Alaska is full of adventures around every corner. Whether it be a grizzly bear encounter, hiking to glaciers, or just enjoying Gods creation. Alaska is has all these things that you can take in and is truly the "Last Frontier". Everything about it I loved. It made me seem to be in an unreal place that was out of our own world and into a domain so strange and wild that it gave me goosebumps every time we came upon something new (Which was pretty often). Driving to Hyder Alaska was amazing because for miles we drove through clouds that covered up mountain sides around us and when they would part we could see that we were actually in a fjord like valley, with waterfalls every 50 feet or so flowing ever so gently over the side of a cliff. Then just as quick as the clouds parted they covered them up again. This gave me a mystical feeling almost like the video game "Myst" that I played when I was younger. You never really knew when you might come across a bear walking along side the highways trying to find something to eat or a moose going for an afternoon stroll. Once in Hyder, Alaska the roads turned to dirt (more like mud) and the town was no longer the type of town I'm used to seeing. It reminded me of what an old 1800s miners town would look like. Old buildings that were no longer in use along with some that still were, and most of them looked like they would fall down any minute. We traveled out of town towards the Fish Creek Wildlife Observation Site, where bears and other wildlife are seen regularly. This was the first time that I was able to get up close to the Alaskan Grizzly bear. What an amazing site it was. They came down to feed in the streams and clawed 30 lb. salmons in one effortless swipe in the water. This reminded me of how Amazing God is. He created this for all of us to see and enjoy. He made the bears thick furs so they can wade in ice cold water, he gave them huge claws so they can catch and eat salmon easily. He made them just how He wanted them. The bears didn't seem to mind us watching in awe from a platform above them. They just went on feasting on salmon for hours in the pouring rain... They were like giants wading in the river but still had a gentleness about them that gave them an appeal like non other. After a while the sow and cub (mother and kid) went into the woods farther down the stream. The smalls crowd of people watching went back to get under cover from the rain. I stayed and praised God for this amazing place and soaked (literally soaked) in all it had to offer. About ten minutes later I heard the trees behind me snapping and they were waving like a wind storm had just came in. The two bears had come behind me and were only about fifteen feet away from me. It was amazing being all by myself and enjoying these creatures as they played together right beside me. They would look up every now and again but for the most part paid no attention to me. I photographed them walking right beside me until the crowd came back and realized what they had missed. I guess I learned that it pays off to sit for a couple minutes and enjoy nature. Slow down! God has made all that is around you and you might just miss something that you could have seen if you weren't rushing all the time! That is all for now. More about Alaska to come!
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Seth Walker Photography
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