Fish Creek and Rainbow Mountain Colors
    Fish Creek and Rainbow Mountain Colors

    I missed seeing a Grizzly in the Canadian Rockies, and only got to meet him long dead.

    Karen Meets a Grizzly
    Karen Meets a Grizzly
    Still Meeting with the Dead
    Still Meeting with the Dead

    Hwy 37A to Stewart and Hyder

    We decided to take a short detour down highway 37A, when we learned that Grizzly frequented the Fish River to catch spawning Salmon coming up from the Pacific Ocean, adjacent to Misty Fjords National Monument. We arrived too early! Only 8 salmon had made the journey up to FIsh Creek thus far, and several days earlier, 3 grizzly came through, snatched the 8 salmon and retreated to wait for the coming deluge of fish.

    Fish Creek Where the Salmon Run
    Fish Creek Where the Salmon Run
    Waiting Impatiently for the Grizzly
    Waiting Impatiently for the Grizzly

    BIG GLACIERS!

    We met three German tourists who had spent several hours each day for three days to glimpse the Grizzly, without luck. We did not have that much stamina and waited only an hour before we headed up the rest of 37A to glimpse a glacier instead. Bear GlacierA mass of ice that persists for many years and notably deforms and flows under the influence of gravity. and Salmon GlacierA mass of ice that persists for many years and notably deforms and flows under the influence of gravity. did not disappoint. Salmon GlacierA mass of ice that persists for many years and notably deforms and flows under the influence of gravity., even in it retreat is massive and truly makes the spectator feel like they have come to the end of the world. Salmon GlacierA mass of ice that persists for many years and notably deforms and flows under the influence of gravity. is the 5th largest GlacierA mass of ice that persists for many years and notably deforms and flows under the influence of gravity. in the world!

    Bear Glacier
    Bear Glacier
    Salmon Glacier
    Salmon Glacier

    Flower of the Day Dwarf Firefeed

    Dwarf FIreweed
    Dwarf FIreweed

    Comments

    Raye Myers

    Oh no, that's too bad! Grizzly bears would be very cool to witness in person. When do the salmon usually come to Fish Creek and has their journey time been adversely affected over the past years?

    Tom Harten

    Hi KarenSounds like you're having a great experience! I find this post interesting as I'm working on a new middle school science unit and we are looking at trophic levels and the cycling of energy and matter between ecosystems. The example of bears waiting for ocean run salmon is a great example of this concept for our students to gain an understanding of this concept!

    Vilheim (Willi…

    How did the bear die? Its cool you could get so close to it though.

    Karen Temple-Beamish

    yes and I learned from a biologist friend of mine who works on the west coast that bears and eagles deposit their feces far inland.  So the nutrients/energy from the salmon end up fertilizing soils/forests far from the point of origin ( the ocean).

    Karen Temple-Beamish

    good question - I am not sure how the salmon run has changed over time.  I think we were just a week early for the run at Fish Creek.

    Nancy Madigan

    Karen Temple-Beamish has passion and compassion for our earth; I am interested in learning all she has to share.

    Karen Temple-Beamish

    Thanks so much for the high praise Nancy!  And thanks for reading.  Knowing that my friends are present with me on this adventure means alot to me!