Haines: Bears at Chilkoot Lake

09/14/2014

The alarm clock in Haines goes off at 6:00 a.m. because we want to see the bears, who are more active during dawn and sunset. The hotel serves breakfast until 8:00 a.m., not excessively long, possibly hoping to save costs because people just don't want it during vacation. They have raisin bread -- how awesome.

We set off in the mist and soon see the first bear walking along the road by the water. 

We continue driving and also see bears in the area of the bridge and the fish weir. One bear crosses the road behind our car. A female bear chases away a young bear, presumably her son -- common after 2-3 years with the mother, especially when she has mated again. We see several bald eagles, adults and juveniles, whose feathers remain brown for the first 5 years.

With several beautiful pictures in the bag, we drive back to Haines. 

We are now 'bear-free' until the evening and take a closer look at Haines.

Fort Seward is a district located in the bay of Haines and is a collection of beautiful old houses that have actually served as a fort. 

We follow a small map that shows the city's totem poles, and then we have seen all of Haines. As we continue driving, the sun comes out more and more, and you can see the frustration of the lady in the small visitor center that she can't go outside. The weather has been really bad here for weeks, even in the summer, and now there's a beautiful Sunday here and she has to work. Haines is surrounded by a sensational panorama that we couldn't see at all yesterday. 

Tall mountains, glaciers, and the water of the Lynn Canal, which we came across from Skagway. It is a 100 km long channel at the end of the Inside Passage. Really beautiful. There are 2,500 people living here, and while other places die out in the winter, the winter sports season starts here with heli-skiing, and several Hollywood film productions are shot here, set in a corresponding mountain landscape.

In the afternoon, we go back to see the bears after buying some snacks at the supermarket. We sit in the sun at Chilkoot Lake, eat and read until it's time for "bear alert." 

Indeed, a female bear walks along the shore below us, then enters the water and lets the current carry her out of the lake, which is fed by a glacier melt. Finally, bear pictures in the sun!

While the other people soon lose patience waiting for the bear to appear on the other side of the shore, hidden in the bushes, we see her come out of the green just minutes later and stand by the river. Amazing!

We quickly go back to the hotel, charge the batteries for an hour, and leave again at 4:30 p.m. to see the bears. Today, we want to be there much earlier than yesterday. And again, we see bears in and by the river and can take great photos. One of the bears has white spots on its muzzle. We learn from locals that this young bear spilled their paint bucket 2 days ago and not only splattered the road but also got white paint all over its fur. You can still easily recognize the bear for a while. The people have named him 'Paint' and are excited that I will send them some pictures of their 'culprit' by email.

'Paint'

'Paint'

We're glad that we're not in a group and can simply stay where we spotted something. We witness a German tour group taking pictures in a pack and all looking at the same bear, while probably missing 10 other bears.

As it gets dark around 7:30 p.m., we drive back to the hotel. The room still hasn't been cleaned. I had already complained at the reception earlier, and they said that the cleaning crew had noted that we had a do-not-disturb sign outside. What nonsense, since we weren't even there all day! No one recognized the need to clean in the meantime, and the "touch of luxury" - the slogan of this hotel - is even more incomprehensible now, as we couldn't even detect a touch before. I briefly drive down to the lighthouse, have a delicious seafood chowder, and then this bear day is over.

Distance traveled today: approximately 50 km