Category Archives: Munsey’s Bear Viewing News

Summer 2013

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A young bear chases a salmon and pounces on it thirty feet from where you sit.  You force yourself to hold your camera steady and continue snapping photos as she turns toward you and lifts her prize in the air.  A few minutes later, two more young bears race into view, and you laugh as they stand on their hind legs and wrestle with each other.  The three bears quickly move upstream as a larger, older bear steps out of the woods and begins chasing a salmon.  Awhile later, the older bear sniffs the air, and he too walks upriver.  Then another bear steps onto the bank across from you, and you take the camera away from your eye as you try to gain perspective.  The bears you saw earlier were all large, but this bear appears to be twice as big as the others.  He looks straight at you, grunts twice, and then stomps his feet on the bank.  It’s obvious he’s not pleased to see humans on his river.  You try to snap a photo of the big guy, but there’s no keeping your camera steady at this point.  You look at your guide who is now standing.  He speaks calmly but firmly to the bear.  The bear regards him for a moment and then wanders downstream.  Later the guide tells you that you have had the rare treat of seeing an extremely large, 1000-lb. Kodiak bear, and you’ve had the thrill of visiting him in his natural habitat.  Welcome to the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, and welcome to Munsey’s Bear Camp!

This summer was both beautiful and frustrating.  We enjoyed sunshine and record-high temperatures during July, and because of all the sun and heat, Kodiak had an early, heavy berry crop in July, and the bears seemed to be more interested in gorging themselves on berries than chasing salmon.  This, of course, was great for the bears but tough for bear viewing, since most bears were in the berry thickets where they are nearly impossible to see, instead of along the shore and on the salmon streams where we usually watch them in July.  By August, our world righted itself, and while the weather wasn’t quite as nice, the bears moved onto the salmon streams, and bear viewing was excellent as usual.

Our summer season began July 9th.  Our cook this summer was a fun, innovative, young woman named Mary Schwarzhans, who amazed and impressed our guests with her wonderful meals.

Our first guests were Matt and Sandy Looney, Terry and Kris Vaughn, and Mike and Melanie Austin, all from Tennessee.  This group enjoyed the rare experience one afternoon of seeing a mountain goat standing on the shore.  On another day, a curious fox walked up to them and watched them change their boots on the beach, and awhile later, they photographed a bear standing on a rock looking for fish.  On their last day, we cruised toward the mouth of the bay on a beautiful morning, where we saw many sea otters, including one that was so busy eating a large octopus, he wasn’t the least disturbed by our presence as we snapped photos.

On July 15th, we greeted our good friend Vickie Coffman from Kansas, Jack Sowers and his son Chris from Texas and Jack’s other son, John, from Oklahoma.  When I think of this group, I remember sunny, warm weather and smiling faces.  On their first day, they watched a sow with two cubs, and on another day, they  photographed a bear in a thicket as he methodically picked berries from a bush.  Everyone in this group caught salmon and halibut, but Jack landed the largest, a 60-lb. halibut that gained him entry into our 40- pounds-and-over halibut club.  On their last day with us, Jack, John, and Chris followed Mike up a river where they watched a young bear chase, catch, and eat salmon in front of them.

Dave and Nancy Hicks from Ohio, John Hoffman from Pennsylvania, and Marc Wallace from New York arrived on July 20th.  This group enjoyed a beautiful, sunny afternoon of salmon fishing in Brown’s Lagoon, where an array of wild flowers blanketed the hills and cliffs.  Everyone in this group caught halibut, and Marc enjoyed the thrill of fighting a halibut in shallow water.  One day a bear climbed a cliff near where they were sitting, got within 40 ft. of them, and lifted his head to look at them before wandering away.  On another day, a bear walked to within 20 ft. of them before slowly heading into the woods.

On July 25th, we were thrilled to welcome back the Williams family, consisting of Art and Louise from Pennsylvania, their daughter Heather and her friend Thomas Hopper, both from Virginia, and Art and Louise’s son Doug, his wife Beth, and their children Addie (age 9) and Finn (age 7) from North Carolina.  This was Art and Louise’s 50th wedding anniversary trip with their family, and we were proud they chose to spend it with us.  This group watched a bear sprawl lazily in the water and photographed another bear walking the beach.  Everyone in the family enjoyed salmon and halibut fishing, and Addie and Finn cheered while Aunt Heather reeled in a 52-lb. halibut.

