Like most wildlife watching, bear viewing is definitely a waiting game. Photo / Carol Atkinson
Like most wildlife watching, bear viewing is definitely a waiting game. Photo / Carol Atkinson
While visiting Alaska, Brett Atkinson waits patiently to observe wild bears - and finds they're exactly like Auckland buses: nothing at all and then all at once.
Coffee and aviation fuel. It's a combination of aromas usually flagging a redeye flight from a big airport, but today, also infused withthe dewy freshness of an Alaskan morning. We're seeing in the new day at Anchorage's Lake Hood seaplane base. Seaplanes are departing for work and pleasure to all parts of southern Alaska, and our 8am flight in Rust's Flying Services' red Cessna is set to transport us to the heart of North American wilderness.
From Anchorage southwest to Redoubt Bay is a journey of just over 100km, and for 45 minutes we fly above Alaska's extreme scenery at an altitude of just 3000m. Like our own South Island, a rugged patchwork of glaciers, snowcapped mountains and braided rivers is revealed below us and around us, and we eventually touch down amid the forested labyrinth of the Big River Lakes region. We've arrived on Cook Inlet at Redoubt Bay Lodge – "rustic and wild...in the heart of bear country" – according to their marketing spiel, and framed by the volcanic peaks of the Chigmit Mountains, the area has a big reputation as one of Alaska's best locations for seeing bears.
Cook Inlet has a big reputation as one of Alaska's best locations for seeing bears. Photo / Carol Atkinson
After a second coffee in the lodge's relaxed lounge, we board a flat-bottomed pontoon to make the short 15-minute journey across the lake to the sheltered arc of Wolverine Creek. We're not the only visitors on a July morning, and a few fishing enthusiasts in aluminium dinghies are trying their luck catching salmon from the piscine tangle gathered at the base of the creek's rocky brook. Every boat gets an allocated a 30-minute slot, and several dinghies are queued up for a shot at catching a few sockeyes.
Like most wildlife watching, bear viewing is definitely a waiting game, and the highlight of the first hour is spotting bald eagles soaring amid the towering trees framing the bay. Eventually, a shiny black nose emerges cautiously from the undergrowth, and a 300kg brown bear carefully negotiates a steep track down to the water's edge. Anchored nearby in the bay, the fishermen have now wound in their reels, equally keen to take in what's unfolding right before us.
Behind the massive bear, three more junior versions follow their mother down the bank. About the size of a labrador or golden retriever, they're still boisterous teenagers, scrapping and wrestling all the way to the water's edge. After patrolling the bank for a few minutes, the largest bear suddenly dives into a school of salmon, just metres from the fishing dinghies enjoying a prime viewing location. It's a fruitless first attempt though, and glancing back at the trio of cubs, she encourages them to swim with her further around the cove.
Behind big Mama bear, three junior versions follow their mother down the bank. Photo / Carol Atkinson
For around 30 minutes, the ursine quartet explore the cove on land and in the water, very occasionally nabbing a salmon, but definitely doing the hard yards when it comes to securing breakfast. There's no concession given to the cubs, and their still-growing legs need to be fully extended to awkwardly traverse the tangle of boughs lining the bank. Occasionally a cub looks up to check on mum's location before setting off in earnest to catch up, and regular play-fights and tumbles amid the scrubby undergrowth definitely reduce the efficiency of the procession.
At the cove's eastern edge another bear, also with three cubs, emerges from the thicket. Even without binoculars, the curious sniffing of this bear is evident, and for a few minutes an Alaskan standoff develops as both bears become aware of the other. There's no real chance of aggression though, and after sometimes playing together, it's not unknown for cubs to occasionally follow the wrong mother for a few days.
At the cove's eastern edge another bear, also with three cubs, emerges from the thicket. Photo / Carol Atkinson
With this kind of Animal Planet family drama unfolding just metres away, our early start from Anchorage is now making perfect sense, and no one in the dinghies is taking fishing seriously anymore.
Checklist
When to go: Bear viewing in Alaska's Redoubt Bay is usually possible from June to August, but timing can vary slightly based on when the sockeye salmon are running.
Who to go with: Morning and afternoon 6.5-hour departures with Rust's Flying Services (flyrusts.com) include lunch at Redoubt Bay Lodge (redoubtbaylodge.com). Rust's also fly to other Alaskan locations for bear watching including Katmai National Park.
Bear-viewing packages: World Journeys (worldjourneys.co.nz) offer a four-day/three-night Redoubt Bay Lodge Bear Viewing experience including two nights accommodation at Redoubt Bay Lodge. Lodge activities include kayaking and viewing other wildlife including harbour seals.
