Munsey's Bear Camp News and Blog

We’ve had a stormy, windy summer interspersed with moments of calm perfection here on Kodiak Island.

Nearly every group this summer has at least partially consisted of returning guests who have visited Munsey’s Bear Camp many times over the years and have become our good friends. I will go into more detail about each group in my end-of-the-summer newsletter. In this post, I’ll share the highlights of the summer so far.

We run our trips from early July until mid-September, and the focus follows nature’s cycle. The pink salmon run occurs from mid-July until early August. That is when we fish for pink salmon in the river, and the bears trap and eat salmon in the tidal flats. As the salmon move upriver, so do the bears, and by September, we enjoy spectacular bear viewing as the bears begin gorging themselves with salmon to put on extra weight in preparation for hibernation. The silver salmon (Coho) arrive in the ocean in late August and then move into the rivers in September. We fish for halibut throughout the season.

We enjoyed good salmon fishing in Brown’s Lagoon in July and had several grilled salmon lunches on the beach. While we haven’t caught many large halibut this summer, the halibut fishing has been good and consistent.

Bear viewing on the salmon streams improves daily as more salmon swim upstream to spawn, and the bears congregate to feed on them. We didn’t see many whales early in the summer, but in late August, we saw fin whales and a very active humpback. We even had the thrill of watching orcas speed past our boat.

Our weather this summer has been worse than usual, and we have had three groups of guests delayed for an extra night either at our lodge, in Kodiak, or in Anchorage because the weather was unflyable. This is an excellent time to remind all future guests to plan to spend one night in Kodiak prior to your flight to our lodge and another night in Kodiak after you leave Munsey’s Bear Camp. Kodiak has unpredictable weather even in the summer, so plan a little extra time in your schedule to account for unflyable days.

We still have two weeks remaining in our season, and they are sure to be spectacular! I will tell you about them and supply more details about each of our summer groups in the end-of-the-season newsletter and blog post.

Robin

Greetings from Munsey’s Bear Camp. While I am always sorry to see the summer end, I am happy to cherish another season of memories of wonderful people and great adventures. Four of our guests returned for a visit after a span of twenty years. Another guest made his 24^th visit to our lodge, and two guests returned for their 12^th trip.

We were thrilled to have MarciaMessier back for another summer In addition to creating her excellent meals, Marcia is central to our operation. Mike and I depend on her greatly, and I think the three of us make a good team. Joeleen Lane joined us this summer as the camp helper, and her perpetual good mood kept us smiling.

Our season began on July 15 with Yoram and Zipi Hoffman, and Ron Arbel from Israel. This group watched two bears nuzzle in the sedges near a small creek. Even though it was late in the year for breeding, the pair seemed to exhibit mating behavior. On another day, this group watched a sow with two newborn cubs. While mom chewed on the vegetation, the cubs stole curious glances at the humans.

On July 20, we greeted Brian and Kevin Kaub from California, Adam and Carter Kaub from Washington, and Donald Kidd and Bob Bollinger from California. On their first afternoon cruise, this group got a close look at a bear walking the beach. While they enjoyed the wildlife, these guys mainly wanted to fish. Adam caught our first “Club” halibut (40 lbs. and over) of the season, and we proudly hoisted our halibut flag. The other guys also caught nice halibut, and on a beautiful little river, they landed sixteen salmon and enjoyed a gorgeous, sunny day. A fox followed them downriver and tried unsuccessfully to convince them to share their fish with him.

Beginning on July 25, we spent five wonderful days expanding our family. We welcomed Mike’s second cousin, Jay, his wife, Penny; their daughters, Chelsey and Lexi; Chelsey’s boyfriend, Jorge Esteves; and Lexi’s husband, Teddy Beahm, and their adorable son, Theo. Mike and Jay had never met, but from their appearances to their personalities, there was no denying they were related. This group watched several bears on a small stream, including one that walked up close to them and posed for photos. Penny proved her fishing prowess by reeling in three halibut, a skate, and several cod, but Jorge landed the monster halibut (50 lbs.) of the week and joined our halibut club. Jay’s favorite memory of the week was casting a lure into a beautiful river, watching a salmon attack it, and reeling the fish to the bank.

We greeted Mike and Valerie Boltz on August 6. Due to a last-minute cancelation, Mike and Valerie had the camp to themselves for a few days. Mike and the Boltzes sat on the bank of a river one day and watched several bears, including a sow with two two-year-old cubs that fished in front of them all afternoon and a sow with three one-year-old cubs that stayed near them most of the day. A large male walked upstream into the mixture of mothers and cubs but opted not to stay long. Another day, Mike and Valerie watched a mother with two newborn cubs. On their last day on the riverbank, this group enjoyed another parade of bears, including two family groups and six single bears.

On August 11, we welcomed Rob Ryan and Michelle Baccaro from California and Francesca, Stefan, Zoe, and Querin Ronig from Switzerland. This group was only here for three days and spent both of their full days bear viewing. One day, they watched a large female bear expertly catch fish near them and then enjoyed the interactions between a mother and her three yearling cubs. On the second day, they watched several bears, including two that fished in front of them.