While the rest of the family departed on July 30th, Art and Louise stayed for another five days.  We were also happy to welcome back Eric, Carolyn, and Chris Gustafson from New Mexico.  This group was slammed by a summer storm that greatly altered our plans.  It was too windy to get to the bear-viewing area for two days, and when we finally did get there, the wind increased to 50 mph by mid-afternoon, and we were forced to leave.  Through it all, everyone managed to keep smiling.  Eric and Chris enjoyed an afternoon of salmon fishing, when they kept three salmon and released twelve, and meanwhile, Art landed two 25-lb. halibut, one right after the other.  On their last morning, we cruised north and watched two fin whales that surfaced near us.

On August 9th, we were happy to welcome back Terry and Cynthia Douglas from Virginia, and we greeted Krista McFall and James Walker from Colorado and Krista’s sister, Jennifer Barron, and her friend, Vince Burgess, both from San Diego.  One day this group watched two young bears catch fish and wrestle.  A young sow charged out of the brush and caught a salmon beside them, and awhile later, a huge boar came out across the river from them, woofed, and stomped his feet twice before leaving.  On another day, Terry, Cynthia, and Mike watched bears on a side stream while Krista, James, Jenny, and Vince enjoyed halibut fishing on the Mary Beth.  On their last day, they once again saw the huge boar, another large boar, a sow with two newborn cubs, and several single bears.

On August 14th, we greeted Mario and Karin Noti from Switzerland and John and Ana Price and Chuck and Charleen Vershaw, all from California.  On their first day, this group photographed a large boar and a young sow that fished in front of them.  Then a small, blonde bear put on a show when he held a salmon in his mouth and snapped it back and forth.  On another walk upriver, they saw a sow with two 2-year old cubs, a sow with a yearling, and several single bears.  Everyone enjoyed a good day of halibut fishing (John and Ana as official photographers) on a beautiful day at the mouth of Uyak Bay, and Mario discovered a new skill when he caught six halibut, including a 35 pounder.

Clint and Rickie Swink, their daughter Sage, her husband Ira Riegel, their other daughter Tana, her husband Chad Clocgh, and Tana and Chad’s baby, Caden, all from Colorado, arrived on August 19th.  On their first two days, several bears fished in front of them.  One young bear fished only 20 ft. from them, but when he looked as if he was going to climb the bank and sit on Sage’s lap, Mike told him he was getting too close.  He seemed to take the reprimand to heart, because he walked 50 ft. away, dug a hole in the dirt, and plopped down for a nap.  On their final day with us, Clint, Rickie, Ira, and Mike watched and photographed six bears that caught salmon near them, while on the Mary Beth, Chad, Tana, and Sage all caught halibut.  While fishing at the mouth of the bay, this group enjoyed watching a pod of Orcas that cruised past our boat.
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On August 24th, we were thrilled to welcome back Dan Robertson from Nevada and Gene Fanucchi, John Mendoza, Michael Saner, Howard Hancock, and Gordy Sexton, all from California.  This group of friends has visited our lodge the last several years to catch fish, relax, and harass each other (not necessarily in that order).  I hope they were able to relax, and I’m certain they fulfilled their other two goals.  They each left with a 50-lb. box of fish, and by the last day, we were releasing halibut, because they had more than they could take home with them.  All the guys caught halibut and salmon, but it was Mike Saner’s year.  He not only caught the most halibut, but he also caught the largest two, joined our halibut club, and saw our halibut flag raised twice for a 45-lb. halibut and a 75 pounder.

On September 2nd, we greeted Billy and Katherine Donegan from England and Joachim and Beate Gmehling and their daughters, Sonja and Hanna, all from Germany.  This group was here for a 3-day trip.    During their two days of bear viewing, they saw three sets of sows and cubs, including a sow with three newborn cubs.  A drowsy bear yawned and stretched when they walked past her and then wandered into the river and caught and ate salmon in front of them.  Two other young bears took a nap near them, resting their heads on a log, and when they awoke, they began wrestling and playing only 60 ft. away from this group.

On September 5th, we were very happy to welcome back Jerry Burblis from Anchorage, Jo-Anne Antalik from Florida, Ed Matusik from Pennsylvania, and David and Pam Slaughter from Colorado.  This group enjoyed a great afternoon of silver salmon fishing in Brown’s Lagoon.  Ed and David each caught five salmon, and Pam caught four.  On another day, Ed caught a 42-lb. halibut and earned entry into our halibut club.  One day, a large, old female bear with ivory claws and a large boar fished close to this group as the cameras snapped photos.  At one point in the afternoon, they had six bears fishing in front of them, and one young bear walked right up to them and fished beside them.

