Close Encounters in Haines

Seduction Bay, Haines, Alaska

We drove to Watson Lake to ask about the Campbell Highway.  We had heard from several folks that the road was closed.  The lady at the Visitor Center confirmed that the portion closest to Watson Lake was, indeed, closed due to fire.  We could only drive the back half of the road.  

We were disappointed and ultimately decided against driving only the back section of the Campbell. Both David and I were already having headaches from the smoke and knew that inhaling more would not help.  We also still had a week before we met the gang in Whitehorse for the Dempster.  The decision was easy:  on to Haines.

We set up camp at Chilkat Lake, our favorite spot to view bears.  The park service has a weir set up along the Chilkat River to count salmon coming upstream.  The bears fish the weir.  If salmon are running, we can almost always guarantee seeing bears.

Fishing weir across Chilkat River

We were up early Sunday morning to attend worship at the Haines Presbyterian Church.  It was a glorious, sunny day.  As soon as the weir was in sight, we saw a small gathering of folks… always a good sign of a bear sighting.  We quickly pulled the truck over to see what was happening.  We saw a sow with three cubs close to the road.  The mother had just caught a salmon and had dropped it for the cubs to share.  

The cubs were deep in the grass and foliage, but we could hear them squabble over the meal.  Their mother had already wandered further upstream to land another fish for her hungry brood.

Two of the cubs scampered after her while the third continued enjoying his meal.  His mother landed a second salmon and hauled it into the woods.  The closest two cubs quickly followed her.  

Brown bear cub looking for mother

The third suddenly realized he was alone.  I caught a quick photo of him peering over the grass to see where everyone went. Finally he, too, began to run. Unfortunately, he had no idea where his mother and siblings were.  He turned toward us and began growling and running.  It would have been comical to watch him had we known where his very protective mother was.

Brown bear cub

 I was standing right next to the park ranger as the cub ran toward us.  She began yelling at the cub and waving her arms.  Suddenly, the cub’s mother came out of the woods and onto the road. The situation had turned serious. Thankfully, the cub turned about when he heard his mother.  They both ran into the woods, joining the other two cubs.  What a way to start the day!

After church, we took a hike along Seduction Bay.  That evening, we were back at the weir, hoping to see more bears.  While we found plenty of fishermen on the river, we saw no bears.  So I photographed an eagle’s nest and the man who counts salmon at the weir.

Fishing the Chilkat River

Eagle's nest in Haines, Alaska

Counting salmon on weir in Haines, Alaska

The following day, we only spied a distant bear grazing tall grass next to the bay.  We learned from another photographer, however, that the park ranger certainly had a different experience.  A negligent fisherman had left his gear under the bridge.  The ranger found a bear trying to reach the gear and followed him to steer the bear away.  While she was making noises, trying to scare him off, a fisherman yelled at her to turn around.  A second bear was right behind her.  The ranger had to use her “bear banger” to scare both bears away.  A bear banger is a pistol with all the noise but no bullets.  The next day, she told me that after her experience, she had gone home and poured herself a very large glass of whiskey.

Tuesday we awoke to a morning of pouring rain.  We decided to take the time for laundry and showers.  After a delicious lunch of fresh halibut fish and chips at the Bamboo Room, we drove once again to our favorite spot to wait for the bears.  Soon a large, cinnamon-colored bear ventured onto the weir.  We watched him for some time before he began walking upstream on the other side of the river.  A small group of us followed him.  I thought David was right behind me, but unbeknownst to me, he had gone back to the truck.  After a few minutes of following the cinnamon bear, I turned around and went back to find him.

Cinnamon-colored brown bear in Haines, Alaska

David was right where I left him, taking photos of yet another bear on the weir.  She was the grown daughter of the bear with triplets that we had seen on Sunday.  She walked the weir, trying to reach into the water to snag a salmon.  When that failed, she poked all around the catch box, trying to find a way to catch one of the trapped fish.  Still no luck.  She walked across the entire weir and disappeared into the grass next to the road.

Brown bear fishing weir in Haines, Alaska

Again, I was standing next to the park ranger.  The bear suddenly appeared on the road and began walking towards us.  Thinking we were done photographing, David had gone back to the truck to put up the tripod.  We were separated by about 15 feet when the bear walked even closer.

The park ranger raised her voice and told all of us to move closer against the edge of the mountainside. “The bear has the right of way,” she said.

Brown bear walking the road in Haines, Alaska

The bear continued walking towards us with the river to her right and us to her left.  The park ranger told everyone that could to get in their cars.  The rest of us hugged the mountain.  We could tell the bear was becoming more and more uncomfortable.  Still she walked ever closer.  Then she walked directly in front of me.

Suddenly, the bear turned toward me and bolted. She split the difference between David and me, scrambling up the steep mountainside and disappearing into the woods. It was amazing!  I doubt that either of us were more than ten feet from her. Talk about a close encounter!  I don’t know how close the ranger was to using her bear banger again, but I’m certain she thought she might need to. Thankfully all ended well.

The next morning, it was time to leave Haines.  For some reason, I hardly ever get any great photos here… but we certainly do have great experiences!  Now we head back to Whitehorse to meet the gang and go up the Dempster.  We are certain to find yet more wonderful memories there.