On August 17, we welcomed back Tom Lassman and met his friends, Margo Salisbury and Dave and Lynn West, all from Oregon. Jimmy Matiasevich and Christian Leon from California rounded out the group. They watched a very large male bear amble down the beach on their first afternoon, and one day, they sat on the riverbank and watched two single bears and a sow with a two-year-old cub catch salmon. On another day, a sow with three one-year-old cubs fished in front of them, and even the young cubs managed to land a few salmon. This group also watched bears fish at the head of the bay on the low tide, where they could trap the salmon in the shallow water. The group only fished for a few hours but made the best of it. They all caught fish, and Margo joined the Halibut Club with a 40-pounder. Speaking of clubs, Christian and Jimmy proudly joined our Puffin Club when they took a plunge off the end of our dock into the icy water of Uyak Bay.

On August 21, we welcomed back Steve Schlag from Hawaii and met his wife, Janna, his daughter, Kate, from California, and his son, Nick, from Colorado. We also greeted John and Janet Chelf from Oklahoma. Janet said she didn’t know how to fish, but we doubted this claim when she landed an 82-lb. halibut on the first day of fishing – the largest club halibut of the year. Everyone in the group caught big, beautiful silver salmon in the ocean, and they had a close encounter with a sow and three cubs on a small stream. Nick, Kate, and Janna hiked up a river with Mike and enjoyed watching several bears catch salmon. They had bears around them the entire time they sat on the riverbank.

On August 27, we welcomed back our yearly group of August fishermen. However, this year, the trip was bittersweet. One of the guys and our good friend, John Mendoza, passed away unexpectedly a few months earlier. Gordy Sexton, another long-time group member, was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and unable to make the trip. To make things even worse, Gene Fanucchi had to rush his wife to the emergency room on the morning he was supposed to fly to Alaska. This year, Dan Robertson from Nevada and Mike Saner and Howard Hancock from California were joined by Sammy Mendoza (John’s brother) and Bruce Sexton (Gordy’s brother). Despite some rainy, windy weather, these guys had no trouble catching fish. Sam, Mike, and Bruce joined our halibut club, and Mike’s 80-pounder was the second largest of the summer. On the last day of fishing, they landed fourteen large silver salmon, and each guy went home with a box full of fish. Best wishes to Gordy and Gene’s wife, and we look forward to seeing you next year, Gene!

On September 5, we welcomed back Tony and Karin Ross from Pennsylvania for a twelve-day stay. Ross and Diane Nowell from New Zealand joined them. This group of hikers enjoyed the long trek upriver to watch the bears and were here for the peak of the bear-viewing season. After two nights of freezing temperatures and frost, the bears seemed to know it was time to fatten up as fast as possible before hibernation. One day, this group watched twenty-five bears fish on a small river, and many caught salmon in front of them. They saw it all – a sow with three one-year-old cubs, a sow with two two-year-old cubs, a sow with two newborn cubs, a large male, and an old female we have been watching for years. She is distinguishable because she has a large scar on her hindquarters. They laughed at the curious behavior of a small female bear that dug in the gravel for over half an hour close to where they were sitting. Diane said there were so many bears and so much activity she didn’t know which way to look.

On September 10, we welcomed back Terry Douglas from Alaska, and joining Terry, Tony, and Karin were Tom, Deb, and Monica Boucek from Ohio. This group alternated two intense days of hiking upriver to bear view with two lighter excursions on side streams. The bear viewing on the main river was still at its peak. On their last day, they watched thirty bears wander in front of them, fishing and interacting. They saw mothers with newborn cubs, mothers with one-year-olds, and mothers with two-year-olds. They also watched several single bears, including two large males that strode down the river and melted into the brush. On a day of fishing, Karin joined our halibut club with a sixty-pounder! On our boat trip back to camp the last afternoon, we saw a humpback whale, and Tony took a distant photo of the whale leaping out of the water.

A storm altered our plans for the end of the season. Terry, Tom, Deb, and Monica were stuck in camp for two days, waiting for the weather to improve enough to fly to town, and Tony and Karin spent their last full day hiking through the pouring rain with Mike to watch bears. They did manage to catch a couple of silver salmon, but we fought to tie our boat to its mooring in 50 mph winds when we returned to camp on our last day, and we knew it was time for our summer season to end.

One of the big thrills for us this summer was to reunite with Yoram Hoffman, Ron Arbel, Tom Lassman, and Steve Schlag. Each of these four men was here approximately twenty years ago and wanted to come back for another visit. They shared photos showing much younger versions of us – yikes – it has been twenty years!  For Dan Robertson, this was his 24^th year visiting our lodge, and one year; he came twice. Tony and Karin Ross have made twelve trips to Munsey’s Bear Camp, and Tony always brings entertainment. We wished we would have met Mike’s cousins Jay (and his wonderful wife, Penny), Chelsey, and Lexi (Beahm) Munsey long before now, but late is better than never.

Thank you to our dear friend Marcia for all her hard work and to Joeleen for rounding out our team. Thank you to our guests, and we hope to see you again soon!

I invite you to check out my website, robinbarefield.com, to see my books (including Kodiak Island Wildlife) and listen to my podcast.

–Robin

Greetings from Munsey’s Bear Camp. It is already mid-August, and we are halfway through our summer season. We’ve had a great summer with visitors from Israel, California, Washington, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Switzerland.

Our summer has been cooler than usual. While much of the world baked in June and July, our temperatures hovered in the high 40s and low 50s. The wildflowers are two weeks behind schedule, and the berries are just beginning to ripen. The salmon run is also late, but the fish are arriving and heading upstream to spawn.

