Alaska

Hugs

Low Tide

This interesting and short waterfall is located just up river from the popular Ruby Falls. While this is part of the Paradise river, it is just outside of the Paradise area of Mount Rainier. On this day the entire Paradise area was in the clouds. The fog, which can be seen in the trees behind the falls, at times was so thick, visibility was as low as 100 feet.

Morning Glory

On the coastal boundry of Lake Clark National Park a morning shower gives way to a spendid sunrise over tidal flats.

Waiting For Lunch

Alaska Brown Bear watching over the Silver Salmon Creek, waiting for a sign of salmon to feed her and her cubs that are impatiently waiting behind her. The Alaska Peninsula brown bear (Ursus arctos gyas) is a subspecies of brown bear that lives in the coastal regions of southern Alaska. Generally speaking there are two types of brown bears classifications in North America, the coastal brown bear and the inland grizzly bear; these two types broadly define the range of sizes of all brown bear subspecies. These subspecies are defined mostly by habit and isolation which causes subtle differences in the bears appearance Alaska Peninsula brown bears are a very large brown bear subspecies, usually ranging in weight from 800 to 1,200 pounds (363 to 544 kg).They are found in high densities along the southern Alaskan coast due not only to the large amount of clams and sedge grass but also to the annual salmon runs; this allows them to attain huge sizes, some of the biggest in the world.

Staredown

This Alaskan Brown Bear sow looks to be staring us down…. however she is in the middle of surveying the shallows for salmon. As the salmon run begins brown bears check the waterways daily. Brown bears have excellent hearing and sight, but their sense of smell is truly remarkable. Bears have a sense of smell 2100 times that of humans. They can smell a food from 20 miles away. This mother will care to her cubs for approximately 2 years. In the fall of their 2nd year she will kick them out. The cubs will be considered subadults until they are about 5 years of age, which is when they enter breeding age. Like the rest of North America, Brown bears (Ursus Arctos) are typically separated into 2 main types, Coastal Brown Bears (Peninsula Brown Bear in Alaska) and Grizzly bears (or Inland Brown Bears). These are differentiated primarily by their diet which impacts their size and texture of their fur. The term “grizzly” is synonymous with brown bear and can be applied to both coastal and inland brown bears. Alaska is also home to the Kodiak sub class which are found on Alaska’s islands and archipelago.