by Joey Abreu, of Northland College
photos by Adam Spencer, Round River Instructor
Brown fur glistening,
Grizzly wades through the water.
Poised, intelligent
“Bear Claws,” the bank opposite our campsite above the Nakina River.
I woke up this morning to the sound of the river flowing, and the cool damp feeling of morning dew that settled on myself and all that was around me. Crawling out of my tent, I stood up and looked off the bluff to take in the beauty of the Nakina River. I secured my warm layers to my body and went to fill our cooking pots with water for our breakfast of instant coffee and oatmeal, reflecting on how lucky I felt to be able to experience this wonderful and wild place. As I trotted down the trail from our camp to the river bank, I let out a periodic whistle, announcing my presence to any bears so that I would not startle them; not only to avoid the unfortunate circumstance of being mauled, but to give them respectful warning as a guest moving through their home.
Nakina River
When we arrived at camp the day before we could hear a bear within the brush huffing and pounding on the ground in discomfort. Our instructor, Doug, a veteran walker of this ancient Tlingit trail, spoke in a soft but distinguishable tone, addressing the mystery bear and doing his best to communicate our peaceful intentions of moving through the bears’ home. We were able to pass, without seeing the bear, and established our camp overlooking the Nakina. Later that evening some of the group saw the bear, and learned she was a sow with two young of the year cubs. We knew we would have to be extra carful and respectful, so that the mother would not feel threatened or uncomfortable with our presence near her or her children.
Before spending any time here in the Taku, or the Atlin area, when I thought of Grizzly bears images from movies like “Legends of the Fall,” “Jeremiah Johnson,” or “The Revenant” came to mind. I also thought of stories of people being torn apart and eviscerated by these “savage beasts” that still wander the few wild remote places on our planet. Although this side of grizzly bears can be a reality, it is the smallest scope of them as creatures on our planet. After spending time with the local people around Atlin, and reading literature of Doug Peacock, a Round River founder who found therapy in spending time around grizzly bears, I discovered how wrong I was about these dynamic and powerful beings.
During our three days camped on the bluff overlooking the towering, rocky shore of the Nakina River, eight bears gifted us with their presence. First, we saw the sow with her two cubs. The next bear we saw had an indescribable impact on me. I was struggling. I began the day in high sprits, feeling thankful to be at this powerful place, but I had a raincloud of negativity develop over me, progressively getting worse throughout the day. These feelings felt completely out of my control and I did not know what to do to feel better. I don’t now if it was coincidence, or the Taku recognizing the charcoal smeared on my face, aiding me in my struggle. Whatever the reason, my perception of myself and my feelings changed that night when a grizzly decided to wander up the riverbank. We watched it causally meander through the water, seemingly unaware of our presence or its blessing to me.
Bear walks up the river
I had my binoculars locked on, and while my eyes were attached to the lenses all other worries, doubts, fears, and anxieties disappeared. The only thing on my mind was, “I’m actually watching a grizzly bear!” It took a second before my self-awareness returned and I realized I had a giant grin on my face. The mere presence of this bear gave me the ability to clear my mind and combat my negative feelings. It was like the bear was telling me that everything was okay and allowed me focus my mind on the positives of being in this magnificent place. We watched the bear for three or four minutes, until it turned from the bank and disappeared into the dense brush on the opposite shoreline.
Bear takes a look downstream before darting up into the forest
After the bear climbed out of view, a cacophony of excited voices broke our group’s enchantment. We ecstatically processed what had just happened, and the excitement gave me conviction to share with everyone what I had been going through. Before the bear, I had not communicated how I was feeling to the rest of the group in a mixed sense of pride, stubbornness and other negative emotions. After seeing the bear I felt a change and decided to tell the group.
The act of sharing my struggle and receiving support, with the vigor that was given to me from the bear truly shaped the rest of the trip for me. I still had struggles through the next few days, as anyone does, but I felt safe and able to manage them. I feel as though that bear came to my aid when I truly needed it and I will never forget them of that moment. The other sightings we had brought similar positive emotions throughout the group, really highlighting the power these beautiful and strong beings carry.
I thank the bear and the Taku River Tlingit for helping me the way they did, and want to be a vessel to advocate and educate to others about their true nature, unlike what film depicted them as for me and many other. Not as savage beasts, but as poised, intelligent beings and neighbors of our planet.