timistravels

After meeting my husband I have become more and more interested in brown bears and less and less frightened of them.  Pack Creek is on Admiralty Island about 30 miles south of Juneau.   Also called “Kootznoowoo,” (hence our chocolate lab was named Kootz) or “Fortress of the Bears,” by the native Tlingit people, Admiralty has more brown bears per square mile than any where else in the world, about 1,500 in total, more than all the lower 48 states combined.

This area was first homesteaded by Stan Price and because of his interaction with the brown bear the bear are much more habituated to humans  and the area provides a protected space for the brown bears. 

Both the US Forest Service and Alaska Department of Fish & Game work to insure that visitors can come to the area and yet have  minimal impact to brown bears.

our flight out, note the ear plugs, a must on small planes

essential items flying with us to camp, including all our food and some fresh water.

our plane at the float pond in Juneau

loading the plane

off we go

You must have a permit to visit Pack Creek between June 1 and Sept. 10 and you can get them by visiting Recreation.gov or calling their toll free number 1-877-444-6777.   People can also sign up with a tour guide in Juneau.  Individual then must figure out how they will get to Pack Creek, most come by plane but many also arrive via boats of some kind.

a view of Pack Creek and mud flats from the air

Pack Creek is formed from the snow that starts about 4000 feet above and descends into Seymour Canal. At the base is about a 400-acre mud flat that is especially visible at low tide.  The bear spend a lot of time in flats clamming and looking for other food sources UNTIL the fish arrive.  Typically the BEST  bear viewing on Pack Creek is when the pink and chum salmon begin heading back up the river in early July.  My husband had seen a fish in the river as early as June 30, his colleague, June 28th but as the 3 of use were out at the viewing tower, we saw one on June 26th.  The summer of 2013 is off to a good start for the bears.

the bears all but destroyed the sign placed here in the 90’s

what’s left of the Pack Creek Trail sign

signage of bear everywhere, this tree has bear claw marks in it

yep bears do poop in the woods and on the walking trail

paw print in the sand

Upon arrival a staff member will meet you and make sure you are aware of all the rules that you must follow to visit this area.  No food can be on you, you are only allowed to walk in certain areas, etc.  The rangers fill you in on what has been recent activity and will lead you to the viewing spit, or direct you to the 1 mile trail to the viewing tower.  The trail to the tower is a MUST do regardless if you see bear or not, walking through the old growth rain forest is something pretty special.

clamming!

We saw a lot of activity, including a bear clamming, 2 sub adults playing with each other, and a mom and her 2 cubs.  The 2 sub adults have been friends since they were with their moms.  It is really unusual that the mom allowed their cubs to play together, but they did and after the moms ‘kicked the out’ these two have remained friends.  The mom with her 2 female cubs was the most visible.  She seems to feel quite safe at the south spit and spends a lot of time there.  We saw the cubs playing with the out haul lines, rousting with each other and simply exploring.

We got quite close to the mom and her cubs as we were returning to our boat on the night of our visit.  They were not on the spit when we walked the trail, but they were upon our arrival back.  Mom checked us out quite a bit, but in the end they just laid down and we continued on our route.  We did NOT displace them or stress her out and she was not worried about us at all.

tip of windfall as we paddled back from our night at Pack Creek

as we flew home we saw 7 brownies in the alpine. In late June they follow the snow line up and eat along the way. Plus with the heat we were having that day (high 70”s) they were climbing to cool off as well as find food.

I hope you someday consider a visit to Pack Creek, it is a magical place.