The bears are congregating at the mouths of the salmon streams and eagerly devouring their favorite meal. In the last few weeks, we saw bears walking the beaches nearly everywhere we went. Recently, a sow with three one-year-old cubs and another with two-year-old cubs have provided our guests with non-stop entertainment. Watching the family groups interact and seeing how the mothers teach their cubs to fish is fun.

We have not seen many whales yet this summer, but I suspect they will move into the bay in the next few weeks. Fishing has been good. Salmon fishing in Brown’s Lagoon was great in late July, and our guests caught some nice halibut.

Also, In late July, we welcomed Mike’s cousin, Jay Munsey, and his wife, Penny, and their family. Mike and Jay had never met, but they teased each other as if they were old friends, and you only had to look at them to know they were related. We had a fun few days with Jay and Penny and their family, and they left us with the warm feeling of knowing we had just expanded our family.

I will write a more in-depth post once our season has ended, but thank you to all our guests so far this summer, and thank you, Adam, for the wonderful care package! To our late August and September guests – we can’t wait to meet and have fun with you in our beautiful little corner of the world.

Hello once again from Munsey’s Bear Camp. We had a cool, wet summer. June was one of Kodiak Island’s driest months on record, and August was one of the wettest. When I think about this summer, though, I don’t remember the rain. I recall fun times and wonderful guests. Most of our groups included returnees, and several included returnees bringing their friends and family. It was fun to catch up with folks who have become our friends and to experience new adventures with them. Three of our groups traveled from Switzerland; all three were initially booked for 2020. They had to wait two years for Covid testing and monitoring restrictions to relax before making the trip.

We were thrilled to welcome back Marcia Messier as our head cook and housekeeper. Marcia is a special friend and someone we know we can always count on to do a great job. Our camp helper this year was Josie Allison.

Our summer season began on July 10^th with our good friends from Kansas. Jeff and Michele McHenry have visited our lodge three times. Their first trip was in 1998 when they brought their kids, Mason, Megan, and Molly, and Megan was 15 years old. This time, Michele and Jeff returned with  Megan, her husband, Wesley, and their children: Ben, Joseph, and Vivian. The kids loved beach combing, so we explored a beach at low tide and showed them sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and even an octopus den. The adults were more excited about fishing, and they proved their skills. Wes caught a 35-pound halibut, and Megan and Jeff were the first inductees of the year into our halibut club with a 45 and a 70-pounder.

On July 15^th, we greeted returning guest Perry Haines. Perry brought his wife, Kathy, his son and daughter-in-law, Perry Jr. and Karen Haines, and his daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Steve Seccia. The salmon were arriving in Brown’s Lagoon, and this group caught 14 on their first day. On another day, they watched a bear wander along a small creek in front of them. Then,a huge bear approached them. Perry Jr. and Steve had not yet had their fill of salmon fishing, and on their last morning, Mike dropped them off on the salmon river, where the guys caught eight more salmon to add to their box.

On July 20^th, we welcomed Wayne Barnes and Robert McMurray back and met their friends, Jack Wiesner and Jody Spears, all from Tennessee. These guys wasted little time catching all the salmon they wanted to take home. In less than four hours, they caught their limit in Brown’s Lagoon, and then, Robert and Jody each caught a 35-lb. halibut. On another day, they watched a bear swim across the bay and run up on the bank. During their stay, we battled wet, windy weather, and our beautiful summer began to disappear.

Rick and Karen Fryklund from California and Bill and Judy Mastick from Oregon arrived on July 25^th. This group watched a bear catch half a dozen salmon, and they could hear the fish’s bones crunch as the bear devoured them. On another day, they saw several bears, including a big bear that fished in front of them, and on their last day with the bears, a sow (female bear) with three newborn cubs fished among the other bears. She knew the humans were there, but she didn’t seem to care. On an afternoon of fishing, Bill caught five skates and cleared the way for Karen to land a 35-lb. halibut.

The Frankhauser family from Switzerland first visited us in 2011 when their girls were teenagers. Beat, Marie Christine, their daughters, Sabine, Nadine, and Karin, and Sabine’s fiancé, David Schork, arrived on August 1^st. The girls are grown, and we marveled at their accomplishments over the past eleven years. One day, this group watched a sow with three two-year-old cubs. Mom caught a salmon, and the cubs growled and fought over her catch. On another day, the Frankhausers saw a very large bear, but what they enjoyed most was watching the tolerant sow with the three newborn cubs (coys). She caught salmon, and her babies watched as she consumed the much-needed protein.

On August 6^th, we greeted our second Swiss group of the summer. Willy and Patty Renfer, Willy’s sister, Theresa, and Theresa’s son and daughter-in-law, Alain and Sybil, were enthusiastic about finally making it to Munsey’s Bear Camp. This delightful group kept smiles on our faces. They endured rainy, windy weather, but they enjoyed two afternoons sitting on a riverbank while watching several bears chase and catch fish. They enjoyed all the bears, but the sow with the three coys stole the show again. The cameras whirred as mom fished and her babies wrestled and boxed right in front of them.

On August 11^th, we welcomed returning guests and friends Bob and Sandy Comstock from California. The Comstocks were joined by their friends, Nick Long, Shirley Apapricio, and Chris and Amy Hunsberger, all from California. This group spent an afternoon with the tolerant sow and three little cubs. Mom caught several fish and then stretched out on the riverbank. One of her cubs curled up against her while the other two rough-housed. Everyone in this group caught fish, but Bob was king. On his birthday, he landed a 35-pounder and a 30-pounder! We celebrated that evening with a birthday cake and excellent Comstock wine.

