Denali Park, Alaska

Bear Country

August 11, 1992

In the open mountainous country, we caught sight of a grizzly bear some distance away on the bare hillside.

At this point along the road, we could catch a glimpse of the mighty peak of Denali, gleaming in the sun over the green hills.

The tundra was lush green, and it was prime time for grazing before the onset of winter. We saw this mother bear and two cubs down below us near the gravel bar.

A bit further on we saw this big male out in a blueberry patch. We understand that they really love blueberries and will sometimes just dig up the entire plant and eat it. It is an important part of fattening for the winter hibernation. It makes you cautious when you are out picking blueberries. All the people of the area to whom we talked had great respect for the grizzlies and took great precautions not to surprise one in the blueberry patch.