Sierra Club Outings | Bears of Katmai, a Backpacking and Canoeing adventure

Bears of Katmai, a Backpacking and Canoeing Adventure, Alaska
July 1-10, 2008

Highlights:

See the world’s largest concentration of grizzly bears fishing for salmon.
Backpack in the volcanic Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.
Canoe and camp among the islands of aqua blue Naknek Lake.

Includes:

Round-trip flights from King Salmon to Brooks Camp
Shuttle to and from the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes
Canoe rental, campground fees, all food and snacks

We will see grizzly bears in Katmai National Park, probably before our plane even lands. The bears will be busy eating salmon and can be viewed safely by following sensible guidelines. Katmai is renowned for its brown bear population. The bears, although the same species as a “grizzly” bear, are considerably larger than their inland cousins. Males can weigh over 1,000 lbs. There are between 40-60 bears present at Brooks Camp and vicinity during our stay which coincides with the world’s greatest sockeye salmon run. Brooks Camp, with its viewing platform for bear viewing at Brooks Falls, is the ideal place for photography. However, we will be happy to leave the hoards of photographers behind, as we head into the rugged wilderness and have the opportunity to see wildlife in a quieter, more pristine setting. Participants will be instructed in safe conduct practices for bear country.

Katmai is a land created by fire and ice. In 1912 a volcanic eruption covered a valley with 100-700 feet of volcanic ash and debris. The valley no longer has “10,000 Smokes” created by steam from the cooling lava, but it has a surreal landscape of great beauty. Rivers have carved dramatic gorges through the ash. Although there are as many as 17 active volcanoes in the park, none of them are presently erupting. We will visit the lakes at the base of the larger volcanoes, which are carved by glaciers. We will backpack up Baked Mountain and explore the old geology research cabins on the east side of the north ridge and search for fossils of the Naknek Formation. From here we will walk to the Novarupta Caldera area, where active fumaroles steam and warm spring areas form bright green oases in the desert-like environment of the valley. If time and weather permits, we can attempt to climb Katmai Pass for even more spectacular views. The leader is a geology teacher who will be eager to share her understanding of the geologic phenomena that make the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes so unique.

Other animals in the park include moose, lynx, red fox, hare, beaver, porcupine, wolverine, ermine and otter. Commonly seen birds include the arctic tern, bald eagle, yellowlegs, spruce grouse and ptarmigan. Fish include rainbow and lake trout, arctic char, sockeye salmon, arctic grayling, and northern pike. Anyone who would like to fish may purchase an Alaskan fishing license for $50 at Brooks Lodge.

Naknek Lake, colored an aqua blue by the glacial streams, will provide us with the opportunity to explore pristine islands by canoe as bald eagles soar overhead. We will camp on the islands which are less likely to be visited by bears than the mainland.

Day 1: Fly from Anchorage to King Salmon and take a float plane from King Salmon to Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park. View bears at Brooks Falls and stay in NPS campground

Day 2: Take shuttle to Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Backpack to 6-mile camping site

Day 4: Choice of backpacking to more lakes or day hiking to Katmai Pass and Novarupta volcano.

Day 5: Backpack to Valley overlook. Take shuttle back to Brooks Camp. Stay in campground

Day 10: Fly from Brooks Camp to King Salmon and from King Salmon to Anchorage

In Brooks Camp we will be staying at a National Park Service campground, which is provided with an electric fence to discourage bears and with storage cabins for food and gear. While backpacking and canoeing, we will store food in bear-proof containers and avoid bear trails.

All meals and snacks are included in the trip fee, beginning with lunch on day one and ending with lunch on the last day. As usual on Sierra Club outings, all members help with cooking and cleanup chores. Any special diet requirements should be discussed with the leaders well in advance to be sure they can be accommodated. Trip members and leaders will all share in carrying trip food and equipment.