Our fishing buddies from California arrived on August 16^th. We greeted Dan Robertson from Nevada, Gordy Sexton, Howard Hancock, Gene Fanucchi, John Mendoza, and Mike Saner, all from California. Silver salmon were scarce around Kodiak Island this summer, and we caught very few. After much effort, one day, Mike caught a 12-lb. silver, and John landed a 25-lb. king salmon. Halibut fishing also wasn’t as good as usual this summer, but these guys caught three “club” halibut. Howard caught a 62-pounder, and Mike caught a 55-lb. and 40-lb halibut.

On August 21^st, we welcomed another group of guys, including our friends Andy Vena, Al Strydesky, and Sil Squeri. Al’s son-in-law and grandson, Jim and Jackson Newsome, and Jackson’s other grandfather, Dave Newsome, rounded out the group. These guys enjoyed two days of good fishing, including four club halibut. Andy caught two 45-pounders, Jackson landed a 60-lb. halibut, and Dave caught a 92-pounder, the largest of the summer. After seeing very few whales all summer, fin whales finally appeared in the bay, and four giant whales surfaced near our boat. On a day of bear viewing, Sil snapped a beautiful photo of a bear standing on her hind feet in the sedges while checking out the humans.

On August 26^th, we were thrilled to welcome back our Florida friends, Ken and Summer Groves. Ken and Summer’s friends, Jeff and Nancy Swenson, joined them. This group brought their Florida sunshine, and we said, “THANK YOU!” One day, they sat on a riverbank and watched a sow with three yearling cubs and the friendly sow with her three coys. The older cubs were beginning to fish on their own, while the young cubs waited for their mom to catch a fish and then stole scraps from her. One of the babies took a piece of salmon and climbed up on a log to eat it. On a gorgeous, calm, sunny day, we sat in the middle of Uyak Bay and watched huge fin whales surface and feed around us.

On September 5^th, we were excited to welcome back our good friends Tony and Karin Ross from Pennsylvania and Nino and Celine Veronese from Switzerland. Tony and Karin stayed for twelve days. Jeff and Robert Caldwell from Colorado rounded out this  group. Fantastic bear viewing continued, and their last full day sums up their adventure:Mike spotted orcas just after breakfast and rushed everyone out to photograph and watch the majestic whales. Next, the group hiked up a river and watched several bears. When the three little cubs decided they wanted to play on the log where they were sitting, the humans quickly moved back to give the bears space, and one of the cubs stopped to sniff Mike’s gear.

On August 10^th, Tim and Jan Rollman from Colorado and Gary Struthers from California joined Tony and Karin. This group watched many bears catch salmon on a small river, but the friendly sow with the three coys  again stole the show. Mom seemed very comfortable when the cubs jumped up on the log where the humans were sitting and checked them out. The cameras clicked while the cubs looked quizzically at the strange animals in front of them. Everyone got great photos. This group watched a family drama on another day when the friendly sow walked away with two of her cubs. When the third cub looked up and didn’t see his family, he began to cry. Mom finally came back for him after several minutes, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the happy ending.

Tony and Karin spent two more days with us. Tony caught a nice halibut, and they hiked again with Mike to their spot on the river to watch the bears and say goodbye to them for another year.

This summer reminded me of how much I appreciate our guests. While catching up with returning guests is fun, it is also exciting to watch the awe-struck wonder of a new guest who is visiting our beautiful little corner of the world for the first time. Thank you to all of our guests this summer, and a huge thank you to Marcia and Josie for your hard work.

On a personal note, my true-crime book Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier will be available in late December.

Hello from Munsey’s Bear Camp. I love my job. Each morning during our summer trips, I sit on our dock for a few minutes and gather myself before heading out to our boat. I think about the day and imagine what we will see or catch. I have a good imagination, but it rarely matches nature’s magic. No two days are alike.

We were thrilled to have Marcia Messier join us again this summer to cook her delightful meals and excellent soups. Anna McMurchy joined our team as the camp helper. 

Our summer began beautiful and sunny on July 15^th with the arrival of Zach and Rachel Culbertson and their children, Eli, Charlie, and Camille, all from Virginia. This active group started our summer off right. They helped boost our energy to prepare us for a long season with few breaks. The children waved at the funny sea otters and enjoyed watching the colorful puffins. The kids loved catching pink salmon in Brown’s Lagoon, and the family enjoyed sitting on the bank of a river, watching bears. One bear seemed comfortable with their presence and stretched out near them in the stream to cool down on a hot, sunny day. 

On July 20^th, we greeted our friends, George Havice and Jeff Geist, both from Kansas. We were also happy to welcome back Russ Duncan and his wife, Marilyn, from Washington state.This group experienced an abrupt change in weather and battled rain and wind for the first three-and-a-half days of their stay. They did not let the weather dampen their spirits, though. They enjoyed salmon fishing in Brown’s Lagoon, and on a day when the wind forced us into a small cove, they saw bears, deer, and a fox on the beach. Finally,the wind calmed on their last full day, and they enjoyed good halibut fishing. 

