Wild Kingdom at Pack Creek



Spirit Quest along Seymour Canal

We departed Short Finger Bay anchorage in rain and low cloud cover but decided that the bears at Pack Creek probably wouldn’t be deterred by the weather.  Salmon (Chums and Pinks) would be making their way upstream to spawn and we were hopeful that bears would be there actively feeding.  As we continued north along Seymour Canal peering through the fog, we made out the familiar outline of a boat heading towards us, it was none other than our friends on Spirit Quest who accompanied us in Haida Gwaii and later joined us again in Ketchikan and Thorne Bay.   We contacted each other by radio and mutually shared where we had been and what we had seen.  It was nice chatting with them again.  

The Dinghy Clothes Line at Pack Creek

After a short two-hour motoring we were at Pack Creek on Admiralty Island and proceeded to set the anchor just off shore.  Pack Creek is a Brown Bear Wildlife Sanctuary with two designated view points for visitors – one located along the shore where Pack Creek empties into Seymour Canal, and the other located at the end of a mile-long trail where an observation tower overlooks the creek.  The bears have learned that humans congregate in these two areas and traverse the trail, thus becoming what is called “habituated” – understanding the area of human movement and that humans are not a threat.  

Tourists waiting for Bear Sightings

Stan Price, an early homesteader at Pack Creek (mid-1950’s) played a large role in habituating the bears.  He and his wife raised several orphaned cubs which later raised cubs of their own.  Price maintained his residence until his death in 1989, only remnants of their garden at the shore viewing area remain today.  In 1990, the Alaska State Legislature designated the Stan Price Wildlife Sanctuary to include the tidal area at Pack Creek, co-managed by the Forest Service and Fish & Game.  After setting the hook, we contacted Pack Creek for permission to come ashore but we were told to standby as a bear was roaming along the beach.  

Brown Bear Sow (29yrs old)

We were contacted a few minutes later and given the all-clear, and also reminded to bring our permit which we had printed off from our online payment and registration.  We took the dinghy ashore and tied-up to the “clothes line” provided for visitors.  After stepping ashore and securing the dinghy to the clothes line, we helped our host pull the line toward sea, allowing the dinghy to float safely above the sea bottom throughout the large tidal change.  

The Old Sow catching a Fish

After a short orientation and receipt of an informative booklet about bears, we were directed to walk along the shoreline out to the designated viewing point.  

The Old Gal walking past the tourists and along Pack Creek

Others who had flown in by seaplane had gathered here earlier and were patiently waiting for a bear to appear.  After some time, we were beginning to wonder if the tourists from Florida and California with their designer clothing and telephoto cameras were going to be our only source of wild and amusing encounters.  Finally an old sow came walking along the beach and headed up Pack Creek near the view point.  Bears can live to be 30 years old and this old gal was already 29.  

Mile Long Trail to the Observation Tower

We watched in silence as she lumbered past, paying us no mind while cameras rapidly clicked away like the chatter of birds.  Afternoon was quickly approaching so we walked back to our dinghy for a lunch break aboard Got d’ Fever and planned to go ashore later to hike the one-mile trail to the observation tower.  

Observation Tower overlooking Pack Creek (a salmon head on the boardwalk)

The tide would be coming in, pushing the fish up stream for the bears to more readily harvest their dinner.  We received permission to hike the trail built by the CCC’s (Civilian Conservation Corps) back in 1935 when the Forest Service first selected Pack Creek as a Brown Bear viewing area.  The trail is well maintained and apparently the bears like it as well since we saw numerous piles of scat, some very fresh.  

Brown Bear walking up Pack Creek towards the Tower

We were told that if we saw a bear on the trail to simply stop, hold still, and let him or her take a course around us off the trail.  We safely reached the tower overlooking the Creek and climbed the steep stairs where we found a sign-in guest book; we were the only people there and had the place to ourselves.  The swiftly moving stream was active with spawning fish but no bears in sight.  

Brown Bear finds his Dinner

Before long however a bear appeared walking up the Creek looking for his meal.  Splashing about and running through the stream, he snatched up a fish and began his feast.  Soon another bear appeared, and then another, passing directly below the tower.  We were witnessing the real thing, nature at its best – a bear on the hunt for fish, ripping its catch asunder to fill his belly while spawning fish fought to survive long enough to lay and fertilize their eggs.  

Feasting on Salmon

Eagles and Gulls picked up the scraps while smaller birds picked up salmon eggs that had risen to the surface of the stream.  Evening was approaching and it was time for us to hike the trail back to shore.  We had our whistles and bear spray at hand just in case.  As we rounded a corner, we met the summer resident artist hiking up the trail, he told us he had just met a bear on the trail that finally moved away proceeding down the hill.  

A Ferocious Appetite

Oh darn, he had scared the bear off but maybe it’s just as well since the guy seemed a little shaken from the encounter.  We kept moving and reached the shore-end of the trail where we noted that a large “trail entrance sign” had become a scratching post for the bears who apparently love the taste and smell of cedar.  We were told that the sign was quickly shredded shortly after it was installed, better the post than the humans!  

Is that a bear on the trail?

After reaching the shoreline, we looked around and realized that we were the only visitors remaining.  Before the salmon arrive to spawn, bears feast on young plants in the spring such as skunk cabbage roots, sedges (grass-like plants) found along the beach, and then devils club in early summer.  During low tides, the mud flats provide access to clams and mussels easily dug up with their long claws.  The mountain slopes provide an abundance of berries also found in early summer including salmonberries, crowberry, cranberry, huckleberry, and blueberry.  Between July and August, bears often alternate between fish and vegetation increasing their weight 25 percent.  

The Bears' Scratching Post

Once satisfied and fattened up, the bears find their dens for the winter to restart the cycle all over again.  We gained a better understanding of the bears’ world and thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Pack Creek, a wild and beautiful place.