Brown Bear Cub in Geographic Harbor, Katmai National Park, Alaska

Homer and the Dream Catcher

This past August, I joined Aaron Baggenstos and seven other photographers for an Ultimate Trip to Alaska. The trip began in Homer, Alaska were we all stayed at the Land’s End Resort. The next day we boarded float planes for a one and a half hour flight to our boat in Kukak Bay on the Shelikof Strait.

The Dream Catcher, with a length of 85 feet, was our home for the next seven nights as we visited the Katmai National Park coast in search of Brown Bears and other wildlife.

Hip Waders and Boots

Each morning we would don our hip waders and boots, and board one of their two inflatable skiffs for a short ride to the shore. We would repeat this in the afternoon for more bear photography each day of the trip.

Brown Bear Fishing in Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park, Alaska

Wolves in Hallo Bay

From Kukak Bay, we cruised to Hallo Bay, were we stayed for the next three nights. On the first morning in Hallo Bay, while watching bears fishing for salmon, we heard a wolf howling in the distance. As we moved slowly toward the sound, we spotted a family of wolves on a small ridge at the back of the bay.

We saw at least two adults and four pups. After a short time they moved off the ridge and out of site. What an experience it was! Aaron, who has led this tour for eight years said it was the first time he saw wolves in Katmai.

White Wolf Howling on Ridge in Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park, Alaska

Bear Cubs of Hallo Bay

The next morning we arrived about the same time at the ridge in hopes of seeing them again. Sure enough, as we approached the ridge, we saw them at the base and then they moved up to the top. We again watched and heard them howl for quite some time on top of the ridge.

The rest of this fantastic morning we saw lots of bears and moms with cubs. We photographed cubs playing with each other and on top of an old tree trunk bleached white from time and the elements.

Kukak Bay and The Grizzly Maze

After Halo Bay, the next stop was back to Kukak Bay. We again saw lots of bears and hiked around the bay through paths in the tall grass created by the bears.

This was the only time we made noise as we hiked so we would not surprise any bears on the path. This conjured up memories of the brutal fate of Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend in Kaflia Bay in 2003, depicted in the film Grizzly Man.

Brown Bears in Katmai National Park, Alaska

Erik’s Secret Spot in Kuliak Bay

After a night in Kukak Bay, we left for Kuliak Bay. The weather turned cooler with some rain. Our guide, Erik, took us to his secret spot with a small waterfall and lots of salmon and fishing bears, of course. On our second visit to the secret spot, we were joined by some of the crew from our boat, Star, Katie and Landon.

Brown Bears in Kuliak Bay, Katmai National Park, Alaska

Geographic Harbor and Dead Cameras

Our stop for the last two nights in Katmai was Geographic Harbor. The weather got a little worse with some heavier rain. On the second day of the trip, my Mirrorless Nikon Z6 failed in good weather. On the first day in Geographic Harbor, my Nikon Z7II failed with the same issue. I could not review photos or access the menu, but was still able to take photos. For us photographers, that meant “No Chimping”. My fellow traveler, Mehran, lent me one of his cameras so I could continue to shoot. Thanks again Mehran.

Brown Bear and Cubs in Geographic Harbor, Katmai National Park, Alaska

Waiting for the Tide to Go Out

For the first time on the trip, we had two other boats in the bay. Up until this point, we only saw a couple of small planes landing on the beach in Hallo Bay. To secure the best spot in Geographic Harbor, we arrived early before the tide was all the way out.

We waited in the rain in knee deep water as the tide receded. At one point we did a version of the circle dance to pass the time. To date, no video of this has surfaced on the internet. After about 20 minutes we were on a sandbar between two small streams. Soon the bears arrived and they fished for salmon all around us. There were bears with cubs that ate their catch next to us on our sandbar.

Keith, Gabriel, Jann, Vic, Nick, Sid, Sue & Aaron Waiting for Tide to Go Out in Geographic Harbor

Homeward Bound

On our last morning we went back to Kukak Bay. There we would meet our float planes back to Homer and the end of our trip. As with all travel in Alaska, the weather can quickly change your plans. We had to wait for the weather to clear so our planes could takeoff. We did return to Homer late in the afternoon in time for our last dinner together at the Land’s End Resort.

Everything on the trip was first rate and I highly recommend Aaron Baggenstos and Aaron’s Photo Tours. Captain Rob Hulse and the crew of the Dream Catcher were fantastic and the food was great thanks to Star and Katie. Thanks to crew mate Landon for all his help too. And, we had the best bear guide in Alaska, Erik Larson. A big thanks to all of you!

Thanks to my traveling companions, Jann, Sue, Gabriel (The Dude), Keith, Mehran, Nick, and Sid, for making this a very special trip.

Brown Bear with Pink Salmon Catch

Everything on the trip was first rate and I highly recommend Aaron Baggenstos and Aaron’s Photo Tours. Captain Rob Hulse and the crew of the Dream Catcher were fantastic and the food was great thanks to Star and Katie. Thanks to crew mate Landon for all his help too. And, we had the best bear guide in Alaska, Erik Larson. A big thanks to all of you!

Thanks to my traveling companions, Jann, Sue, Gabriel (The Dude), Keith, Mehran, Nick, and Sid, for making this a very special trip.

Check out my image gallery from Alaska here https://www.lookingatnature.com/alaska/.