On July 25^th, Paul and Pat Dunn, Steve and Cindy Erickson, Leah Dunn, and Dave Baker, all from Washington state, arrived. On their first morning, Dave brought a big halibut up to the boat and then watched in horror as it swam under the boat and cut the line. Leah caught a 62-lb. halibut the following day, and Steve landed a 55 pounder. In Brown’s Lagoon, this group caught twenty salmon and six Dolly Varden, and on another day, most of the group watched a large male bear eat a fish in front of them, while Dave enjoyed the thrill of catching halibut in shallow water.  

On August 1st, we were happy to welcome back Bob and Sandy Comstock from California. Their son, Bob, and his partner, Julian Fisher, joined them. On their first afternoon, this group saw puffins, eagles, sea otters, seals, a bear walking the beach, and another bear climbing a cliff. Bob Sr. joined our halibut club (40 lbs. and over) with a 55 lb. halibut and a 40 pounder. Sandy, Bob Jr., and Julian caught salmon in Brown’s Lagoon, and during a summer when we saw only a few large whales, this group enjoyed the thrill of watching two giant fin whales.

On August 6^th, we were excited to welcome back Paul and Polly Neldner from Colorado. They were last here 14 years ago! Steve Frank and Judy Holden from Florida joined the Neldners. Nature always surprises me, and during this stormy week, we experienced a wildlife moment that I am sure none of us will ever forget. Soon after we left our mooring one morning, we encountered killer whales. And watched in horrid fascination as the orcas tortured and ate a minke whale. Here is the link to my video: https://vimeo.com/597907562. Judy and Steve caught their limit of halibut one afternoon, while Paul decided to try for the camp skate record, hauling up ten of the heavy fish. Beautiful weather finally prevailed on this group’s last day. While the rest of the group watched bears, Judy persevered until she caught a 40 lb. halibut and joined our club. 

On August 11^th, we happily welcomed back Doug Hihn and Kathryn McCormick, who brought their friends, Peter Kozak and Gearin Broderick, all from South Carolina. We also greeted Gary and Linda Litzenberger from Missouri. This group spent two afternoons sitting on a riverbank watching bears fish and interact. They laughed while two young bears batted each other and played on a log, and the cameras whirred when the bears stood on their hind legs and boxed. Linda and Kathryn caught the first two silver salmon of the season, and two days later, Pete and Doug also caught silvers. 

On August 16^th, we were excited to welcome back Dave and Pam Slaughter from Colorado. Dave’s brother, Darien, and his wife, La Nee, from Louisiana, and Dave’s sister, Dana, and her partner, John Mitchell, from Texas accompanied Pam and Dave. This group enjoyed a great day of bear viewing. They saw a sow with one cub, a sow with two cubs, and a sow with three cubs. Everyone in this group caught halibut, but LaNee had the catch of the week when an 8-ft. salmon shark grabbed her hook and swam around the boat. 

On August 21^st, our fishing buddies arrived for their annual week with us. Dan Robertson from Nevada and Gene Fanucchi, Mike Saner, John Mendoza, and Howard Hancock, all from California, climbed out of the plane, ready to relax and fish. Unfortunately, Gordy couldn’t make the trip this year, but the sent his brother, Bruce Sexton, from Washington. Mike Saner wasted no time joining this year’s halibut club. He caught a 40 pounder the first afternoon and landed a 60-pound halibut three days later. Bruce, Dan, and John also joined our club, and all the guys caught nice halibut. We found the silver salmon on their last full day and finished filling their fish boxes. 

It mainly cialis lowest price happen because, men think the erectile dysfunction treatment . Other undesirable effects are buy cialis australia back pain, increase of muscular mass, stuffy nose and “flushing”. As a result, men can overcome several sexual complications, such as: Low libido Erectile dysfunction Premature ejaculation Spermatorrhea Muscular weakness Nocturnal emission Exhaustion Physical weakness. free levitra A viagra pills without prescription small piece of jaggery can treat the condition effectively. On August 26^th, we greeted John and Ann Murray and Charles and Vickie Beaver, all from Pennsylvania, Beth Harris from Colorado, and Patrick Rudicill from Alaska.This group was interested in bears and other wildlife, so Mike led them up a river, where they saw 29 bears. They sat and watched two bears rough-house and photographed them rolling on the ground and playing. They saw a large male bear, mothers with their cubs, curious bears, and one funny bear sprawled in the water, playing with a fish and a twig. The following day, this group watched and photographed fin whales and killer whales, and the next day they saw 23 bears.  

On September 5th, we were thrilled to welcome back longtime guests and friends Tony and Karin Ross. The Rosses stayed with us for 12 days. We also greeted Mark McCaffrey and Eric Newcomb from Alaska and Steve Pelphrey from Illinois. On their first day, this group enjoyed sunny, calm weather while two young bears clumsily chased fish in front of them. The following day, a bear caught a salmon and held it up for everyone to see and photograph. He seemed to be posing for them. Several other bears fished near them, and they laughed as they watched two cubs play with and chase a fox. On a day of fishing, this group caught 23 silver (coho) salmon on a beautiful little river.  

On September 10th, Brian and Allison Bloch from Kansas joined Tony and Karin.On their first day, they saw a huge male bear stretch out in the water to cool down, and later, Mike saw the silhouette of the large bear, standing in the brush watching them. On a rainy, windy day, Brian joined our halibut club with a 55 pounder. When the storm subsided, this group hiked up a river, where they watched three family groups, including a sow and two cubs of the year. Two of the family groups fished near them, and the sows seemed to ignore each other and the humans.The Blochs and Rosses laughed at a young red fox that caught one fish after another and lined up his trophies on the bank. 

