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Leader: Weldon Lee Price: $4195 Deposit: $300 Limit: 6 Days: 7 days/6 nights From: Anchorage, AK Includes: airfare (Anchorage - Lake Clark Nat'l Park), boat charters, lodging, guide, complete meals, park fees, 5 full days of shooting
Brown bears! Bald eagles! Puffins!
On the western shores of Alaska's Cook Inlet, lies a 60-mile stretch of coastline forming the eastern boundary of Lake Clark National Park. Here, situated near the base of 10,000-foot Mount Iliamna and accessible only by boat or aircraft, lies Silver Salmon Creek Lodge, the base camp for this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
Alaska brown bears, the world's largest, gorge on salmon at water's edge. Bald eagles stand lookout in spruce trees lining Shelter Creek. Trumpeter swans nest and raise their offspring in Silver Salmon Lake located immediately behind the lodge. North America's largest kittiwake colony calls nearby Chisik Island home while both horned and tufted puffins inhabit Duck and Gull Islands.
It's here that the mountains of the Alaska and the Aleutian Ranges join together. Untamed rivers cascade dramatically to the sea through forests of Sitka and white spruce. Coastal cliffs hold fossil remnants of 150 years of sea life. The spectacular scenery is unrivaled.
Small group size allows in-depth instruction along with a high degree of personalized attention for beginners and professionals alike. A special program is planned for each and every day.
Join us on Alaska's Most Unique Photographic Adventure!
Itinerary
Day 1 (Sunday) - A DeHaviland Beaver float plane will transport you from Anchorage to Silver Salmon Creek Lodge. touching down on a beautiful lily-covered lake located behind the lodge. A Honda ATV will transport your luggage to the lodge while you make the short trek by foot. The ATVs will be your means of transportation during your stay at the lodge. An early arrival combined with long days (over 19 hours of daylight) will allow plenty of time for photographing bears during the afternoon.
Day 2 (Monday) - Today, you'll photograph brown bears near the lodge. It was in this area that a sow and her yearling triplets treated our group to some of the best bear photography found in Alaska. We may even run into Cowboy -- a big boar that hangs out in the area. I call him Cowboy because of the way he struts and walks bow-legged.
Day 3, 4 (Tuesday, Wednesday) - Our charter boat will transport you to a secluded and remote tent camp situated along Shelter Creek in the shadow of Iliamna Volcano. Breathtaking scenery provides the backdrop as you photograph Alaska's wildlife from a new and different vantage point. Sows take advantage of migrating salmon at low tide while their cubs play nearby. Gulls and plovers feed and carouse on sandy beaches. Bald eagles will be your constant companions. Don't forget your fishing pole. Salmon and dolly varden will provide plenty of action. Comfortable wall tents and a complete assortment of high-quality camping gear is provided. You need only bring clothing and personal gear.
Day 5 (Thursday) - Sometime after breakfast, our charter boat will return everyone to the lodge where hot showers await you. After lunch, it's back into the field as you continue photographing the resident bear population for the remainder of the day.
Day 6 (Friday) - This morning it's off to Duck Island, a location that can only be described as true bird photography paradises. Little more than a rock outcrop, the island is home to many species of birdlife including common murres, parakeet auklets, common eiders, and one of Alaska's most colorful residents -- the horned puffin. Once you've completed your task at these marvelous islands, it's back to the lodge where you'll spend the remainder of the day photographing brown bear in settings which many people can enjoy only in their dreams. Who knows, maybe you'll even have the opportunity to photograph -- as some have in the past -- one of the area's inquisitive black bear.
Day 7 (Saturday) - All good things must come to an end, but not until you've spent a good part of the morning capturing those images you missed earlier in the week. Following our last meal together at the lodge, our chartered bush plane will pick you up and whisk you away to that place called civilization.
This itinerary is meant as a guide. Weather conditions and tides will dictate when and if we visit certain locations.
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Date: July 27-August 2, 2008