This trip is rated as light/intermediate in difficulty. Some basic canoeing and backpacking skills are required. The backpacking portion of the trip is only 3-days long and does not involve significant elevation gain or great distances, with the exception of a day-hike up Katmai Pass. Strong winds called williwaws can be a problem, and if we are backpacking during extreme winds, we have the option of staying in an old USGS shack, which is not scenic, but will be a welcome shelter from the wind. When hiking on a windy day, goggles and a bandana may be useful.

In order to see the bears, we must be in Katmai at the same time as the mosquitoes and the black flies (known as white socks). Island campsites provide breezes that discourage insects and the Valley of 10,000 smokes has little vegetation, so it does not have a large insect population. It is strongly recommended that participants use mosquito head nets and mosquito repellant.

Rain is likely at any time, and the temperature can range from the 40’s to the 70’s.

The Sierra Club will provide stoves, cooking pots and utensils, water purification tablets, cooking tent, first aid, repair kit, food, and satellite phone. Participants are expected to bring the following:

• Backpack: Good quality, large volume, internal or external frame, and a pack rain cover. Must be able to accommodate a bear-container.

• Tent: Free-standing three- or four-season with full coverage rain fly. Should be able to withstand high winds. We prefer that people share tents to minimize pack weight and the impact of the group.

• Sleeping bag: Down or synthetic. Should realistically be comfortable down to 15 degrees. Should be in a waterproof stuff sack.

• Hiking boots: Must be well broken-in to avoid the most frequent first-aid problem on Alaska trips--blisters. Water shoes may be worn during the canoeing part of the trip.

• Rain gear: Two-piece (jacket and pants) of good quality. Useful for wind as well as rain protection. Gore-Tex or coated nylon. No lightweight plastic. No ponchos.

• Clothing: Wool or polypro pants and shirt. No cotton jeans. Polypro underwear tops and bottoms--two sets. Three pairs of socks. Warm jacket or vest, wool gloves and cap, and mosquito headnet.

• Miscellaneous: Basic personal hygiene and first-aid items, eating utensils (cup, bowl, and spoon), one-quart water bottle, insect repellent. Optional: camera, light-weight binoculars, small day pack, pocket knife, bandanna, and hiking stick.

A more complete equipment list will be sent to participants. Your backpack should weigh no more than 35 lbs without group food and gear. You will be expected to carry food in a bear-proof container and some group gear. You may want to include waterproof dry bags for the canoeing portion of the trip, although this is not absolutely necessary as long as you have enough sturdy plastic bags.

Katmai National Park, originally set aside in 1918 and expanded in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act encompasses 4 million acres. Most of that is untrammeled wilderness, but the Brooks Camp area is becoming overused, and it is feared that the thousands of visitors are adversely affecting the area and interfering with the bears. The area has also become a mecca for sports fishermen and hunters, creating a conflict between sportsmen and subsistence use. It will be our responsibility to behave responsibly in bear country, keep a respectful distance from the wildlife, and to Leave No Trace of our presence.

The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner.

Wendy Van Norden has been leading backpacking and camping trips for more than 30 years, hiking with friends, and introducing her science students to the mountains and deserts of the Southwest. She is an avid naturalist who has fallen in love with the solitude and the overwhelming beauty of wilderness. Hiking in the Yukon and meeting caribou and grizzly bears unfamiliar with humans convinced her that the Arctic is by far the best place to find pristine wilderness. Now, she intends to return each summer to the land of the midnight sun.

E-mail: wvannorden@sbcglobal.net

The opportunity to explore a vast, truly remote wilderness has taken Craig Deutsche to Alaska for more than a dozen years -- by backpack and raft in summer, with snowshoes and sled in winter. He finds some of the same adventure and wonder in desert travel in the Lower 48 states, where he has taken solo trips, actively participated in wilderness preservation efforts, and led trips for the Sierra Club and other environmental groups. He welcomes questions about the trip.

E-mail: deutsche@earthlink.net