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 20th 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 25th, 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 10th, 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 10th, 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 21st, 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 5th, 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.
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On September 10th, 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