July 22-23, 2025
For two years I searched for bears in Southeast Alaska, but the only ones I’d managed to see were carved from wood or painted on signs—symbolic tributes to a wilderness that had remained just out of reach. To celebrate our anniversary, Rick gave me the incredible gift of a trip to Pack Creek.
Tucked along the remote coastline of Admiralty Island, Pack Creek—formally known as the Stan Price Wildlife Sanctuary—is a haven where Alaska’s wild heart pulses in its purest form. Accessible only by boat or floatplane, this bear-viewing sanctuary is set within a landscape the Tlingit call Kootznoowoo, meaning “Fortress of the Bears”—and for good reason. With a remarkable density of brown bears drawn to the creek’s salmon-rich waters each summer, the area offers intimate glimpses of sows and cubs meandering through tall grasses, bears digging for clams, and the silent choreography of their fishing rituals. Visitors may observe from the shoreline at the Viewing Spit or climb the forested trail to an Observation Tower, each vantage point revealing its own rhythm of life—always shaped by the bears themselves.
Tuesday
We hiked the park trail to the Observation Tower and visited the spit. From both vantage points, we watched the bears eating salmonberries, fishing for salmon, and wandering along the creek’s edge. One bear emerged from the brush so close we could hear the sound of its steps. Another splashed through the shallows with effortless grace, its eyes fixed forward in quiet concentration.
Yet bears were just the beginning. As we made our way to the park by dinghy, a humpback whale surfaced startlingly close—its massive tail rising in a graceful arc just fifty feet away, rivaling the length of our boat. Throughout the day, bald eagles soared overhead and called out from the treetops, their presence constant and commanding. At the Observation Tower, we witnessed one eagle snatch a duckling from a merganser as salmon struggled upstream below—a stark glimpse into the layered drama of life here. Later, Sitka black-tailed deer crept from the brush, harbor seals bobbed in the inlet’s quiet eddies, and a variety of birds stitched color and sound into the sanctuary’s rich tapestry.
Pack Creek remains untouched by roads or modern structures. Its wildness is preserved by permit-only access and strict seasonal limits, ensuring space for stillness, reflection, and reverence. It’s not just a place to visit—it’s a place to enter gently, to listen deeply, and to become part of something timeless.
Getting Ready for the Day
Hiking in the Park
The ever-changing Evening Sky
Wednesday
After weighing anchor Wednesday morning, we cruised along the coastline, hoping to spot more bears—and perhaps another whale slipping silently through the water. The bears did not disappoint. We watched several grizzlies foraging for clams, their powerful paws sweeping the shallows like practiced tools. Sitka black-tailed deer appeared at the forest’s edge, harbor seals bobbed in the inlet’s glassy folds, and jellyfish drifted below like slow-glowing lanterns.
Along the shore, birds gathered in a hush, the usual chatter replaced by a watchful stillness. Then, as if summoned by the silence, a bald eagle descended among them—startling and majestic. The birds parted gently as it landed, the moment briefly suspended in quiet awe.
The entire day unfolded like a gift—wild, intimate, and unforgettable. What a spectacular way to mark our anniversary.
Coastline Drifting and Clam-Digging Bears
