bears
Take 30% Off Alaska Cruise
We have two available last-minute spaces on Trip # 376 – Alaska’s Inside Passage with Pack Creek Bear Viewing. This is an amazing trip filled with tidewater glaciers, whales, hiking, and kayaking. The highlight of the trip is a visit to the Pack Creek Bear Viewing Area, a special location on Admiralty Island, known as Kootsnoowoo (meaning Fortress of the Bear) by the Tlingit. This area was set up by the US Forest Service for visitors to watch brown (grizzly) bears in the wild. It’s also one of our favorite places, and spring is one of the best times to watch bears do their bear things. Love is in the air and getting to watch brown bear courtship is better than any soap opera.
These spaces are open to anyone who is or will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at the time of sailing.
Dates: May 18-25, 2021
Departs: Juneau, AK
Disembarks: Petersburg, AK
Available Cabin: Keta with 2 extra long twin bunks and private ensuite head
Cost: Regularly $6800. Now special price: $4760 per person
We hope to see you aboard the David B!
Christine
PS – If you have any questions about any of our trips in Alaska, the San Juan Islands, or the Inside Passage, send Sarah an email or give her a call at 360-474-7218.
PPS – Also, if you would like a private tour of the David B contact Sarah to schedule an appointment for our spring Open Boat is this weekend, April 10 or 11. Each appointment will 30 minutes with a 15-minute gap between appointments. The maximum group size will be 5 and masks will be required.
Beach Meadow Bear
We came across this black bear feeding in a meadow at the edge of a bay we were skiffing in. It briefly looked up at us for a moment before going back to eating sedges. Join us on one of our Alaska cruises and we’ll search for bears on the beach with you too.
UnBEARably Cute
Illustrator Rebecca Rothman just made the most adorable drawing of two brown bears from a photo I took during one of our cruises to the Pack Creek Bear Viewing Area a couple of years ago. It was a beautiful warm sunny spring day in Alaska. (Yes, May is often a beautiful month in southeast Alaska, but I digress.) Our guide Dan, from Pack Creek Bear Tours lead us across the tide flats to an open meadow where two bears were lazing in the sun — one was male, the other female. It was spring and love was in the air. The bears were about a hundred yards away from us.
We spent several hours in the meadow with the bears. We watched the male dote upon the female. He went where she went, if she got up to eat, he got up to eat. If she laid down, he laid down. It was fascinating to watch their gentle behavior. At one point when they were laying in the grass, she sat up and scratched her belly. The way he lifted his head and looked up at her melted my romantic heart. “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic,” came into my head. She laid back down again and he did too.
When Rebecca sent me her drawing, I fell in love with it and immediately wanted it as a T-shirt. Jeffrey suggested that we add the “I love you” to the bottom. I agreed because who wouldn’t want to spread a message of love.
In the next couple of weeks, we’ll be offering the I Love You Bears t-shirt in children’s and adult sizes. Pre-ordering will be on our website shortly.
Rebecca and I also have other T-shirt designs from my photos turned into her drawings in the works, but you’ll have to stay tuned…
-Christine
Black bear in Fords Terror
While we were at anchor in Fords Terror we got to watch this female black bear who had a couple of cubs. They ate grass and barnacles and crawled over rocks. While we were anchored in this spot we also got to watch two other bears on the opposite shore.
A Very Zen Line of Work – Podcast
This week’s episode of the Northwest Navigation podcast is all things bears. We have a lot of respect for bears. They are big scary creatures that have the potential to be dangerous, yet bears also inspire us through their natural abilities, and their beauty. As students of the wild, when we observe bears we not only learn about them, we learn about ourselves.
Dan Kirkwood from Pack Creek Bear Tours, sat down with us to share his insights into bear behavior, and what to expect when visiting places like Pack Creek.
Listen: A Very Zen Line of Work
Be sure to check out the trips we offer with Dan and Pack Creek Bear Tours.
Trip Number 334: Alaska’s Fjords with Pack Creek Bear Viewing
Dates: May 11-18, 2019
Boards: Petersburg
Disembarks: Juneau (Auke Bay)
Itinerary…
Trip Number 336: Adventures NW Photography Workshop – Alaska’s Fjords and Pack Creek Bear Viewing
Dates: May 31 – June 7, 2019
Boards: Auke Bay (Juneau)
Disembarks: Petersburg
Itinerary…