On September 10th, Ed was joined by Andy Erickson from Rhode Island and Tony and Karin Ross from Pennsylvania.  Andy has visited our lodge several times, and this was the second of hopefully many visits for Tony and Karin.  On their first day, this group watched two bears play in the water for twenty minutes, and then a young bear caught one salmon after another in front of them, took a bite out of each fish and then tossed it away.  On their hike back to the boat that day, they walked past two bears relaxing in the grass near the trail.  One bear had his feet raised in the air, and neither bear could be bothered to move as the humans walked past.  They saw 22 bears on a hike up a side stream, including six sets of sows and cubs, and on their final day of bear viewing, they sat on the riverbank and again watched a procession of bears fish, play, and interact.

We once again spent our summer in the wilderness of Kodiak Island with wonderful people, some we’ve known for many years and others we just met but hope to see again.  I can’t imagine better jobs than the ones we have!  Thank you Mary for your fantastic meals and your sense of humor.  Thanks to our guests for another great summer in Uyak Bay!

Robin

 

 

 

 

2011 Bear Viewing News

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Bear in water looking

Young Kodiak  bear waits for fish

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 A huge Kodiak bear climbs the riverbank across from you, his white claws gleaming in the sunlight.  He glances at you and then stretches out for a nap.  Suddenly, a bear charges out of the woods to your left and into the river.  She pounces on a salmon and carries it to a fallen log.  You hear bones crunch as she consumes her lunch, and you hope your video camera is picking up the sound.  Splashing water and pounding feet cause you to lift your head from your camera and glance to your right, where you see one bear chasing another bear down the middle of the river.  The lead bear has a salmon in his mouth, and his pursuer seems intent on stealing the prize.  You realize that you are nearly surrounded by bears and look nervously at your guide, but when he smiles and nods, you return to the difficult task of deciding upon which bear to focus your camera first.  Welcome to Munsey’s Bear Camp.

Our 2011 summer was different from any we can remember. The pink salmon run was nearly a month late and much smaller than predicted, and while bear viewing was good all summer, we didn’t see many bears catching salmon until August. That, coupled with a poor berry crop, had us concerned that the bears wouldn’t get enough to eat, but by the end of the summer, the streams were full of salmon, and the bears looked fat and healthy.

Marcia Messier was our cook and so much more again this summer. While salmon runs aren’t always predictable, wonderful meals from Marcia are a sure thing!

We began our season on July 10th with the arrival of friends Val and Terry Zimmer from Kansas, and Zac Bishop and Francesca Teeters, both from Colorado. On their first day, this group saw several sea otters and particularly enjoyed seeing the mothers with babies on their stomachs. They watched three bears chase each other and feed on grass, and one walked down to a stream near them and drank water. This group caught several halibut and enjoyed an afternoon of Dolly Varden fishing in Brown’s Lagoon, where Frankie caught our first pink salmon of the summer.

On July 15th, we welcomed back Mike and Chris Sargenti from New York and greeted David and Ann Jefferson from Scotland. On their first day, this group photographed foxes and deer and watched two bears nap in the sunshine. On July 17th, Dan and Yehudit Mizrahi from Israel joined the Sargentis and Jeffersons. This group saw a bear in the woods that rubbed his back on a tree and then walked down the bank to within 30 ft. of them before continuing on his way. Awhile later, they watched two sub-adult bears play, standing on their hind legs to bat at each other. On another afternoon, a bear seemed to follow them as they walked up a stream, and he paid little attention to them as he fed near them.

We welcomed Bink Frayne from Australia and Steve and Deb Bootz from Wisconsin on July 20th. This group enjoyed a leisurely day of fishing that included a lunch of grilled salmon. Steve, Deb, and Mike watched several bears, including one that caught a salmon and was immediately chased by another bear who was trying to steal the fish. The first bear gulped down his lunch before the second bear could catch him. Later that day, this group enjoyed watching a sow with three newborn cubs. Meanwhile, Bink experienced the excitement of catching and releasing a 40 lb. halibut in 20 ft. of water. Bink’s halibut placed him in our prestigious halibut club (40 lbs. and over).

