It is our last day in camp.While we were viewing the bears at the Falls yesterday, there were 7 new people that arrived for the next block of permits. That means that with the 3 who were able to go with us yesterday as there was room. There will be no room for us today. We will miss not seeing the bears at the falls, but there is enough bear activity at the camp to keep us entertained. Plus it is going to be a nice day to relax and pack up before our returning flight to Homer at 5:30.
New tents are added to the campsite, adding color to the green vegetation.
At the 9:00 briefing Beth, the manager, welcomes the new participants and then tells Don and I plus Kelly and Kevin who are also flying out today that Tim and Greg are planning a coastal walk. We are welcome to join them at 11:00 to check out this new environment.
First though it is time to say good-by to Beth. She has spent over the last 13 years (I think ) being an assistant and then becoming manager for the State Game Sanctuary. It is obvious how much she loves this place and the bears that live here. We came because of the bears, but the staff has enhanced our experience here in a major way.
Beth and Don
We meet Tim and Greg at 11:00 and head out to the coast for our walk. Tides here can range between 16-22 feet so Tim tells us that we need to back and around a certain point called the Pinch Point before the tide floods back in. The morning is filled with moisture so photos are not easy to take.
We crane our necks upward to check out the high cliffs that we walk by. The shores are quite rocky and we look for fossilized wood in some of the rocks. This is quite the different environment than the walk to the falls thru the alders.
Finally the fog burns off and we have lunch beneath cormorants that are nesting high above us.
Tim tells us that when he has done walks here before he has seen bears on the beach. We eat our lunch and wonder how the rocks behind us were formed or did they fall from above or?
We watch our footing as we head back to camp.
Back at camp we finish packing up and watch the bears that are grazing near camp or digging for clams out front. There is a sow with small spring cubs. She will be waiting for a year or two before she takes them to the Falls.
Our plane is scheduled to arrive at 5:30 and will meet us at the end of the spit. We load up our gear in the wheel barrows and head there,
Then close to the scheduled time we hear then see our float plane.
Looks like it is going to be a beautiful day for flying.
We load our gear and are soon off to head back to Homer. This time unlike when we flew over we should be able to check out some of the terrain.
This shows some of the coast that we walked this morning. The tide is up making some parts that we walked inaccessible.
We fly past Augustine, a volcano that has been one of the most active volcanoes in this area. The last eruption was in 2006. It was the 5th major eruption in 75 years. Today there are no signs of activity.
With the weather being clear and calm, we have a direct flight to Homer. We can see fishing boats below us enjoying the calm seas. Soon we are landing on Beluga lake where air taxis dock their planes. We unload, pack our gear into our van and head North after eating pizza and ice cream on the spit. After the calm of McNeil river there is too much human activity to want us to stay longer in Homer.
What we have observed at McNeil, is taking us awhile to process. Being able to watch one of the largest protected populations of Brown Bears is a magical experience. We are so thankful that there was foresight to protect this area and the bears that live there.