Tuesday, September 15, 2015

It didn't rain much last night but we still slept in until 9:40 am. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast then broke camp before the rain started. Once we were all packed up, we left the campground at 12 noon and walked to Lake Brooks to see what we could see. The wind was blowing fierce so we didn't linger very long. On our way back, the boys split off to watch bears at Brooks Falls while Berta & I went back to camp to join the 2pm guided Cultural walk. It was down pouring at this point but Ranger Crystal gave a great presentation about the people who lived in the area dating back 5000 years! The tour ended in a building which enclosed a replica of the partial subterranean buildings natives of the area lived in during the winter. Just as we were about to exit the building, a mama and her cub came walking up our trail and checked out the building. We waited in the building for a bit while Ranger Crystal radioed in bear security. We didn't have to wait very long and it was fun to see the little spring cub so close up! Very interesting tour as well.

Spring cub seen from inside the cultural center

Berta & I made our way back to the lodge commons where we found the boys, plus one black umbrella. They had a good time at the falls watching Zen Bear & Barley Bear. Apparently Zen Bear lost his zen and started running around chasing salmon but still didn't catch any. The ranger stationed at the viewing platform was able to retrieve Mat's umbrella for him. We had some tea & coffee ($2 per cup in the commons) then made our way back to camp to cook lunch and pack up our food. A couple of bears were sleeping on the beach so we had to take the back way to camp through the forest & tall grass.

Mama and cub near the float planes

It was just about 5 pm when we finished lunch and packing so we made our way back to the lodge commons with all our gear. The Katmai Air folks called our names & party size around 5:30 and loaded up our packs. They came and got us when the plane was ready for boarding. All passengers were present so we were in the air before 6pm. Unfortunately it was a rainy, bumpy flight which made Mat and I a little air sick but we are prone to that. We landed in King Salmon where large patches of blue sky let the sun shine through! The plane from Anchorage was running late so, after checking in, we walked around down town accompanied by 2 local friendly neighborhood dogs. The flight back to Anchorage was smooth and uneventful with a breathtaking glimpse of Mt. Iliamna during sunset.

Glaciers on the slopes of Mt. Iliamna

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