When It's Springtime in Alaska....

The Crown Jewel (or "Farewell, King Solomon")

On the road again, this time with a travelling companion.  Say hello to Jeanette.  Jeanette's from the New Orleans area, but got her start at Mt. Rushmore.

"An Abomination of Desolation"

...is how Father Hubbard described the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes when he first explored the area.  I finally made it out there on a trip with our dispatcher Ryan (aka "Radio".)

July

 

Right on schedule, the sockeye begin their upstream journey.  Right behind them come the bears and the tourists. This is the shot people travel thousands of miles for.

Welcome to the Middle of the Food Chain

 Back at the coast where, in addition to the myriad bears, a pair of wolves was hanging around.  The epic interspecies battle I had hoped for here never materialized.

CSI: King Salmon

Finally wrapped up training in King Salmon with our wildlife forensics class.  Here's me showing off my perfect cast of the 'perpetrator's' ATV tire.

The Daily Grind

 

Let me tell you a little about my job...

Bear-ly Legal

 

I'm eliding King Salmon for the moment in favor of the much more interesting Brooks Camp.  Although the bears don't show up in force until July, every so often you'll see some, like this courting pair near the mouth of the Brooks River.  Some of the returning crew can recognize them by name, but I'm not quite there yet.  

TrailBlog Season Three: Alaska Edition

I suppose an update is in order.  I'm writing now from Eddie's Fireplace Inn in King Salmon, Alaska.  All people and supplies have to be brought in by plane, which is why the turkey sandwich I'm eating costs fifteen dollars and a case of Rainier runs thirty.  It's pretty quiet here right now, but once the salmon start running, the town will swell with fisherman and cannery workers.  I'm here, however, to work in nearby Katmai National Park, another plane ride away.  Although officially set aside to preserve the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, the site of a colossal volcanic explosion, the park's main draws are the fish and the bears that come to catch them.  If you're not a fisherman and you've heard of the park, it might be because it's where Timothy "Grizzly Man" Treadwell and his girlfriend were killed and eaten in the fall of '03.  For my mother's sake, I'd like to stress that bear-related injuries in the park are exceedingly rare and, in fact, the Treadwell incident was the first fatality in over twenty years.  Moreover, we'll be carrying a portable electric fence to set up around camp when we're in the backcountry.  I still have yet to see the park, as we've been in training here in King Salmon all week, but I will be flying out on Friday for boating class.  More about the town and the park later, but in the meantime, enjoy these images from my stayover in Anchorage.