On July 25th, we were pleased to welcome back Bud and Joan Coughlin from Pennsylvania and Diane and Gene Fantini and Junior and Carol Constrisciani, all from Delaware. Fishing was this group’s main interest, and Bud got things rolling with a 35-lb. halibut the first afternoon. The next day, Joan caught a 54-lb. halibut and joined our halibut club. On the third day, Bud and Carol caught salmon and Dolly Varden in Brown’s Lagoon, while Gene, Diane, Joan, and Junior kept five halibut and released four on the Mary Beth. On their final day, this group kept 10 and released 38 halibut, and Carol caught our first silver salmon of the summer. One evening, Diane and Gene videotaped a bear that walked along the shore near their cabin, and this group had the unexpected thrill of watching a mountain goat on the beach by our dock.

On August 4th, we welcomed back our dear friend Dick Zander and greeted Beat and Marie Christine Frankhauser from Switzerland and their teenage daughters Karin, Sabine, and Nadine. On their first morning, we encountered three orcas just minutes after leaving our mooring. The whales swam beside us for a distance and even dove under the boat. On a cruise to the mouth of the bay, the girls loved the bobbing sea otters, and Nadine showed her elders how to fish when she landed a nice halibut. By this point, the salmon run should have been hitting its peak, but there were few fish at the head of the bay, and this group saw the heart-breaking consequences of a poor salmon run when they watched a sow abandon one of her three newborn cubs. The sow probably wasn’t getting enough nutrition to support three cubs. Sows abandoning cubs is a common occurrence in nature, but it is rarely observed, and we saw it happen twice this summer.
On August 9th, Dick was joined by Peter Rim de Kroon, Elisabeth Schippers, and their teenage children, Rimke and Ferk, from the Netherlands. When we reached the head of Uyak Bay on August 10th, we were thrilled to see that the pink salmon had finally arrived, approximately one month late. We saw twenty-five bears fishing on the tide flats, and the de Kroon family and Mike sat on a riverbank and watched twelve bears fish and walk in front of them. One bear caught four fish right beside them. On another day, they watched twenty bears, including three very large males, fish and interact with each other. The de Kroon family all proved to be excellent fishermen, and Ferk decided fishing was almost too easy after catching his limit (five) of silver salmon and releasing twelve halibut.

On August 15th, our friends Barb and Tim Gilligan from Kansas joined Dick. Tim and Barb both caught silver salmon and their limit of halibut one day, and Tim joined our halibut club with a 45 ponder. Janet Ward and David Cresswell from England joined Dick, Barb, and Tim on August 17th. This group spent two days sitting on a riverbank watching bears fish and parade in front of them. Barb said there were so many bears she didn’t know which way to point her video camera, and Tim commented that he could hear bones crunch on their video when one of the bears ate her catch near them (as you may have guessed, my scenario at the beginning of this newsletter was drawn from actual events this summer).

On August 21st, we were pleased to welcome back Andy Vena II, Andy Vena III, Charles Reilly, Dennis Reilly, Albert Strydesky, and John Mayer, all from New Jersey. As always, these guys brought high energy and kept us smiling. They caught fifteen silver salmon and four halibut in two hours at Greenbanks. The next day, they caught eight halibut, and Andy Sr. demonstrated the perfect technique for landing a 52 pounder and joining our club. Mike took this group bear viewing on a side stream one afternoon for a couple hours, and they watched a large male catch several fish.

Kodiak Bear with Salmon

 We greeted our second straignt group of fishermen on August 26th.  We were happy to welcome back good friends Dan Robertson from Nevada, and Gene Fauncchi and John Mendoza, both from California, and we were pleased to meet first-time members of the group (aka “the new guys”) Ray Arreola, Bob Lipscomp, and Michael Saner, all from California.  Bob claimed to know little about fishing, and I knew immediately who would go home with the most fish.  Bob began the first afternoon by landing his limit of halibut, and he won the largest-fish bet with ease by catching the three biggest halibut of the trip.  The other guys caught plenty of halibut too, and Dan caught his limit of silvers one day.  Mike took “the new guys”  gear viewing, and they watched five bears, including two large males, fish on a small stream.