Tony and Karin stayed two extra days and helped us wrap up our summer season.On a hike up a small stream, they watched and photographed a bear sleeping on a log and saw another bear take a bath in a pond. On their last morning, the sun shined, and Tony decided to get serious about fishing. At the last minute, he hauled in an 80-lb. halibut – our largest of the summer. 

Can you imagine sitting behind a log on a riverbank watching a fox steal a fish from two little cubs? Nearby, mom catches salmon and ignores her babies and their new friend. I’ve been working as a guide for a long time, and I still have to pinch myself to believe I am here in the middle of this beautiful place. 

Thank you, Marcia. You are wonderful, and we appreciate you. Thank you, Anna, for joining our team this summer. We had a very busy season, but you two made our lives seamless. 

We thank all of our guests this summer. As I wrote this newsletter, I relived the adventures we had with each of you –from the gruesome killer whale behavior to the startling appearance of the salmon shark to the funny fox that played with the cubs — and so much more. 

I am thrilled to announce the publication of our Kodiak wildlife book, filled with photos by Mike. You can purchase the book through Amazon, Barnes and Noble (online), and other booksellers. You can also buy it from me. Just drop me an email (robinbarefield76@outlook.com) if you want a signed copy. 

This post with more photos will soon be online at our website www.munseysbearcamp.com. Also, check out my website at https://robinbarefield.com.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 -Robin

Greetings from Amook Pass and Munsey’s Bear Camp. Today is sunny, calm, and beautiful, but there’s a bite in the air, and it’s beginning to feel like autumn. Overall, we’ve had a cool, windy summer, so we are enjoying every moment of this sunny, breathless August day.

Guests often ask me if I ever tire of seeing the beautiful sights and amazing animals on Kodiak Island. My answer is, “Absolutely not. Each day is different, and I never know what we will see.” This summer, our guests and we had a front-row seat to a gruesome, fascinating saga. I will tell you more about it in a moment.

We’ve worked hard to accommodate parties who were booked last year but decided, due to Covid, to move their reservation to this year. Since we already had several parties booked for this summer, we opted to work straight through the summer with very few breaks. We’ve learned this pace is too exhausting and not something we plan to do again, but we’ve had wonderful guests, and they all seem happy to travel.

We enjoyed excellent pink salmon fishing in beautiful Brown’s Lagoon in July. We’ve also had good halibut fishing when the wind allows us to go to our favorite spots. We have not seen many silver salmon yet, but they should arrive soon.

After munching on berries for a few weeks, the bears are now concentrating on salmon on the small streams and rivers in Uyak Bay, and Mike and our guests see more bears each day. They saw 15 bears yesterday, and several fished in front of them. My favorite bear photos so far this summer picture two young bears wrestling and playing on a log.

Killer Whale Chasing Minke

Fin whales are finally entering the bay, and we see more of them each time we cruise toward the mouth of Uyak. The most spectacular sight we’ve seen so far this summer, though, involved two killer whales and an unfortunate minke whale. Soon after we left our mooring one morning, we encountered a bull and a cow orca, and we watched and photographed them for a while, trying to get the perfect shot of the male with his large, majestic dorsal fin. Then, we realized the horrific scene playing out in front of us.

The killer whales slowly maimed, tortured, and ate a minke whale while we watched.
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Minke Whale Trying to Escape

They first bit off the whale’s tail, probably so it couldn’t escape. The poor minke continued to struggle to swim while the orcas followed it, ripping pieces out of it as the whale slowly died. I reminded myself that killer whales are the top predators in the ocean, and they kill and eat everything from whales and sharks to squid. To us, though, their actions seemed cruel. Why didn’t they kill the minke and put it out of its misery?
Later, when I thought about the incident, I wondered if the killer whales left the minke alive so it wouldn’t sink, and they could more easily consume it at the surface. Perhaps their actions were practical and not cruel, but the orcas appeared to torture the minke while they ate it. The large bull once put his mouth around the minke’s head and then spit it out. To those of us watching the saga, it seemed the whales enjoyed taunting their prey and reveled in watching it suffer. We were possibly guilty of giving the whales human emotions, though. Unfortunately, we will never know their motivations.
When the minke swam toward our boat, we left before we became players in the drama. We didn’t need to stay to know how the story ended.

We are excited about the rest of our season. We have the perfect mix of new and returning guests. I’ll list all our adventures in our summer newsletter.

I have one more bit of news. Kodiak Island Wildlife, written by me and full of Mike’s photos, is now available. You can find it at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, other online booksellers, and various stores in Kodiak. You can also order it directly from me.

Robin
Robinbarefield76@gmail.com

This has been a strange year, and the effects of Covid-19 touched even our remote corner of the world. One-half of our summer guests opted not to travel to Alaska this summer, and we could not blame them. Alaska required all incoming visitors to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test administered no more than 72 hours before boarding their Alaska-bound flight. This regulation proved difficult for many of our guests since either their city or state only offered tests to individuals showing symptoms of the virus, or the testing facility could not promise results within 72 hours. On top of this, airlines canceled many flights to Alaska, and Ravn Air, the primary air carrier between Anchorage and Kodiak, declared bankruptcy and closed its doors, not bothering to refund tickets or re-book travelers.

