Brooks Camp I

Welcome to the first of three posts on my trip to Katmai National Park and Preserve (http://www.nps.gov/katm/index.htm)

I left Anchorage on Tuesday afternoon and flew to King Salmon.  Then on Wednesday morning, I took this float plane from King Salmon out to Brooks Camp.  This was my first flight in a float plane.  It is very load but did not feel particularly different that other flights.

I had a window seat on the right side of the plane and this was my first view of Brooks Camp early on Wednesday morning.  The building on the left  is the Barabara Exhibit Shelter which houses a reconstruction of a semi-subterranean native house. This area is noted for its archaeological wealth.




Here we have the main attraction, the bears!  These wild creatures are fishing along the Brooks River in an area called the Oxbow.  Bears arrive in late July and early August to fish during the salmon run as the salmon move upstream to spawn. Then the bears return in early September after the salmon have spawned and the carcasses begin to float back down stream.  At other non-hibernation times the bears search for roots and berries, usually close to the east coast of the Alaska peninsula.

Although Katmai became a national monument in 1918 it was closed by the park service for thirty years and not opened until a concessioner built a lodge and several cabins.  This is actually the second lodge built in 1961.  However, it and several other buildings have reached 50 years in age.  I went to Brooks Camp to evaluate the buildings through photographs and ask questions about alterations.  In some cases I also took measurements.  Like everyone else, I used my off time to enjoy the Alaska wilderness.


After work one evening, I hiked up to Dumpling Mountain and took some photos.  This view is looking southeast through the glacier moraine into the Iliuk Arm of Naknek Lake.  Mount La Gorce is on the left, Mt. Katolinat on the right and the volcanoes in the background.

This is another view of Brooks Camp from one of the Dumpling Mountain overlooks.  None of the camp buildings are visible, but the water closest to the bottom edge of the picture is the oxbow.  I have an earlier picture of bears fishing in the oxbow.

After my hike, I headed back toward the lodge to sort out the various papers I had been using to collect building information.  On my way I saw a mother fishing for her cubs along the Naknek beach.

About a half an hour later, that same sow brought her cubs right into the middle of camp.  I just happened to be sitting in the lodge right next to the window where the bears came to graze on the grass.  In an instant everyone in the lodge was pressed up against the window snapping pictures.  The bears stayed for about 20 minutes.

One of my favorites.   In the evening, I attended the ranger talks before returning to my tent in the campground.  The campground is about 1/4 mile from the lodge buildings.  At one point I decided to step out onto the Naknek beach and was treated to a beautiful evening panorama.