Greetings from Munsey’s Bear Camp. Another summer has flown by too quickly, but we are left with wonderful memories. Nearly every group this summer consisted of at least one returning guest, and most brought their friends and family with them to experience this special corner of the world where we live and work. We enjoyed a great summer with friends we’ve known for years.
Mary Schwarzhans returned to cook for us this summer, dazzling our guests and us
with her excellent meals. Amy Piper was our camp helper, and she did a wonderful job until she got sick and had to rush to Kodiak for emergency surgery. She wasn’t able to return, and we greatly missed her, but with Mary’s can-do attitude, she, Mike, and I banded together and divided Amy’s chores for the remainder of the summer.
Our summer season began on July 10th with “Cousin Week.” My cousin Lesley and her husband, Randy Finley, from Montana, were joined by Mike’s cousins, Terry and Brian Thompson, Terry’s wife, Diane Flowers, and their son, T. J., all from Florida. This group spent two days watching bears near a small stream, and a mother bear and her cub seemed to play with them one afternoon. The bears relaxed in the sedges and watched
the group approach as they walked down the trail. Then, the bears jumped up, ran a short distance, and sat down again before repeating the process. The cousins caught several halibut, beginning a summer of plentiful but small halibut. Lesley and Terry caught our first salmon of the year, and T. J. joined our Puffin Club by bravely swimming in the frigid water near our dock.
On July 15th, we were happy to welcome back returning guests Bob and Sandy Comstock from California. Bob and Sandy brought their friends Chris and Christy Russi and Dan Glover, who are also from California. Bob and Sandy own Comstock Winery in the Sanoma Valley, and Chris is their winemaker. Dan owns L’Objet Winery. This group watched a very tolerant large bear while he strolled down the beach. On another day, they photographed a sow and cub as they ate sedges and took a nap. On a morning fishing expedition to a salmon stream, this group caught lunch, and we enjoyed a grilled salmon picnic on the beach, paired with their excellent wine.
On July 20th, we were thrilled to welcome returning guests Bud Coughlin, Diane Fantini, Terri McCue, and Terri’s brother, Sean McCue, along with first-time guest and
Sean’s wife, Sharon McCue. This group hailed from Pennsylvania. On their first day of salmon fishing, Sean caught his limit of five salmon. The next day, Sharon landed a 40-lb. halibut, the second largest of the summer. On their third day, they caught their limit of halibut by 11:00 a.m. and then caught nine salmon. On their final full day, they watched four bears on a small salmon stream and then returned to the boat for a grilled salmon lunch.
On July 25th, we were excited to welcome back returning guests Ken and Summer Groves, their daughter, Summer, her husband Mike Farrell, and their daughters Gabriella (Bri) and Juliana (Jules), all from Florida. The last time this family visited, Bri and Jules were much younger, and it was fun seeing the brilliant young women they’d become. This group caught fifteen salmon one day and then enjoyed a grilled salmon lunch on a quiet beach. On another day, we cruised to the mouth of the bay, where they saw huge Stellar Sea lions and puffins, and then watched two fin whales. The salmon were beginning to return to the streams at the head of Uyak Bay, and this group watched several bears attempt to catch their favorite delicacy.
On August 8, we were happy to finally greet returning guest Jeff Becker, his wife Tami, and
their friends Karen and Don Boyer and Adam and Carrie Schmidt. This group was delayed two days in Anchorage due to bad weather, so we didn’t waste any time when they arrived. We headed out fishing as soon as they got off the plane, and they caught their limit of halibut that day. This group watched seven bears chase and catch salmon in the tidal flats one morning. Then, they fished for halibut in only twenty feet of water, enjoying the thrill of landing several halibut in shallow water.
On August 11th, we welcomed another past guest and good friend, Trey Clapp, from Kansas. Trey brought his wife, Rachel, and their daughter, Olivia. Trey and Rachel’s friends could not join them until the next day due to high winds and unflyable conditions in Kodiak. Once we had Rob and Devon Engster and their daughter Kenzie, all from Arkansas, onboard, we headed out to fish. Both eleven, Olivia and Kenzie, proved to be excellent anglers, landing halibut with practiced ease. On a beautiful day of salmon fishing on a small stream, this group caught fifteen salmon and nine Dolly Varden. They sat on a riverbank and watched several bears chase salmon, including two that fished in front of them.