We were happy to welcome back Andy Erickson from Rhode Island and Rene Bär from Switzerland on September 3rd. Andy and Rene were joined by Tony and Karin Ross from Pennsylvania. On their first day, this group watched several bears fish, including an accommodating bear that caught a salmon and then carried the fish up the beach within full view of the cameras before eating it. On the way back to the boat the first afternoon, Andy slipped and broke his ankle. He had to be flown to Kodiak to have the ankle stabilized, and then he traveled home to Rhode Island for surgery. Although he never complained, I know it was a painful ordeal for him. Rene, Tony and Karin were joined by Walter and Eva Ortwein from Germany on September 4th. This group experienced the fury of a Kodiak storm when the wind blew nearly 60 mph, but they spent the following two, beautiful days watching bears on the main river. One bear ignored the live salmon, preferring to dig dead fish from the river bottom and eat them. Other bears were obviously getting more than enough to eat and would only take one or two bites out of a salmon before tossing their catch.

On September 8th, we welcomed Shinji Sato, Kazuko Yamade, Sho Komorizono, Ayuko Shiobara, Kazuhiko Yakushiji, and Kume Shizuko, all from Japan. This group enjoyed a spectacular first afternoon when we sat in the midst of ten fin whales that fed and surfaced around our boat. They spent the next four days photographing bears. One day, a large male strolled past them, and at the same time, another bear emerged from the brush across the river from them. Meanwhile, a bear walked toward them from upstream and caught a fish beside them. The dilemma was which bear to photograph first. One afternoon as we cruised back to the Mary Beth, we were surprised to see two orcas in the shallow water at the head of the bay. The whales, including a large bull, surfaced near us several times.

On September 13th, we were pleased to welcome back Gene and Denise Brown and their friends, Cynthia Spawn and Janis Allen, all from the state of Washington. This was a fun group to close out our summer season, and they enjoyed four beautiful days of bear viewing. One afternoon, they watched a bear take a bath near them in a stream, and on another day, they photographed two young bears play and wrestle. The bears got so carried away that one rolled down the bank onto the beach. When a third bear approached, the playing stopped and a tense standoff ensued between the three bears . After a few moments, they all continued peacefully on their way. Finally, this newsletter would not be complete without mentioning that this group as well as several previous groups enjoyed watching a cute, curious weasel that inhabited a log pile near where they sat to bear view.

The salmon run is crucial to the Kodiak ecosystem. Many animals, including bears, seals, eagles, orcas, many species of fish, humans, and yes, even the curious weasels depend on salmon for sustenance, and once they spawn, the nutrients from decaying salmon support everything from bacteria and fungi to plants and trees, to the salmon fry that emerge from the eggs that were just laid, all of which provide food for other organisms. Our summer season is carefully planned around the expected arrival of salmon in our bay. No one knows why the salmon run was late this year or why it was smaller than expected, but we assume it was one of those anomalies of nature that make our jobs frustrating at times but never boring. It is difficult to watch a sow abandon a small cub, but it is also fascinating to see how nature adjusts to deal with variances from the norm. When there is less food available, a sow must abandon one cub to expend her resources on successfully raising the two she has left.

I want to thank Marcia again this summer for her wonderful food and great sense of humor. She always keeps us smiling. We had guests from nine different countries. Half were new and half were returnees. One hundred percent of our guests were enjoyable, and I want to thank each one of you for sharing a piece of your summer with us. We wish Dick Zander and Andy Erickson speedy recoveries, and we hope to see you both back here soon.

Robin Munsey

Alaska Bear and Wildlife Viewing – 2009 Newsletter

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Bear Drinking Water

Bear glances at bear viewer as it takes a drink

Greetings from Amook Pass.  Our big news this year is our new boat, the Mary Beth, a 43-ft. Delta charter boat with twin engines and plenty of cabin and deck space.  After using it for one summer, we are thrilled with it.  We were also thrilled to have Marcia Messier back again this summer to cook and pamper us.  Marcia has become such an integral part of our operation that we can’t imagine doing this without her.

Last year I dedicated my newsletter to our many returning guests, and while we once again had several returnees this summer, the bulk of our guests were first-time visitors to Kodiak Island and Munsey’s Bear Camp.  Mike and I know we are extremely lucky to live and work in the midst of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, but it is always rewarding to watch the awe and wonder in our guests’ eyes when they first see a Kodiak bear chase a salmon.  Bear viewing in a wild, pristine setting with no manmade platform in sight is what appeals most to our guests.  Each bear sighting is unique, and no two photos look the same.

