Christy
Angel Diva
I had such an extraordinary trip to Katmai National Park last week. If you've ever seen a photo of a bear catching a salmon in its mouth on top of a waterfall, that's Katmai. This is the famous place where people and brown bears coexist like no other place on earth. People are trained to act in predictable ways and move in predictable areas (there are very strict rules), and since the bears have such an abundance of food--perhaps like nowhere else on earth--they ignore us. (That's not to say humans don't have an impact on them; we do of course). I scored campground permits the day they went live, in March. I've been a devoted bear cam watcher years (explore.org has a cam at the falls and 5 other spots in the park) and so "know" many of the bears; the amazing thing about the cam is that it gives people a chance to understand these wild animals as individuals, with personalities, habits and relationships. I felt like that person that has dreamed of seeing the Eiffel Tower all her life then finally does. It was actually kind of emotional. It was also the kind of experience where you bond with your fellow bear watchers/campers--I met so many great people. Anyway. Photos. Even more at https://www.flickr.com/photos/christy319/albums/72157710098367496