DAY 1:

At 2pm, after a long flight from San Jose I arrived in Homer, Alaska (by way of Anchorage) to photograph wild Alaskan Grizzly bear in their natural habit, located in Hallo Bay, on the Katmai coast. As soon as we made a quick check-in at the Hallo Bay Bed & Breakfast, we headed out to see the town.

Following dinner at the Fat Olive Restaurant (a good place to eat), we made our way to "the spit," a small stretch of land that extends out into Kachemak Bay.

Topping off our day, we stopped at The Salty Dawg, a bar where patrons write notes on dollar bills and pin them to the walls, ceiling, and any other areas that aren't already covered. If you're ever in Homer, it's worth a few minutes to take a look.

DAY 2:

At 1pm, our group boarded a Cessna 206 Super Skywagon for our flight to Hallo Bay. As I crawled in through the pilot's door and across to my seat, I couldn't help but notice the plane had clearly made this flight many, many times before...and then some. While I tightened the belt across my lap, our young pilot, Zack, jumped in, started the engine and began to taxi us out to the runway.

While lifting off, I noticed Zack's relaxed flying style - using one finger, or no hands at all, always looking down at the ground, as if he might spot a glimpse of his high-school buddies having a party on the beach without him. It was a bit unnerving, since I could see the gauges showing we were climbing out of Homer airport at just less than 100 mph!

The flight smoothed out at 2000 feet, and the scenery across Kachemak Bay and down the Shelikof Straight was breathtaking! There were glaciers and mountains flowing into the ocean -- it was an incredible sight!

An hour later, we approached the Hallo Bay area and began our descent from 7500 feet. We hit a fair amount of unstable air and the last 500 feet, as we circled in on the beach for landing, was quite exciting. Zack managed to put the plane down pretty well -- stopping right in front of the Hallo Bay Camp trailhead. I felt a huge relief when I stepped out onto the sandy beach...I had lived to tell the story.

Once at camp, we settled into our tent and met our wilderness guide, Kevin. After an early dinner, we trekked down the beach; our first day in search of Alaskan Grizzly Bears.

Within 15 minutes, we came across a bear named "Blondie." Aptly named for her light coloring, Blondie was a 600 lb. grizzly sow with two, two-year-old cubs. They where playing and climbing in a Cottonwood tree, which, according to Kevin, is rarely seen.

After a short time, Kevin said we should move on to give Blondie and her cubs space, so as not to stress them with our presence. So we hiked a bit more down the beach to the Nancy's Trail trailhead, which narrowly winds through a dense wooded area for about a quarter-mile. The trail was well traveled -- not by humans, but by bears, who make trails through the woods and follow them like roads. I couldn't ignore the fresh bear scat as we hiked along.

I was nervous, to say the least, and my senses were wide open as I scanned through the trees and grass for any signs of wildlife. As we exited Nancy's Trail onto a giant tidal flat, Yak Mountain came into view -- what a tremendous sight!

The ocean tide was very low and we saw five grizzlies clamming out across the sandy beach. It was a surreal moment to realize not only how remote I was, but that I was hiking through the Alaskan mountains where giant grizzly bears roam free.

We continued down the edge of the flats, all the while watching the bears digging in the sand and romping in the distance. Kevin led us slowly and cautiously to Nancy's Meadow, a trail and meadow named after one of the first grizzly sows observed in the area.

The meadow was a giant open area with an abundance of sedge grass, an early summer food source for these bears. We sat on some driftwood next to a Cottonwood tree and had a great view of both the meadow and the tidal flats. Within a short time, there were several bears in the meadow as well as behind us on the tidal flats. At one point, we counted seven grizzly bears within view, some as close as 50 yards.

Most notable was a grizzly named, "Rosie." She was very comfortable with our presence, even though her two cubs played less than 25 yards from the tree we sat under. However, things changed when Harvey, a large boar (male bear), entered the meadow and headed straight for Rosie and her cubs.

Sensing danger, Rosie began to pop her jaw and make low growling-type noises, which her cubs responded to immediately. As she drew them near, they began to leave the meadow, headed in our direction!

Kevin stood in front of us with a bear flare in hand. (A "bear flare" makes a loud pop and emits smoke and flames to deter a bear from attacking.) He quietly told us to "remain seated, and no matter what, do not stand, move or run." He spoke to the bear while trying to motion her around us. She was actually trying to get away from the approaching male, but we were in the path she wanted to take. Rosie and her cubs came within 10 yards of us before finally stopping.

After a few tense moments, she turned and went around us, leaving Harvey in the middle of the meadow, within just 30 yards of our group. Harvey paced in front of us but never approached any closer and finally moved back down the meadow.

We sat for about an hour observing and photographing the bears when "Scooby" drew closer. According to Kevin, Scooby is a sub-adult boar, very curious and always testing to see what he can get away with. Scooby often tries to approach sows, but with little success, often being chased away. But as we sat there, he became more curious about us and began to approach. Scooby came within about 20 yards, smelling the air and pacing, clearly uncertain if we were a threat or a meal. Kevin stood again and let Scooby know we did not want him to approach, which worked, and Scooby went on his way.

