Things have been kinda slow again, but I decided to take a break from some studies and put up a photo from this summer's trip to Alaska.
This particular photo was taken at Fish Creek in Alaska's panhandle just outside of Hyder, Alaska. This creek gets runs of both pink and chum salmon and the grizzlies and black bears both come here to feed in the shallow riffles.
The USDA Forest Service has built a viewing platform that is about 10 feet off the ground and about 8 feet from any tree trunk. (Any hikers or canoers in the group that recognize those parameters?) It's pretty safe once you get on the platform. Depending on where you park, however, you may have to walk some distance on the road that parallels the creek to get to the platform. And the bears use the road as well, so some caution has to be taken in the area.
This was a female grizzly that caught and ate five chum salmon in about 30 minutes while I photographed her. Each fish probably weighed about 20 lbs. She probably weighed about 600 lbs, which is pretty big for a sow even for these coastal mountain ranges.
