“Salmon! Salmon! Where are you?” asked the bears. So did the guests at the lodge. Bears were more than scarce today. Belle towed us around to some new areas that we hadn’t been to before and alas. No bears. We saw some nice landscapes, saw some other life, like a male and female grouse, a northern harrier, distant other birds that really wouldn’t be very photographable.
Eventually, a small, lonely cub, possibly a first year “coy” was seen alone. We don’t know why he had become separated from his mom. Perhaps, she kicked him out. Perhaps she met a bad fate. He was clearly scared, hungry, under-weight, and alone. The cuteness of the bears, the strength of the bears, and the enjoyment of seeing them suddenly met a harsh reality of life in the wilderness. Almost everyone understands the difficulty this cub will have making it to next year.
He eventually disappeared into the marsh of the meadow, not to be seen for the rest of our visit.
Still there was plenty to see including rugged mountains chiseled by weather and time. Still though, the hunt went on!
One thing that fascinated Sherry was this plant called Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium). This plant, which blooms in early spring with magenta blooms, turns a darker red in the fall as the seed pods open allowing their wispy white seed carriers to spread the seeds. This plant is known as fireweed as it is one of the first plants to grown back after forest fires.
After the last night’s dinner, we were out looking and were getting ready to all it a night. The call came out! Bears in the meadow near the other lodge! Sherry had spotted a bear coming out of the meadow. We rushed back to find a bear and her two cubs, who the staff identifies as “Aggrow” for “Aggressive Sow” were bopping down the road/runway from the Silver Salmon Creek lodge towards our lodge at Alaska Homestead Lodge. Her two cubs were falling behind and rushing to catch up with mom.
She came through the lodge garden, and back through some wooded areas back towards the meadow. We loaded up in the ATV and trailers and raced out to get in front of her. It was interesting watching the guides stop and listen for her in the woods and trying to predict where she would come out.
Sure enough, she did and we were ready. Her cubs trailed her as she went into the meadow, through a slew and then disappearing back into the meadow where we could not follow.
It was a quick rush before we settled down for the night.