Eagles and deer and bears, oh my!

We arrived bright and early to Icy Strait Point, a port nearby to the town of Hoonah. Icy Strait Point is owned and run by Alaskan native people. They have a small museum that teaches about the salmon industry as well as restaurants and of course gift shops. There is also a gondola ride and zip line for this brave enough.

We broke into 3 groups today. The guys went fishing, Vigdis went kayaking and Jane and I went on a bear viewing adventure. Everyone seemed to have good time. The guys caught 1 fish….. and not a very big one 😂.

Vigdis saw a bear from the water and Jane and I spotted Vigdis kayaking! See pic below.

Jane and I had great luck today as far as wildlife, 2 bears , one very close , many eagles and a couple of Sitka Black tailed deer. The first bear was swimming in the river below the bridge we were on. He was very large and maybe 6-7 years old according to our guide. he was close enough for us to actually hear him crunching on the salmon he was pulling from the river. The second bear was a little further out and was about 3. The guide explained that his mother was shot when he was still with her last year but he managed to survive and looked to be healthy. Bear cubs are born while the mama bear is hibernating and then stay with her for 2 years. The mother bears have to protect the cubs from the males as the male bears will kill the cubs and eat them to induce the mother to go back into heat. At least this is how our guide explained things to us.