DAY 3:

We left camp and headed back down the beach toward Nancy's Trail and the meadow. It wasn't long before our guide spotted a sow and cubs in the distance. The tide was very low and they were out on the rocks, searching for mussels. We found a log and sat quietly, watching. As they got closer, we recognized Rosie. She spent about 30 minutes slowly working her way down the beach toward us. It was incredible to be able to see her teach her cubs how and where to dig while keeping a careful eye on them as they ran and played in the rocks and surf.

As Rosie and her cubs grew nearer, my heart rate increased. She was closer than the night before and I admit I was nervous. Then, the most amazing thing...she laid down only 15-20 yards in front of us and let her cubs run and play. The cubs were cautious not to come too close, though you could tell they were curious. Then, as suddenly as she'd stopped, Rosie got up and headed down the beach with her cubs close behind.

After that, we returned to camp for lunch and a short rest before returning to the tidal flats, where we encountered Rosie and cubs once again. This time they were out in the middle of the flats digging for clams. We made our way toward them for another photo opportunity. Kevin had taught us never to walk directly toward the bears, but rather to weave and move slowly. We got within roughly 100 yards and sat down in the sand, where we watched and photographed for about a half an hour. Then Scooby, who had also been clamming nearby, decided to come within about 20 yards of us, watched us for a short time, and then went on his way.

Once Scooby was at a safe distance, we left the flats and headed back to Nancy's Meadow where we saw a red fox winding his way across the grassy landscape. The meadow had even more bears than the previous day and within a short time, we found ourselves surrounded by 15 grizzly bears! Two sows with cubs shared the meadow area right in front of us, with several boars nearby, and behind us on the tidal flats were several others. It was the most amazing moment! I was sitting in a field hundreds of miles from civilization, in a location where you can only get home after a small plane lands on the beach...and there I was, surrounded by more than a dozen grizzly bears!

As a boar approached, the sows grew nervous and began moving their cubs back out to the tidal flats. Scooby, being a small and young boar, also grew nervous and moved to distance himself from the approaching adult males. Scooby chose a path that brought him, once again, within about 10 yards of us, which was a bit unnerving as Scooby was no longer curious, but concerned for his own safety. His behavior was more serious than in our previous encounters. With some coaxing from our guide, Scooby moved on passed us without incident.

Given the stress in the bears at that time, our guide said it was time to go and give them some space. We returned to camp, very excited about how close we'd come to so many bears at one time.

DAY 4:

We awoke to rain and wind. The visibility in the bay was so poor that no plane would be able to approach and land; we would not be returning to Homer as scheduled. This is what our guide called being "weathered in." However, the weather improved enough to hike, so we left camp in search of more bear encounters. We saw a few bears on the tidal flats, but a curious, very wet red fox followed us down the beach, coming close enough to allow a few photographs to be taken.

We spent the reste of the day in Camp staying warm and dry next to the fire. The camp staff, Fannie and Tony, did a fantastic job of keeping us warm and fed.

DAY 5:

The storm that kept us from departing the day before was still hanging heavy over Hallo Bay. Once the rain subsided, we made our way back to the beach, where we saw Blondie in the distance. The tide was out and she and her cubs were eating barnacles off the rocks. Our guide wanted to give her plenty of space because of how close we'd gotten previously, so we sat and watched from a couple hundred yards away.

Very slowly, Blondie worked her way in our direction, searching amongst the rocks, while her cubs ran and played nearby. As she left the rocky area and came up into the sand she walked straight toward us, came within 20 yards... and laid down, right in front of us!

Her cubs approached and began making a growling noise -- the sign they wanted to nurse. Rosie sat up, rolled over on her back and both cubs crawled up and began to feed. Again, I was completely lost in the moment as I sat watching a 600 lb. grizzly bear, only yards away, lying on her back feeding her young. It was truly amazing and an experience I will never forget!

After feeding and a short nap, Blondie and cubs finally decided it was time to leave. Once she was out of sight, we returned to camp for dinner and to re-live those incredible moments in conversation.

As we sat down to eat, the radio came alive with word that our plane was on the way. The weather had lifted enough that we would be leaving within the hour. We ate a quick dinner, packed up and headed to the beach just as our plane arrived. We loaded our gear, strapped in and down the beach we went, into the air and back to Homer. As we climbed out of Hallo Bay we flew over Nancy's Meadow and the tidal flats and we could see several bear...likely the same bears we just spent the past week watching and photographing. It was a great way to end our journey.

REFLECTION:

This trip to Hallo Bay was one of the most extraordinary experiences I've ever had. My original intent of the trip was to photograph wild grizzlies in their natural habitat, but after this remarkable adventure, I realized even without a camera this would have been just as exciting and memorable. The photographs I did come away with can't fully convey the emotion and connection I felt walking with these giants.

What I've written here are only the highlights of my adventure in Hallo Bay! As I was writing this, it occurred to me that some of this story may sound like a tall tale. Did those bears truly come within 20 yards? Were there really 15 bears surrounding us? The answer is yes! I know the distances because we paced them out after the bears left the area; they had come so close that we wanted to know exactly just how close. As for 15 bears surrounding us -- totally true. Our guide said that he has seen even more. Amazing!

In closing, I want to say thank you to John & Jill, Ted & Anne, Fred & Katherine and Lenore and Earl, and the others who shared time, and experienced many of the same things, in Hallo Bay. You were a great group of people to be "weathered-in" with -- we had good conversation and many laughs. I hope all of you had safe travels home!