North America — Hallo Bay Bear Camp, Katmai National Park, Alaska

I just got back into Homer after 10 days out in remote Katmai National Park helping with taking down Hallo Bay Bear Camp. The camp has been out there for 21 years as an inholding in the national park. The lease is up and now the camp has to come down. I came up this summer to Alaska expressly to help and be part of this transition time as the company I've worked for 4 summers changes.

The work was hard and involved long days and heavy lifting. We took down the weatherport frames, demo'ed platforms and boardwalks, packed up copious amounts of tools collected over 21 years, hauled boats and tables to be staged for the barge, packed plane loads of gear to be sent back to town, and emptied a Clivus compostable toilet system full of waste. We were lucky with great weather, sunny and warm for a week and then ended with cloudy, rainy days. After some long days of work we went out exploring the surrounding areas: Clint's Creek, Nancy's Meadow, the island, and the crowberry patch. And, of course I saw some bears-even had a few close encounters. All in all I had a great time in Katmai. There is still more to do to take down the camp, but it will probably wait till Fall. It's sad to see this special place where I've experienced some magical moments come to an end and disappear. I'm grateful for all the opportunities Hallo Bay has given me.

Now, enjoy the pictures...