“We’re going on a bear hunt. We’re going to catch a big one. What a beautiful day. We’re not scared.” – We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, by Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbury
I have read that story so often to my children that it was a bit of a mantra in my head as we donned chest waders with hiking boots to track brown bears in Katmai National Park in Alaska. I certainly wasn’t scared, and the beauty of our days was beyond compare for me.
A mother and playful cubs in Katmai National Park. © Brad Josephs/NHA
The time away from my family was the only downside to the wonderful opportunity to travel with WWF members and experience a slice of life of the wild I spent my working days to protect. In my travel to visit with supporters of WWF across the Midwest, Rockies and South, I often was gone two nights at most, and on this trip I was spending seven nights away from my husband, five-year-old and three-year-old. For the majority of that time, we were without Internet or phone connection, so I couldn’t even check in and hear the peaks and pits, highs and lows as we call them in our family, of my kids’ days.
While I certainly was awed by the pod of fin whales we saw by diving towards their dark shapes in our seaplane and dazzled by the intensity of the brown bears in their end-of-season salmon hunting, I was pleasantly surprised and comforted by the camaraderie of my fellow travelers, guides and boat crew.
© WWF-US/Kate Greenberg
Beyond the expertise and attention to safety that one would expect from a NatHab trip, our guides, Annie and Drew, plus the boat crew, Bill and Warren, shared stories of their lives, from the mundane to intimate, that forged a meaningful sense of connection among the entire group. This allowed my fellow travelers and me to dig into the amazing experience we were sharing and marvel with each other through photography, inside jokes and beers over dinner about the incredible opportunity we had to experience a pristine and seemingly untouched park of Alaska.
So even though I missed my own family very much, our group became a funny little family forged at the edge of the earth as we witnessed incredible wildlife and landscapes.
A fond farewell with our group. © WWF-US/Kate Greenberg
Kate Greenberg currently serves as a Development Officer for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and is based in Chicago. Kate has more than 10 years of experience in development, predominantly working with individuals and family foundations. She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras.
MUCHAS GRACIAS POR TODOS LOS ESFUERZOS REUNIDOS PARA PROTEGER LA VIDA DE ESTA GRAN ESPECIE, LOS OSOS, ASÍ COMO TODOS LOS ANIMALES ESTÁN EN EL PLANETA PARA VIVIR EN LIBERTAD Y EN BIENESTAR; NO SON TROFEOS DE NADIE, NO SON PRESAS DEL SER HUMANO, NO SON ESCLAVOS NI MERECEN UNA VIDA DE MISERIA O EN CAUTIVERIO. POR FAVOR ES TIEMPO DE FORMAR LA SENSIBILIDAD QUE NOS DÉ LA OPORTUNIDAD DE FORMAR PARA NUESTRA DESCENDENCIA UN MUNDO COMO EL QUE MERECEN. LA VIDA DE LOS ANIMALES EN EL PLANETA ES PARA DISFRUTARLA, DEFENDERLA, PROTEGERLA Y RESPETARLA.
magnifique photos protéger les biens il en reste très peu
This brings back such special memories for me. There were 7 of us who roamed the
woods for 2 months each summer, barefoot and often returning to t h e cabin with our clothing raggedy. We didn’t care…such a natural high…We roamed those woods on
the road up to the Applegate freely with
many different animals. We never learned
fear, but were taught the correct way to
share those woods. Brown bears, even a
few grizzlies back then, deer every where, cougar, skunks of course, and more rainbow trout in the creek directly in front of our cabin
than any one could catch and eat. Imagine sitting on your front porch to cast your fishing line. The woods were still wilderness. We
were the last generation able to experience
true wilderness there before mankind De-
troyed it. Being able to see that has been
preserved in Alaska brings hope to my heart that the coming generations will have the
opportunity to experience it as well. Thank
you for bringing back to me these phenomenal memories.
This brings back such special memories for me. There were 7 of us who roamed the
woods for 2 months each summer, barefoot and often returning to t h e cabin with our clothing raggedy. We didn’t care…such a natural high…We roamed those woods on
the road up to the Applegate freely with
many different animals. We never learned
fear, but we’re taught the correct way to
share those woods. Brown bears, even a
few grizzlies back then, deer every where, cougar, skunks of course, and more rainbow trout in creek directly in front of our cabin
than any one could catch and eat. Imagine sitting on your front porch to cast your fishing line. The woods were still wilderness. We
were the last generation able to experience
true wilderness there before mankind De-
troyed it. Being able to see that has been
preserved in Alaska brings hope to my heart that the coming generations will have the
opportunity to experience it as well. Thank
you for bringing back to me these phenomenal memories.
back then,
Wonderful group of WWF people! Great pictures of mountains and parks !