When making our reservations for Brooks Lodge back in January 2024, I also booked us on the day-long bus tour out to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes to ensure that we had spots. Good thing I didn't wait until we got here because the tour was full, and there were several people at the check-in spot this morning hoping to take the place of any no-shows.
Here are a few foggy bear pics that I took while we were waiting for the tour to start at 9:00AM...
Now that's a fat bear!
Loch Ness Monster
The bus was being repaired, so they had to switch to using two passenger vans instead. We ended up in the lead van with the ranger riding shotgun. One of his tasks during the 23-mile drive out to the Robert F. Griggs Visitor Center was to tally the number of grouse and rabbits we encountered as a surrogate measure for the predator population in the park. All of us passengers enthusiastically kept an eye out and helped him count - made the ride on the dirt road go by a little faster. We even spotted a lynx!
Can you see it in the trees? 📸: J
About 10:30AM, we stopped briefly and hopped out of the vans for a scenic view of the valley...
When we arrived at the visitor center around 11:00AM, we had panoramic views of the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and the volcanoes surrounding it from the deck outside.
Mount Ikagluik
Mount Juhle, Mount Griggs, and Knife Creek on the left side of the photo, Mount Katmai Caldera is the lower snow-covered area right of center, River Lethe and Buttress Range on the right
Buttress Range and snow-covered Mount Mageik
Katmai was established as a national monument in 1918 by President Woodrow Wilson following the cataclysmic volcanic eruption of Novarupta in June 1912. Primarily intended to preserve the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and surrounding landscape for further study, the boundaries have been expanded over the years to also protect its famed resident brown bears. In 1980, Katmai was redesignated as a national park and preserve.
After a quick lunch of sandwiches provided by the lodge concessionaire, we had time to look through the very interesting displays inside.
Robert F. Griggs led multiple National Geographic Society expeditions to the eruption site. In 1916, they reached the Katmai Valley where they witnessed thousands of fumaroles spewing steam from the barren valley floor, giving it the name "Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes". Unlike the geysers found in Yellowstone which are the result of water being heated by magma reservoirs below the surface, the fumaroles here were heated by the ashflow from the eruption itself. Although it remained hot enough to power the fumaroles for 20 more years, eventually all but a few petered out.
The eruption of Novarupta was more than 10 times stronger than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens
When Novarupta erupted, the summit of Mt. Katmai (outlined) collapsed because its magma chamber also emptied, with a lake eventually forming in its caldera
Around 11:45AM, we joined the ranger for the optional hike down to the valley floor via the Ukak Falls Trail (1.5 miles one way, 1000 ft elevation change).
We reached the falls 45 minutes later, although M wasn't with us. He wasn't feeling well, so about midway he turned around and hiked back to the visitor center by himself.
The rust-colored spots in the ash mark the areas where the fumaroles were venting
Ukak Falls
Look at how deep the volcanic ash is!
River Lethe
We started the climb back up around 1:00PM. At the junction with the Confluence Trail, R and J went with the ranger and the rest of the group for a closer look at the tributaries. But since I was by far the slowest hiker and running low on water, I gave my camera to J and just continued on the trail back to the visitor center accompanied by one of the van drivers.
Mt. Griggs and Mt. Katmai Caldera, with the confluence of Knife Creek (straight ahead) and River Lethe (from behind the bluff on the right)
Confluence of River Lethe (left) and Windy Creek (between the shrubs)
And then there were two...
Mt. Mageik
Meanwhile, I managed to trudge my way back to the visitor center by 2:15PM.
Mt. Katmai Caldera (center)
The peaks were a little more distinguishable with the afternoon sun behind me
Mt. Griggs, Mt. Katmai Caldera, Buttress Range
Mt. Katmai Caldera, Buttress Range, and Mt. Mageik
We started the drive back to Brooks Camp around 3:00PM. About an hour later, we stopped for a short hike out to view the Iliuk Arm of Naknek Lake, and we arrived at the South Platform by 4:30PM.
Mount La Gorce (left) and Mount Katolinat (right)
Pic of the Beach Bear taken just before dinner
After dinner, we went back out looking for bears. One of the advantages of staying inside the park is the ability to see them in the early morning and late evening when fewer people are around.
No comments:
Post a Comment