We began our season July 15th with the arrival of Thomas and Inge Hartke from Switzerland.  This delightful couple set the tone for a summer filled with wonderful guests.  On their first, sunny day, the Hartkes watched several bears, including two that sprawled in the water to cool down.  Thomas and Inge both caught halibut, and from the smile on his face, we could tell how much Thomas enjoyed landing a 36 pounder.  On July 17th, the Hartkes were joined by Eric Baccega, Loic Poidevin, and Yves Couedic, all from France.  One day this group watched 15 bears.  Several caught fish near them, including a sow that shared her catch with her yearling cub.  On their last morning, this group photographed fin whales and sea otters during a wildlife cruise. They also watched a fox and her two kits.

On July 20th, we welcomed Estelle Barnes, Adrian Russell-Smith, Rachel Lambert, Rob Kennelly, Karen Jones, and Ray Stevenson, all from England.  This group saw thirty bears fish on the tidal flats during one of the lowest tides of the year.  They sat on the beach and watched bears on either side and in front of them chase fish, squabble, and mock fight, and they saw two cubs whine when their mother insisted they follow her into the water.  On another day, they were watching a bear, when he jumped into the stream, swam across it, and climbed onto the bank twenty feet from where they sat.

Mike and Chris Sargenti from New Jersey arrived on July 25th.  We enjoyed watching Mike relax during his stay in the wilderness.  The Sargentis watched one bear catch a fish and eat it thirty feet from them, and several other bears caught salmon and walked right past them with the squirming fish hanging from their mouths.  On July 28th, Mike and Chris were joined by John and Dorene McCune and their teenage children, Eric and Kelsey, all from North Carolina.  This group watched a bear catch and eat a salmon in front of them, and then the bear chased another fish to within twenty feet of them.  On July 30th, we waved goodbye to Mike and Chris, and the following day, Mike led the McCune family up a river where they watched several bears.  On their last day with us, the McCunes spent a beautiful, sunny day watching huge fin whales surface beside our boat and saw Stellar sea lions, sea otters, and puffins.

Art and Gay Schroer from Missouri arrived August 4th.  On their first day, they watched several bears, including one that brought a fish in near them to eat it.  Awhile later, a sow and cub walked down the beach in front of them, and under mom’s watchful gaze, the curious cub walked closer to get a better look at the humans.  Dirk Schilder from Germany joined Art and Gay on August 6th.  One day this group had a very cooperative bear walk past them,  plop down on the beach, and roll in the seaweed. Several other bears fished and interacted in front of them as the cameras whirred, and Dirk said it was one of the best days of his life.  On August 8th, Gay, Art, and Dirk were joined by Ann Larner from Massachusetts and her two daughters; Sara, also from Massachusetts, and Rebecca from North Carolina.  On August 9th, Art and Gay departed, and our good friend Dick Zander from Maryland arrived for a 17-day stay.  This group enjoyed beautiful, sunny weather.  They had a great day of bear viewing on the tidal flats, and the next day, they walked upriver, where several bears fished and walked past them.

 

     On August 11th, Johnny and Sue Wright from Texas and Jennifer Crawford from Wyoming joined Dick.  Jennifer caught a 35-lb. halibut the first afternoon, and at the head of the bay, this group watched a sow take a dip in the ocean, while her two cubs wrestled on the beach.  Later, a sow and cub and several single bears walked in front of them while they snapped photos.  On another day, this group watched several bears fish on a small stream.  One bear was so intent on the fish he’d caught that he ran straight toward them, salmon dangling from his mouth, before Mike reminded him of their presence.  On a rainy, windy day, Mike and Jennifer hiked upriver to bear watch, while on the Mary Beth, Sue caught a 20-lb. halibut, and Dick landed a 60 pounder.

On August 17th, Dick was joined by Paul Kludt from Florida and Eric, Carolyn, and Chris Gustafson from New Mexico.  On their first day, a bear ran up to them and then stood on his hind legs to take a better look at the humans.  Another day, they photographed a bear sleeping on a rock, and on their third day of bear viewing, a bear ate a salmon near them and then walked to within thirty feet of them.  Awhile later, two sub-adult bears relaxed on the beach near them.  At Greenbanks, we saw fin whales and sea otters and enjoyed a sunny afternoon of fishing, and on their final morning, Chris decided it was time to join our halibut club (40 lbs. and over) and landed a 46 pounder.