I am happy to report that we could re-book most of our guests for either the summer of 2021 or 2022. Meanwhile, those guests who managed to run the gauntlet and find their way to secluded Amook Pass enjoyed a few peaceful days away from the crazy world. 

Our dear friend, Marcia Messier, returned to cook for us this summer. Marcia retired from the cooking job ten years ago, but with the promise of a camp helper to assist her with the never-ending list of chores, she jumped at the chance to return to the solitude of Munsey’s Bear Camp and a cool Kodiak summer. Our camp helper this summer was Chelsea Moran, and we struck gold with her. Her endless energy and can-do spirit gave us all a lift and lightened our workloads. Chelsea probably never expected to paint a warehouse this summer, but during one of our long, unscheduled breaks, she grabbed a paintbrush and went to work. Marcia and Chelsea formed a seamless team. 

Our summer began on July 20^th with the arrival of Dan Robertson from Nevada, and his grandson, Ashton Cornell, from California. Due to the pandemic, Ashton was an unfortunate high school senior who graduated without a ceremony. Dan was determined to make his grandson’s graduation special, though. Dan brought Ashton to Munsey’s Bear Camp for Ashton’s graduation gift, a place Dan has visited 19 times. This was Ashton’s second visit to our lodge. We were excited to make Ashton’s trip special, and it turned into the trip of a lifetime on day number one. Mike took Ashton bear viewing, and they watched several bears, including a large male. The bear saw Ashton and Mike and began ambling toward them. He walked to the edge of the creek across from the guys and growled, foaming at the mouth. He put on quite a show until Mike spoke calmly to him. Then, he slowly turned around and walked away. After an exciting bear encounter, we stopped at a favorite fishing spot, and Ashton caught a 115 lb. halibut! Two days later, Ashton and Mike caught pink salmon, and we grilled them on the beach for lunch. Dan and Ashton shared an adventure they will always remember. 

On July 25^th, we welcomed Bill and Bobbie Parken, their daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer and Robin Hoon, and the Hoon’s kids, Karlyn, and Kade, all from Florida. This family enjoyed the full Kodiak experience. While they sat on a stream bank, a young bear put on a show for them. He wandered up to them, stared at them, stomped his feet, woofed, and left. Then, he came back and repeated the sequence. He finally walked away but then returned later to study the humans. Bill, Bobbie, and family saw several other bears, including a large, old female with ivory claws, and they also enjoyed watching a fox and two kits play and wrestle in the grass. Everyone had fun halibut fishing, but without a doubt, Robin, Kade, and Karlyn most enjoyed catching salmon in Brown’s Lagoon. 

On August 10^th, we were excited to welcome our friends Andy and Candice Vena from New Jersey. Candice’s sister Kim Kenworthy, also from New Jersey, joined them, and Virginia McCarthy from Minnesota, completed the group. On a day of bear viewing, a sow with a two-year-old cub calmly walked in front of this group. The cub seemed nervous, but mom was not at all worried about the people. Virginia and Candice caught our first silver salmon of the summer, and Virginia expertly reeled in a 121-lb. halibut, joining Ashton in the “Munsey’s Bear Camp Halibut Gold Club!” This group enjoyed watching fin whales and even saw the exposed fin of a salmon shark as it cruised near the surface. They experienced perfect weather during their entire stay. 

On August 10^th, we greeted our fishing buddies. After bringing Ashton on a graduation trip, Dan Robertson from Nevada returned to our lodge for a second trip, this time with his friends, Gene Fanucchi, John Mendoza, and Mike Saner, all from California. We missed Gordy Sexton and Howard Hancock, who decided to stay home this year. John brought a “party lure” and began the trip with a bang when he caught a 61-pound halibut on the first afternoon. John also caught the group’s first silver salmon, but salmon fishing was slow. On a beautiful, sunny, calm day at Aleutian Rock, Dan joined our halibut club with a 40 pounder, and the other guys also caught fish. At Green Banks, a pod of six fin whales surfaced near us while we fished. 

On August 21^st, we greeted Ron Utterback and Judy Kenny from Georgia. They started their trip with a cruise to the mouth of the bay on a beautiful day and saw foxes, deer, and a baby eagle sitting by the edge of the nest, preparing to take its first big step. Four fin whales surfaced near our boat, and when we anchored and started fishing, the whales fed and surfaced close to us again. Judy caught a 35-lb. halibut, and Ron landed a large silver salmon. One day, Ron, Judy, Chelsea, and Mike sat on a riverbank and watched a bear chase salmon in front of them. 

On September 5^th, we were happy to welcome back our friends Tony and Karin Ross from Pennsylvania. They were here for a 12-day stay. Frank and Barbara Easterbrook from Alaska and Brian Cesare from New Mexico joined the Rosses.  On the first day of their trip, a storm drove us into a protected spot to fish. Tony, Karin, and Brian caught silver salmon, but Tony ruled the day with three silvers, including one that weighed 18 lbs.! On day two of the storm, Mike took Tony, Karin, and Brian on a hike along a salmon stream near our lodge, where they watched nine bears. Good weather prevailed the following day, and the entire group went bear viewing on a small stream, where they watched a large, old female bear recline on her back in the sunshine and play with a piece of bark. On their last day of bear viewing, this group watched 25 bears fish and interact in front of them, including two sets of sows and tiny cubs and a big bear that marched down the river, walking 30-ft in front of them. 

