodge when this group arrived, and between the whales and the nearby nest with baby eagles, we didn’t need to go far to see spectacular wildlife. On a day of fishing, everyone caught halibut, including Gene’s 35 pounder and John’s 25 pounder. On another day, this group watched a young bear fish and play in front of them. She caught a salmon, bit down on it, and eggs shot out of the fish.
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On August 21st, we greeted Kathie and Delana Disner from Colorado, Gail Gullo from California, and Pearon, Jean, and David Lang from South Carolina. This group watched a tolerant, young bear catch salmon and then play with the fish, whipping her head back and forth while she gripped the salmon in her mouth. When she was done with the fish, she’d throw it into the air and look for another one. Later, they saw a large sow catch several fish and take one up onto the bank to eat it. On another day, the same two bears posed for photos, and when the young bear got too close to her, the older bear turned and chased the young bear straight toward this group. For a few seconds, until the bears veered in another direction, everyone worried they were about to be caught in the middle of a bear fight. Each person in this group caught halibut, and Pearon landed three silver salmon, Kathie caught two, and David landed one.

On August 26th, we welcomed back good friends Dan Robertson from Nevada and Gordy Sexton, Howard Hancock, Gene Fanucchi, John Mendoza, and Mike Saner, all from California. We spent a fun five days aboard the Mary Beth with these guys, fishing for halibut and salmon. Gene caught a 50 pounder on the first afternoon, but unfortunately, it got away when the harpoon line broke. Howard brought a 70 pounder to the boat, but it took one look at us, spit out the hook, and swam away. Despite losing the big ones, the guys caught lots of halibut and 17 silvers. One day on our way to Greenbanks to salmon fish, we passed near a large pod of orcas and watched from a distance as some of the whales breached, spy-hopped, and tail-slapped. Later, while we fished on a beautiful, calm, clear day, fin whales surfaced around us.

On September 5th, Karin and Tony Ross from Pennsylvania returned to help us finish our summer season in style. This summer, Karin’s parents, Howard and Jane Taylor, joined them for a ten-day stay. Ed Matusik also accompanied the Rosses and Taylors. Ed and his wife, Jean, first visited Munsey’s Bear Camp in 1985 and have been back numerous times. It is always fun to sit and reminisce with Ed about the “old days.” Many things have changed in 35 years, but the scenery remains unparalleled, and the animals plentiful. One day, while this group watched a young bear fish, ten deer suddenly walked out onto the river, and the bear stopped fishing to chase the deer. The deer ran from him, and the bear stopped and looked over his shoulder at the people as if to say, “Did you catch that on video?” This group caught several silver salmon and halibut, and Karin’s 45 pounder landed her solidly in the halibut club. They spent three days sitting on the bank of a small stream watching bears, including several sets of sows and cubs. On their way back to the boat one afternoon, they had trouble walking past one tolerant sow with a single cub, when she wandered out of the woods and slowly meandered down the trail in front of them. One day, when Tony and Ed stayed on the Mary Beth with me to fish, Ed surprised us by catching a small halibut with a seal attached to its tail. The seal quietly came to the surface with the fish, looked at us, and then stole Ed’s halibut and swam away.

The sun shined bright on our last full day of the season, and on the final morning, fin whales surfaced near the Mary Beth, ending our summer on a high point.

This summer was like no other we can remember. While it was sunny and warm most of the summer, smoke from fires on the mainland often filled the air, obscuring visibility. Many of the trees turned brown by mid-August and began dropping their leaves, and several cottonwoods toppled from the lack of water. The absence of rain affected the vegetation, the salmon, and much more. The rise in ocean water temperature could have impacted the marine ecosystem in ways we cannot measure. We hope this summer was an anomaly, and things return to normal next year.

We enjoyed great guests and many laughs aboard the Mary Beth.  Everyone loved Abby’s toilet paper sailboats and swooned over Mary’s cooking. Thank you to all our guests. We appreciate you and hope you will return soon. Thank you, Mary and Abby, for everything you do.

I am excited to announce the release of my fourth novel, Karluk Bones. I also now have a podcast: Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. Visit my website at http://robinbarefield.com for more information about my books and podcast, and be sure to read my blog about Kodiak wildlife and living in the wilderness on Kodiak Island.

–Robin

 

 

 

Early Summer 2019

Wow! It’s already early July, and I see I forgot to write a mid-winter post. I guess I’m too late for a winter or a spring post. As our summer season quickly approaches, though, I’m excited to get out on our boat to see bears and watch whales, sea otters, seals, and other wildlife. Most importantly, I can’t wait to meet new folks and hug old friends.

I know many of our guests who are preparing to visit Munsey’s Bear Camp this summer will read this post, so I’m writing this with you in mind. First of all, to answer the most-asked question by our returning guests, YES, Mary will be back again this summer! Mary is our excellent chef and so much more, and all our guests adore and admire her. I think Mike and I could take the summer off, and no one would notice as long as Mary was here. As a bonus, Mary’s sister, Abby, will also be back for her second summer with us, so I can promise the dynamic Schwarzhans sisters!

I can never promise beautiful weather on Kodiak Island, but our weather so far this summer has been incredible. We’ve had nearly two weeks of warm, sunny weather with temperatures in the 70s. If you are planning to visit us this summer, though, don’t expect warm, sunny weather. Please remember your rain gear – both a raincoat and rain pants. Also, I always wear a jacket on our boat, and fleece is light to pack, keeps you warm, and dries quickly. At the end of your stay at our lodge, I hope you say to me, “It was sunny every day, I don’t know why you told me to bring rain gear!”

On the wildlife front, we had a mild winter, so the deer look great. Bears are, of course, out and about, and we’ve seen whales in the bay the last few weeks. Mike and I have been working on the boat and the lodge, and we haven’t had time to watch wildlife or fish, but we are very optimistic it will be a good summer for both. I’ll write another post in a few weeks with more specific information about what we’ve been seeing and catching.

Mike and I both have been busy around the lodge painting, fixing, building, cleaning, and planting. With this wonderful weather, we’ve finished our planned outdoor projects and started new ones. I am ready to stop working and get out on the boat and have fun.
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I just sent my latest novel, Karluk Bones, to my publisher, and it should be available later this summer. I also recently started a podcast titled Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, so click on the link to listen. To read more posts about Kodiak wildlife, visit my blog at http://robinbarefield.com/blog.

If you are planning to visit us this summer, we will see you soon! If you have any last-minute questions, don’t hesitate to e-mail us. Please e-mail us If you are on a special diet or have food allergies. We order our groceries from town, so we need to know about dietary issues in advance.

I think I say this in every post, but it bears (pun intended) repeating. Our lodge is small, and our goal is to make your stay with us the best vacation adventure or your life. I won’t speak for myself, but Mike, Mary, and Abby are amazing, and we will all go out of our way to make your stay comfortable and fun.

Have a safe trip to Kodiak Island, and if you aren’t planning to visit us this summer but hope to in the near future, you need to make your reservations soon! We book up nearly a year in advance.

Robin