Friends in High Places 12.5.09

Skied up Deer Mountain for an overnight stay and some skiing.  After dropping most of my gear off at the cabin I headed up the mountain.  On my way up a friend spotted me and hollered to get my attention.  He explained that he had been up on the top a little earlier and as he was coming down he walked right next to a bear without knowing it.  He said it was laying down near the trail.  I thanked him for the information and not being concerned, I continued up the mountain.  I made it a point to skirt around the area he said the bear was located and made it to the top without seeing anything.  Well, anything except tracks.  There were bear tracks all over the place.  I was already leaning toward sleeping in the cabin but it was at this point that I made up my mind. 

After a nice run down the mountain I skied back to the cabin and grabbed my photography gear and headed back toward the top.  This photo looks over the Pennock Island, Gravina Island, and on the right, Ketchikan.

The ridge north of Deer Mountain, which includes Roy Jones Mountain and beyond that Northbird Peak, both bathed in the last rays of sunlight.

My plan was to photograph the sunset and then set up my camera and wait for it to get dark so I could set up for some night photography.  Naturally I got curious while I was waiting and started to think about that bear.  So I decided to go check him out.  So without my skis I walked along my trail to get closer to the place where the bear was supposed to be.  After about 40 steps in that direction I suddenly noticed movement.  It was the bear!  I froze and watched him, I was in a good spot behind a tree and he hadn't heard me even though he was only about 20 yards away.  He was actually standing right on my trail and it looked like he was trying to get comfortable so he could go to sleep.  I slowly reached my camera out from behind the tree and snapped a couple photos.  Nothing worth posting here.  I decided to let him mill about and get back to where I was.

About an hour later, after a conversation with Christina (Quent didn't notify me (Christina) about the bear...which was a good thing!), some more photos, and getting the camera ready for a night on the mountain, I was ready to ski back.  I thought about skiing down from where I was but decided against it because after skiing down I would need to climb back up and traverse about a half mile just to return to the cabin.   What is the use of a ski in cabin-if you don't effortlessly ski up to it? 

So I slowly skied back towards the cabin along my trail.  (Mind you it is at night with no moon in the sky - yet.)  After a few short strides I spotted the bear curled up in the middle of MY trail.  There was about 15 feet between him and the approximately 50 degree face of the mountain but that was my only route... okay my only easy route, and I didn't feel like fighting my way through the brush.  As I skied by him I stopped and then shone my headlamp at him.  He didn't move at all, and seemed sound asleep.  I watched him there and had visions of riding bear back and other activities but in the end remembered the saying, "let sleeping dogs lie."  I decided that it probably applied to bears as well. 

After a nice run down the mountain I got cozy in the cabin.  I was reading at about 10pm when a couple friends, Jacob and Eric arrived for the night.  We chatted for a while and Eric (or was it Jacob?) explained that not all bears in southern SE Alaska go into a complete hibernation.  They actually go into a similar state of dormancy, the difference being that their body temperature doesn't get cold enough to slip into the scientific definition of hibernation.  This gives them the ability to slowly wake up at different times during the winter if they choose.  Pretty interesting.   

Got up early the following morning and after passing the sleeping bear, snapped this photo of Ketchikan. 

A little while later the sunrise began to fill the sky behind the village of Metlakatla on Annette Island.  (I really like this photo)  Speaking of photos, I never did process the startrail photo that I captured over Ketchikan. 

I actually have a slightly different plan for that set of photos, as soon as I figure out Adobe Flash a little more, I want to create a time lapse video...  too bad I was shooting in portrait orientation. 

There's Jacob (or is it Eric?) on top of a knob. 

Skis ready to descent.  I was anxious to spend some quality time on the planks so I packed up the camera and made a run even while the light was outstanding. 

But first I wanted to get a few more photos (and video clips) of the bear.  He wasn't cooperating very much and I didn't want to get too far away from the safety of the steep slopes.  Naturally he was intent on a morning bath and wasn't about to pose.  I did grab a few classic bear profiles on video and I'll have to get those up eventually. 

Jacab watching the sunrise.  (He's on the top of the mountain)

I dropped my photography equipment off at the cabin and went skiing for the rest of the day.  I ended up getting to know the bear quite well as I met up with him each of my six runs on Deer Mountain.  He had a little white patch on his chest and I figured out that he was a male.