And that’s before the cost of any potential aftercare is taken into account. buy levitra online Once considered as a taboo, sexual supplements are not indented to treat or cure any kind of disease? They can only professional cialis support natural functions of your body. This constituent performs the reaction generico levitra on line to form the cell membrane. Besides, generic tadalafil many have told that their sexual problems interfere with the quality of their relationships as well. On September 10^th, returning guests Jim Smith and Mary Hill from Colorado joined Tony and Karin. Jim and Mary were accompanied by Jim’s daughter, Martha Smith, from Los Angeles, and his granddaughter, Emma Smith, from Colorado. This group enjoyed three days of spectacular bear viewing. They watched interactions between a sow with three newborn cubs and another sow with two tiny cubs. They saw young sub-adult bears tirelessly chase salmon and dig fish out from under a log. Cameras whirred as a huge male bear walked downriver, snorkeling for fish by sticking his head underwater. Growls and woofs pierced the silence when the bears interacted, and while the vocalizations between the young bears seemed harmless, those between sets of sows with cubs sounded more serious. On their last day of bear viewing, this group sat in the middle of eleven bears within a 75-yard radius. When they hiked back to the boat at the end of the day, smiles plastered their faces.

Tony and Karin stayed for an extra two days to end our season in style. Their fish box still was not full, so Tony quickly caught a 50 lb. halibut to solve the problem. On their last day with us, Tony and Karin opted for one more day with the bears, so they could say goodbye – until next year! 

Mike and I felt lucky this year to operate even an abbreviated summer season. As we soaked in the beauty of Uyak Bay and laughed with our guests about our shared adventures, the world seemed normal again. Our guests looked sad on their last morning with us when they stood on the dock and pulled up their face masks for their return to society. For five short days, they’d forgotten about the pandemic and enjoyed nature. 

To our guests who could not travel to Alaska this summer, we look forward to seeing you soon. Thank you to those who made the trip. We appreciate you and enjoyed spending time with you. Marcia, we cannot thank you enough for jumping in when we needed you, and Chelsea, I don’t know how we got so lucky to find you – especially during this crazy summer, but thank you for all your hard work. 

Be sure to check out my blog post on Kodiak wildlife at http://robinbarefield.com/blog. While you are there, sign up for my newsletter if you are interested in true crime stories in Alaska. You can also listen to my murder and mystery tales on my podcast, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. 

I hope the pandemic is under control by next summer, and things return to normal. I wish you all good health and happiness! 

Robin

Wow! It’s already early July, and I see I forgot to write a mid-winter post. I guess I’m too late for a winter or a spring post. As our summer season quickly approaches, though, I’m excited to get out on our boat to see bears and watch whales, sea otters, seals, and other wildlife. Most importantly, I can’t wait to meet new folks and hug old friends.

I know many of our guests who are preparing to visit Munsey’s Bear Camp this summer will read this post, so I’m writing this with you in mind. First of all, to answer the most-asked question by our returning guests, YES, Mary will be back again this summer! Mary is our excellent chef and so much more, and all our guests adore and admire her. I think Mike and I could take the summer off, and no one would notice as long as Mary was here. As a bonus, Mary’s sister, Abby, will also be back for her second summer with us, so I can promise the dynamic Schwarzhans sisters!

I can never promise beautiful weather on Kodiak Island, but our weather so far this summer has been incredible. We’ve had nearly two weeks of warm, sunny weather with temperatures in the 70s. If you are planning to visit us this summer, though, don’t expect warm, sunny weather. Please remember your rain gear – both a raincoat and rain pants. Also, I always wear a jacket on our boat, and fleece is light to pack, keeps you warm, and dries quickly. At the end of your stay at our lodge, I hope you say to me, “It was sunny every day, I don’t know why you told me to bring rain gear!”

On the wildlife front, we had a mild winter, so the deer look great. Bears are, of course, out and about, and we’ve seen whales in the bay the last few weeks. Mike and I have been working on the boat and the lodge, and we haven’t had time to watch wildlife or fish, but we are very optimistic it will be a good summer for both. I’ll write another post in a few weeks with more specific information about what we’ve been seeing and catching.

Mike and I both have been busy around the lodge painting, fixing, building, cleaning, and planting. With this wonderful weather, we’ve finished our planned outdoor projects and started new ones. I am ready to stop working and get out on the boat and have fun.
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I just sent my latest novel, Karluk Bones, to my publisher, and it should be available later this summer. I also recently started a podcast titled Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, so click on the link to listen. To read more posts about Kodiak wildlife, visit my blog at http://robinbarefield.com/blog.

If you are planning to visit us this summer, we will see you soon! If you have any last-minute questions, don’t hesitate to e-mail us. Please e-mail us If you are on a special diet or have food allergies. We order our groceries from town, so we need to know about dietary issues in advance.

I think I say this in every post, but it bears (pun intended) repeating. Our lodge is small, and our goal is to make your stay with us the best vacation adventure or your life. I won’t speak for myself, but Mike, Mary, and Abby are amazing, and we will all go out of our way to make your stay comfortable and fun.

Have a safe trip to Kodiak Island, and if you aren’t planning to visit us this summer but hope to in the near future, you need to make your reservations soon! We book up nearly a year in advance.

Robin