August 5, 2017, Saturday — Khutze —

There is a spring tide tomorrow, so high tide today will be a good day for checking out the river. Just as I was getting ready to leave, an Indian tour boat came in and anchored.  They had six people they were taking up the river in a couple of inflatables with outboards.  The river is a good place for seeing grizzlies, so I assume that’s why they’re here.

I started paddling up the north fork of the river, right behind the tour boats.  When I came to the crossover channel to the south fork, I discovered that the tour boats were stopped.  I figured they were waiting for the tide to come up higher so that they could take the crossover channel.  I continued paddling on up the north fork. 

Just before I got to some rapids, I spotted a grizzly fishing for salmon trapped behind some huge logs that had created a breakwater in the river.  The river was only about four feet deep at this point, I was pretty sure that bear could paddle faster than I could, but I really wanted to get a shot of him.   What to do, what to do?  I got my camera out and was trying to get focused on the bear, while contending with the current and the fact that I was shaking like a leaf.  Suddenly I see one of the tour boats appear in my viewfinder.  Somehow they had found a little shallow channel and managed to get behind those huge logs where the bear is fishing, and they’re not 25 feet away from the bear.  The bear, didn’t appreciate the intrusion and headed for the trees. Well, as you can see, I didn’t get one good shot.

 

 

 

 

Oh, well, so much for grizzlies.   So, I paddled back down the river and got this shot of some seagulls instead.

 

 

 

Late that afternoon, at low tide, Al spotted a young grizzly on the beach.  I quickly suited up, hoping the bear would hang around until I got there.  By the time I got to the river, the bear had wandered back into the tall grass, out of sight.  I paddled further upriver where I saw a channel running to the south fork.  I waited, hoping the bear might be heading for this channel.  After about five minutes the bear appeared.

 

 

 

 

He checked me out and decided he’d rather eat grass.  I paddled back and forth, hoping to get another shot of him.  Then, I saw two heads pop up from the grass.  They were curious about me, but the grass was more appealing. 

 

 

 

 

 

It was getting pretty late, so I headed back to the boat, where I spotted these Mergansers.