The bears really performed that morning. The sun was out, the mountains were covered in gold, and a few silver salmon were jumping in the falls. I saw a total of ten bears, six at the falls and the others further down the river skirting the fishermen.
I have heard how very crowded the platforms could be, especially in July at the peak of the salmon run. Even when the largest number of photographers were there at this point in September there was still lots of room to move around. Fewer bears and the last days of the lodge being opened made for a very pleasant experience.
I hurried back through the woods to meet Breland for lunch, sometimes alone, sometimes joined briefly by others heading back. The bridge was open and we were able to get across quickly.
After lunch it was startling how quickly the lodge was closed. Sheets of plywood were set in place under cabin, dining hall and office windows and were nailed into place as soon as people vacated each area. Lunch entertainment was watching all of the canoes and other outdoor items carried to storage. We still had five more hours at Brooks and all but the tiny office and one restroom were boarded up!
After another long wait because of a bear jam, we crossed over to the Lower River platform and watched mother bears and cubs for a while. The mom call 274 and her cub, nicknamed Velcro, tussled for hours near the bridge and blocked everyone again. Once the bridge was finally cleared we went back across to wait for the float plane.
The same pilot took us back to King Salmon that had brought us over. The flight was quite different. It was the last flight of the season and he was exuberant. The plane dipped and made sharp turns all the way back.
A perfect two days, even more wonderful than I expected.
No comments:
Post a Comment