Napping Bears - McNeil River Sanctuary, Alaska

In July, Alaska’s McNeil River Falls is busy with large brown bear (grizzly) traffic. Chum Salmon return to the McNeil River during a short period of time and so do a large numbers of bears that gather at the falls to feast. It is action packed at McNeil River Falls during the salmon season with over two dozen bears fishing, feasting, and occasionally fighting.

In the middle of the chaos some bears find time to take a nap! This large bear came down to the river, waded into the current, and climbed up on the rock in the middle of the river… then laid down. He fell asleep in about a minute.

The rushing water flows over the rock but he doesn’t seem to be care. He occasionally tosses and turns but still slept for several hours…

Meanwhile, other bears fish only a few feet away…

And some other bears are feasting right behind him…

He is still comfortably sleeping at the same spot. Looks like he is having a good dream…

After many hours, he finally rolled on his back, and lazily moved his legs… time to wake up.

Well, that bear wasn’t the only one napping in the middle of the fishing scene.

This handsome bear fell asleep at the spot where he fished and ate, in the calm water right above the falls.

Even a large dominant bears look cute and cuddly while sleeping.

This large bear finished fishing for the day and came up from the river, then laid down right by the gravel pad where a group of us were sitting! He was comfortably taking a nap only a few feet away from humans! The ranger guide assured us he was fine. The guide knows many of the individual bear's comfort zone… What an experience having that large bear, the size of a van, sleeping right behind us!

I still have many bear images from McNeil River Falls, maybe 2 more posts? Please check back in 2 week!

"River of Bears" - McNeil River Sanctuary, Alaska

Photographing bears in their natural environment has been my passion since early in my career. I have visited some prime bear viewing areas before, but Alaska's McNeil River is truly outstanding!

The McNeil River Sanctuary is located in the remote wilderness on the Alaska Peninsula along the Aleutian Mountains just north of Katmai National Park & Preserve. McNeil River Sanctuary contains the highest concentration of brown bears (grizzlies) in the world during the peak season of the Chum Salmon run in early July through mid-August. As many as 80 bears congregate at the river. The area was designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1967 and enlarged to a preserve in 1993. The sanctuary allows only 10 visitors per day for a four-day period with permits scarce and at a premium during the peak season.

I arrived at the McNeil Sanctuary in late July by seaplane. The area is truly remote where access is permitted by seaplane or boat and is without road access. The closest town is Homer on the Kenai peninsula, 100 air miles across Cook Inlet. As the flight approached the lagoon at McNeil River, I could spot a number of bears from the air.

McNeil Falls, the bear viewing spot, is about a 2 mile hike from the camp. An armed naturalist from the Alaska Fish and Game, led us to the falls. We were not allowed to leave the camp by ourselves. We were instructed to walk close together so that bears think we were one big animal instead of individual humans. Crossing the river mouth at the lagoon and waiting for bears to pass by, the 2 mile hike took us 2-4 hours. Approaching the McNeil Falls for the first time, I was amazed that two dozen large bears were standing in a tight spot!

Bear activity was everywhere! As large numbers of salmon continuously came up the river, bears energetically fish. 

Visitors are divided into two groups and sit closely together on the two gravel viewing pads. Bears often walk by within several feet of us. A large bear, the size of a small van it seemed, walked right in front of us and it was really intense, but no one has been injured or been killed since the bear viewing program in McNeil River began. Following strict rules, humans and bears have been coexisting in McNeil for over 50 years.

After a successful catch and quick devouring, it is back to fishing again.  My problem was figuring out which bear to photograph.

Fights can break off at any moment. Tensions among the bears was high.

McNeil Falls is dominated by large males whereas sows with cubs hang out at the river mouth and lagoon area. While the mother bear fishes in the lagoon, cubs play at the shore, sometimes not so far from us. We often stopped by the lagoon and had to wait for a bear family to pass by. Capturing the cubs playing with each other was one of the best parts of this trip.

During an intense 4 days at McNeil Falls, I shot several thousand photos... it took me a month to go through all of them, made some selections, deleted a bunch, and finally the post processing began. It'll take at least a few months to complete the entire work... I will slowly update my blog with new bear images.

Denali (McKinley) Views, Denali National Park & Preserve, Alaska

 Continuing from a previous post, I would like to share more images of North America's highest peak - Denali (Mt. McKinley). I camped deep inside Denali National Park & Preserve to capture Mount Denali in bright fall colors. With unusually nice weather, I successfully photographed five beautiful sunsets of the famous North Face of Denali. In addition, I captured the view from the Eielson Visitor Center, another well-known park icon. 

 I climbed the ridge above the Eielson Visitor Center to get a better view of the valley with Mount Denali and the Alaska Range. The surrounding tundra was draped in warm autumn colors.

I discovered the view of Denali from Stony Hill to be stunning and easily became one of my favorites. When visitors ride the shuttle from the entrance, Mount Denali can be seen in its entirety only after a few hours of riding. When the bus turns the corner on clear days, the view is impressive. I clearly remember that awe inspiring experience back in 2001. I wanted to capture this "first impression" of Denali.

I had to wait a few hours for perfect lighting at Stony Hill... Dozens of shuttle buses passed by as clouds drifted by... I like the shadows of clouds on the vast tundra field. A few hours passed easily, I noticed a few buses stopping on the road down below... This means wildlife presence, normally. Sure enough, I spotted a small black dot moving on the road. It was a bear - a grizzly bear! More buses joined the bear viewing. Those passengers were lucky to see the bear very close by. Slowly, the black dot moved away from the road and walked into the hilly tundra. The bear started climbing up the hill ... It was a small dot and soon its was out of sight from where I was at. Then, the next time I saw him, the small dot got bigger and closer. He was coming my direction! I quickly packed up my gear and began walking to one of the shuttle buses parked by. The bear climbed up this steep hill so fast and with ease. The shuttle driver yelled to the passengers to get inside the bus. I too joined them. Soon, the huge grizzly bear came close and walked behind the bus then crossed the road! Thank goodness, the bus was here at that moment.

