In Katmai National Park, Alaska, there’s a meadow with lots of big brown bears. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews
Recently, Good Nature Travel writer Candice Gaukel Andrews traveled with Expedition Leader Brad Josephs on Nat Hab’s “Alaska’s Coastal Grizzlies: Kodiak to Katmai Photo Tour.” “I can now say that having the opportunity to spend time with Alaska’s big brown bears is one of the most authentic wildlife experiences any nature traveler can have. Brad, thank you for guiding me through the places you love and for the generous use of your camera when mine broke. This one’s for you,” says Andrews.
Below, read Andrews’ beautiful account of her trip, in words and images.
Brad and the bears
There’s a meadow above a bay in Katmai National Park, Alaska, with lots of bears.
But Brad says I can’t tell you where it is.
When there is competition for food or space, bears adopt a more nocturnal lifestyle; however, they are naturally diurnal. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews
There’s a black boat named Ursus that takes you to that meadow above a bay in Katmai National Park with lots of bears.
But be careful what you drink on the black boat because Brad says bears and booze don’t mix.
A strong, black boat named “Ursus” will transport you to a place filled with bears. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews
When you go out with your camp stool to sit in the meadow above a bay with lots of bears, Brad tells you his names for some of them. I suspect he knows the names of others.
But those Brad keeps to himself.
The natural beauty and power of Katmai National Park is most visually embodied in its awe-inspiring brown bears. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews
The bears in a meadow above a bay in Katmai National Park, Alaska, where you go out with your camp stool to sit, come so close to you that you can hear the sounds of grasses being pulled out of the soil and the bears’ mouths as they munch them. I look nervously back at Brad.
But Brad just nods and smiles.
Both the brown bear’s hump and claws are traits associated with an exceptional digging ability. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews
In a meadow above a bay in Katmai National Park, Alaska, where you go out with your camp stool to sit and the bears come so close, a bear mom is trying to bring up three little cubs. Brad hopes all three will make it through the year.
But Brad can’t promise that will happen.
A typical litter size is two to three cubs. But more than 25 percent of the cubs die before they leave their mothers. Cannibalism by adult males is one of the major causes of death. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews
I tell Brad I’ll never be able to make anyone else believe I sat next to wild grizzlies in a meadow above a bay in Katmai National Park, Alaska.
But I think Brad is really just a bear in a human disguise.
Here’s to finding your true places and natural habitats,
Candy
It will be hard to make anyone else believe I sat next to wild brown bears in a meadow above a bay in Katmai National Park, Alaska. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews
Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the United States. It is mountainous and heavily forested in the north and east. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews
More than 240 species of birds have been identified in the Kodiak Island Archipelago. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews
Because of their bright colors, early sailors called horned puffins “sea parrots” or “clowns of the sea.” ©Candice Gaukel Andrews
Adult brown bear males on the coast of Katmai National Park and the Alaska Peninsula are among the largest on the planet, competing in size with the famous Kodiak brown bears, considered to be the largest in the world. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews
Besides brown bears, Katmai National Park provides a protected home to coastal wolves, martens, minks, moose, snowshoe hares, wolverines and red foxes, such as this one. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews
Although generally solitary, coastal brown bears often congregate in fertile feeding areas. Because of this, they developed a complex language and social structure to express their feelings and avoid fights. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews
If you look closely, you’ll spot a chick behind this bald eagle, which almost imperceptibly blends in with the rocks in the background. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews
Alaska’s coastal brown bears often search for clams on the tidal flats. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews
Harbor seals are curious but elusive. They often surface near a boat, but they will disappear if they attract too much attention. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews
A rich diet of fish contributes to the large size of the brown bears along the coast of Katmai National Park, Alaska. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews
Approximately one fourth (4.6 million acres) of Alaska’s glaciers occur within national parks, such as this one in Katmai National Park. ©Candice Gaukel Andrews
3 Comments
Having Brad guide us through Katmai is an experience like no other! Great photos and a perfect description!
Brad and Candice ~ Thank you for sharing this lovely post. Having just returned from the magical places that Brad and the Ursus find in a meadow above a bay, I am transported there once again through these beautiful images and their descriptions. Being there and being able to sit among the bears is humbling and one of the most amazing experiences of my life.
I agree with you 100 percent, Sarah. It is an awe-inspiring experience.