Today I officially became an Alaskan "sourdough," as I finally saw my first grizzly. From what I've heard around town, apparently the same day we embarked on the Chilkoot Trail, the salmon began to run upstream. This trend of running upstream is a phenomenon in which salmon leave the frigid salt water they have spend much of their adult lives in to return to the fresh water streams where they were born to spawn, before passing on in the circle of life. This usually begins in late July and continues through August, with several types of salmon including Chinook (King), Sockeye, and Pink. They return upstream in droves, making them an easy meal for grizzlies, wolves, and eagles- it's even common to see a lucky escapee fish with a bite out of his side fighting his way upstream.
With the salmon came the bears, and I finally got a chance to see a cinnamon-hued grizzly scouting out dinner on the Tiaya River of Dyea, Alaska. Although the Ranger I was working with that day claimed he was small at only 300 pounds, he still appeared massive to me. We watched him explore for about half an hour until he crossed the river, after which we high-tailed it out of there.
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