Excerpt
And then we see them.
Three huge brown humps graze below about fifty yards apart from each other. Buzzing high above to avoid any disturbance, the brown bears are feeding resolutely; they pay absolutely no attention to us. Their snouts are buried deep within emerald green grass, searching for tender shoots and yanking choice fistfuls for their pleasure. Occasionally each bears head rises to cop a quick look-see around before being stuffed back into verdant pasture. Only one bear bothers to look up at our plane as we skim overhead. Excitement meters peg as we realize its only minutes before were walking with them.
Gary eases back on the throttle and the great cacophony of engine roar lessens to something slightly quieter than a noisy motorboat. The Beaver slowly glides down as we turn over Cook Inlet away from a vast grassy plain where a good two-dozen brown bears are grazing. Its almost comical to see these immense giants feeding like buffalo out in the sedge.
My mind is trying to cope with the realization that so many bears are congregated in one spot. Ive seen photos of as many bears almost on top of each other at Brooks Falls and McNeil River here on the Katmai Peninsula. But, I never dreamed that I would have this unbelievable opportunity. At Brooks Falls and McNeil River the bears often sport white foam-flecked mouths, a sign of nervousness from proximity to other potentially lethal bears. In contrast, the brown bears beneath our wingtips show few physical signs of stress, perhaps due to the mile-plus width of this estuary meadow which enables them to spread out with room to sparetheyre often within ten yards of one another; occasionally isolated as far as a quarter-mile distant.
In part bears are congregating here because of lush vegetation growing almost exponentially in Alaskas early summer warmth. Rich soil on these flats coupled with virtually endless sunshine provoking wild growth among sedge grasses add up to a bears buffet fantasy. The other factor drawing them here is the prospect of romanceit is breeding season.
For the most part they just mill around feeding. But, that doesnt prevent a female from sidling up to a boar and nudging him a little with her head or body indicating her interest. More often its the boars that are pestering sows; hounding along behind females, close on their flanks.
Our approach tightens and the bears swing out of view. Now, forty feet above the coast, we curve sharply diving into a river melding with the sea and then its twenty feet, ten feet, and finally touchdown as pontoons grab milky glacial snowmelt throwing up spray, splash, and frothing white waves slowing our plane to a stop. Were home.