On August 16th, we greeted Andy Erickson from Florida. Andy is one of our favorite people,
and he was joined by his daughter’s significant other, Kerry Klapperich, from Virginia. We also welcomed Margaret Fairman from Australia, and I was excited to reconnect with a high school friend of mine, Mark Wedel, and his wife, Carolyn, from Kansas. This was a wonderful group. The separate parties didn’t know each other before they arrived at Munsey’s Bear Camp, but 
they left as friends, even sending us a selfie of the entire group at the Anchorage airport before they boarded their flights home. They spent two afternoons watching bears fish for salmon. One caught a fish right in front of them and then brought it in even closer to eat it. They also watched two bears race down the river 30 ft. in front of them chasing salmon. On a beautiful, calm day, this group had the thrill of watching orcas. When we anchored the boat to fish, the orcas came to us, cutting through the water next to our boat while the cameras clicked.
The guys from California (although they aren’t all from California anymore) arrived on
August 26th. We look forward to this group every summer, even if all they want to do is fish. They have become good friends, and we stay in touch throughout the year. This year, the group included Dan Robertson from Nevada, Mike Saner, Howard Hancock, and Ray Hancock from California, and Bruce Sexton from Washington. Ray is Howard’s son, and this was the first year he joined the group. Unfortunately, the silver salmon return was abysmal this year, and Bruce and Howard caught our only two “ocean” silvers of the year. However, the guys made up for the lack of salmon by catching halibut. On a windy, rainy day, they caught their limit (two halibut per person), and on another day, they were only two shy of the limit.
On September 5th, we were delighted to welcome Tony and Karin Ross, who were back for another twelve-day stay. Tony and Sally Harden from England and Wolfgang Mueller from Germany joined the Rosses. Wolfgang last visited Munsey’s Bear Camp twenty years ago, and it was great to see him again. This group shared a passion for watching and photographing wildlife. No matter how windy or rainy, they all remained outside on the deck of the boat with their cameras and binoculars at the ready. They spent four days watching
and photographing bears. On their first hike upriver to bear view, a bear sleeping in the tall grass snorted at them when they were only twenty feet away. Then, a large bear stood up in the woods and inspected them when they tried to walk past his napping spot. He quickly lost interest in the humans and returned to his nap, forcing them to find an alternate route to the riverbank. They then sat and watched five bears fish in front of them. On a hike up a small stream, this group saw thirteen bears, including a large male and a sow and cub that stood on their hind legs to get a better view of the humans.
On September 10th, Hugh and Judy Wiley from Connecticut joined Tony and Karin. This was another great group of hikers. Their first day was windy and rainy, but the skies cleared, and they spent the next two days bear-viewing. A female bear fished in front of them and seemed to have a particular spot where she’d submerge her head and then lift a dead, rotten salmon and eat it. It must have been a tasty treat because she repeated the act several times. On their second day of bear viewing, this group
saw twenty bears, including a large male and two mothers, each with one newborn cub. On a day of halibut fishing, Karin caught a 46-lb halibut, the largest of the year in the Munsey’s Bear Camp Halibut Club!
Hugh and Judy departed on July 15th, and Tony and Karin spent two more days with us as we ended our 2024 summer season. Tony caught two thirty-pound halibut to add to their fish box, and the Rosses enjoyed a beautiful last day in Uyak Bay.
We were honored to host so many returning guests and friends this summer. Memories flooded us as we reminisced about past visits and shared exploits with each returnee. People come to Munsey’s Bear Camp to experience a unique adventure, and after talking to our guests this summer, I think we successfully provided that adventure.
Thank you, Amy, for your help in July. You did a fantastic job organizing our t-shirts and sweatshirts! A huge thank you to Mary for taking on double duty when Amy got sick. We hope you will return next year.
From “cousin week” in July to waving goodbye to Tony and Karin in September, the summer may have flown by too quickly, but the memories remain!
I invite everyone to check out my books (including Kodiak Island Wildlife) and podcast at https://robinbarefield.com.
–Robin
–Robin