Here is another photo of the Grizzly Bear, I took earlier in the day.

I'll have some more Denali images to share on the next posting. Please check back soon!

Mount Denali (McKinley) Southface, Alaska

North America's highest peak, Mount Denali, formerly known as Mount McKinley, faces Kesugi Ridge which is located north of Anchorage, in Denali State Park. (Yes, Denali State Park is distinct from the well known big brother Denali National Park & Preserve)

To capture sunrise glow on Denali's south face, I backpacked Kesugi Ridge which parallels Denali and the Alaska Range across a valley on a beautiful weekend in July. The trail ascends through forest, then rocky terrain, and opens up to alpine tundra. Soon after climbing above the tree line, majestic Denali was supposed to show off... however, Denali was hiding behind clouds, as is not uncommon. With an elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190 m), the mountain creates its own climate and often generates clouds around the mountain although it was a perfectly clear day.

Once getting up on the ridge, the trail was almost flat and continued along the ridge. The clouds over Denali slowly departed, and showed off the entire mountain while I was setting up camp. It was a perfect evening as the sun lowered behind the Alaska Range. The light rays lit the silhouette of Denali...

The sky above Denali was still clear at sunrise. View of Denali at camp. It was windy and cold at dawn as I set up the camera outside the tent door and while sitting inside my warm sleeping bag, I was able to capture the sunrise on Denali. It was early July, under the midnight sun, there was only a few hours of twilight instead of darkness. When the sun appeared on the edge of the horizon, the very first light hit the highest peak! Slowly, the golden light shifted downward...

As the sun slowly rose, the glow on the mountain lowered... The thin clouds behind the mountain turned to peach colors... In the northern latitudes, sunrise and sunset take much longer. Photographers appreciate this long "magic light" for sure!

Stunning morning lights painted Denali and the whole Alaska Range in warm crimson. Several unnamed creeks from melting snow flowed down Kesugi Ridge. What a perfect morning in wilderness.

I had captured the south face of Denali, next will be the famous north face view. I'm heading to Denali National Park & Preserve this weekend. Camping for a week, I'm hoping to capture the sunset glow on Mount Denali with bright red fall colors of tundra. Wish me good weather!

Sunset Reflections - Kenai Mountains at Cook Inlet, Alaska

 It was beautiful spring evening in Alaska as I was headed south toward the Kenai Peninsula along Cook Inlet. It was almost 11 o'clock, the tide was low and the mud bottom of the ocean was exposed. The sun slowly settled down seemingly into the ocean.



The rose-colored light glows on the snow capped Kenai Mountains above the ocean. I quickly selected the site and set up the camera gear to capture this special moment. The sky against the snowy mountains were a beautiful lavender color.

The setting sun painted the other side of the sky in bright orange!

The magical twilight sky lasted about a half hour after sunset. Slowly, the tide came in, and darkness descended upon the inlet. It was already past midnight when I packed up the gear and left.

Rabbit Lake, Chugach Mountains, Alaska

A Happy New Year from Spirit of Nature Images!!
May year 2016 bring all the new adventures and happiness in your life.

I will continuously capture and share the beautiful nature images in this new year!

Rabbit Lake is one of the many beautiful landscapes in the Chugach Mountains near Anchorage, Alaska. Only a short drive from Anchorage, true wild nature expands in all directions. I've been exploring and photographing within the Chugach Mountains extensively for the past couple of years. I am always impressed with the breathtaking beauty of the scenery at every lake, every mountain, and every meadow I visit in the area...

In mid-May, I hiked up a long uphill trail to Rabbit Lake. The trailhead at the lower elevation was full of spring greens, but when I hiked up deep into the Chugach Mountains, it was still winter! The whole area, surrounded by rugged peaks, was still white, and the lakes were still frozen! The snowy scene was beautiful under blue sky, and I enjoy capturing the winter landscape.

Later in summer, in mid-July, I came back to capture the summer landscape of Rabbit Lake. It was a completely different world! The lake was full of emerald green water, and green grasses and wildflowers were celebrating the short summer! This is why I never get tired of exploring the Chugach Mountains.

The summer was too short... The cold and darkness has descended upon Alaska.

Taking a break from a long dark winter in Alaska, I had another photo project and adventure in Kauai Island of Hawaii in December.  I will post some new images from the "Garden Island" on my next posting.  Please check back in 2 weeks.

First Snow on Chugach Mountains, Alaska

It was mid September when the first snow fell on the mountains just outside of Anchorage. The past summer the weather was unusually nice and warm paving the way for vibrant fall colors around the city and surrounding mountains. It was mid September when light snow dusted the high peaks. "Termination dust" as the locals call it indicating the termination of summer in Alaska, and about a month later, permanent snow would fall and stay.

From Rendezvous Peak, Chugach Mountain peaks were covered with snow while the foothills and valleys were still in Autumn colors.

Rendezvous Ridge was dusted with fresh snow.

At the lower elevations, fall foliages were still vivid among new snow.

A golden leaf trapped in icicle...

Coming down from the mountain, glad to see it was still fall. Golden foliages glowed in warm light just before sunset...

Fall color trees with distant peaks, also snow dusted.

Mountains aglow in rose color at sunset.

Finally snow reached ground level in late October. The long Alaskan winter has begun... Snow will stay another half year.

I will post some more Alaskan wilderness images from the past summer in the next posting. Please check back in 2 weeks!