Albrecht Seitel from Germany and David and Pam Slaughter from Colorado joined Dick on August 21st.  On their first day, this group enjoyed a spectacular show by a young sow.  She chased fish the traditional way and also jumped in the deep water and snorkeled for salmon.  At one point, she was playing on a log in front of them, then dashed into the river, caught a salmon, and turned toward them with the wiggling fish in her mouth, posing for photos.  At the mouth of the bay, this group watched fin whales, saw sea otters and Stellar sea lions, and each caught a silver salmon.

On August 26th, we welcomed back Dan Robertson from Nevada, Gordy Sexton, Gene Fanucchi, and Howard Hancock, all  from California and met the two newest members of this party: John Mendoza and Chris Ratfield, also from California.  These guys were here to catch fish, and Gordy wasted no time, landing a 55-lb. halibut the first afternoon.  On a stormy day, these guys caught eight halibut to fill their boxes, and at Greenbanks, they landed 17 silver salmon and two halibut.  By the time they left, each guy in this group had a fifty-pound box full of halibut and salmon fillets.

On August 31st, we greeted good friends, Ed and Jean Matusik from Pennsylvania and Andy Erickson from Rhode Island.  Ed and Jean were here for a ten-day stay, while Andy was here for five days.  Andy had his usual first-day fishing luck, landing a 75-lb. halibut on a beautiful, sunny afternoon.  At Greenbanks, Ed hauled in one fish after another and ended up keeping four silver salmon and two halibut.  Two days later, Ed caught a 50-lb. halibut.  This group watched several bears, including one that walked in front of where they sat and then caught a fish and ate it on a rock.

On September 5th, Ed and Jean were joined by Carl Pirro from Minnesota, Sheila Gauthier from Washington, and Petr and Barbora Slavik from the Czech Republic.  This group watched several bears on a river, including one that performed in front of them for twenty minutes.  Another day, they saw 22 bears on two small streams.  They hid in the tall grass where they could hear the bears fishing and interacting near them on the stream.  When the bears caught salmon, they’d climb up on the bank and eat their fish within view of the group.  Mike says one of his favorite memories of the summer was the look of wonder on Sheila’s face as she watched this incredible spectacle of nature.  Petr is a professional photographer, and he will almost certainly include some of the wonderful photos he took with us in his next book.

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Mirjam and Ulrich Wiede, Peter Wiede, Michael Schnapp, Friedel Papmeyer, and Babo Graf Von Harrach, all from Germany, arrived September 11th.  This group watched several bears catch salmon.  After filling his belly with fish, one bear crawled up on a log near them and draped his paws over it, as if posing for photos.  They also watched two large cubs play under the watchful gaze of their mother.  The cubs sat on a log over the river and attempted to reach down into the river to grasp salmon as they swam past.  Not only was this fishing method unsuccessful, but one of the cubs lost his balance and fell into the river.  On a day at the mouth of the bay, we saw a dozen fin whales, and awhile later, Mike spotted a pod of orcas that swam past us.

On September 15th, we welcomed back good friend Jerry Burblis from Alaska and greeted Ed and Tom DeGraan from Massachusetts.  This group watched bears on a side stream one day.  One bear walked out beside them, wandered over to the stream, slowly backed into it, and swam to the other side.  On the main river, a young bear seemed to want to hang out with these guys.  Twice he walked up very close to them, and Mike had to talk to him to remind him they were there.  The last day of our summer season couldn’t have been more perfect.  We cruised out the bay on a calm, sunny day and enjoyed the spectacular view of the snowy peaks of the Alaska Peninsula, a plume of smoke rising from one of the volcanoes.  After watching fin whales, we anchored, and between Jerry, Tom, and Ed, they kept 4 halibut and released 36.  Ed and Tom also each caught a beautiful silver salmon in Brown’s Lagoon.

One of the things we love about this business is watching our guests arrive as strangers and depart as friends.  The first afternoon on our boat is fairly quiet as the new guests take in their surroundings and get to know each other.  By the last afternoon, though, the boat is alive with laughter and chatter as the guests recall shared adventures, review each other’s photos, and exchange e-mail addresses.  When we see a guest depart looking much more relaxed than he did when he arrived, we feel we’ve done our job.

Thanks again to all of our guests this summer.  We’re proud to say that many have already re-booked for next summer!  Also, a big thanks to Marcia for another job well done.

Robin Munsey