An
overwhelming longing to rest and remain at peace by Bilbo's side in Rivendell
filled all his heart.
~
J.R.R. Tolkien
The Harvester Island
Wilderness Workshop was incredible. I
went to write with 11 strangers, and I left with 15 new friends. In the coming weeks, I’ll be posting my
photos and thoughts on the workshop and on the beauties of Kodiak, Alaska. If you want to see more pictures, follow me on Facebook/mikaeladeigh.
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T
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ime on
Harvester Island is non-existent.
After only
a few hours on her shores, I lost track of what day it was. The week stretched out to infinity and the
air took on a patina of fairy-dust.
Picture for
a moment the scene in LOTR when the hobbits first step into Rivendell or the Fellowship
encounters of Elves of Lothlorien.
That is a
fair approximation of my experience of Harvester Island.
It is an
isolated, magical place, accessible only by bush plane and boat. An isolation that might drive one mad
eventually ~ mad with the 360° view of beauty that greets you each
morning. And the silence ~ a silence so
profound, you sit on the pebble-strewn beach and hear a raven beating the crisp
air with its wings.
The peace
I found there I have never experienced anywhere else. It is part of the silence and the
timelessness and the overwhelming beauty of nature.
My
spiritual experience extended past the island and into Katmai National Park,
where another writer and I flew by float plane to see the famous Kodiak bears
(aka grizzlies) fishing for salmon.
There was
nothing between us and the bears. No vehicles to hide in. No trees to climb. No guns.
No protection save the mace our guide from Kingfisher Aviation
carried. Just flat land, sea grass, a
small river, and bears. Ten of them all
told, but only three that were close enough to be our photogenic models for the
two hours we stood on the bank.
Two hours in paradise.
Overwhelming
the Five Senses
Katmai is
the least visited of the National Parks and for two very good reasons: 1) the
remote location and 2) the number of brown bears that live there. (Katmai is where Timothy Treadwell was
attacked and killed by a grizzly.)
Our little
trio was not being foolhardy or cocky, however ~ we carried no food, kept a
watchful and “bear aware” eye on our surroundings, and maintained a respectful
distance. Brown bears may look cuddly,
but those sharp teeth and long claws can instantly rip you in all the important
places.
Fortunately,
these bear tours are quite common and safe and the bears are focused on
eating as much salmon as they can find to bulk up for the oncoming winter and
hibernation.
We sloshed
through about two inches of water as we walked toward the mouth of the river. Then we rounded a corner and all five of my
senses went into shock.
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| Katmai National Park - Mountain Range near Geographic Bay Image taken with Nikon D3300 DSLR |
The
absolutely stillness of the park, save for the rushing of the river, and the
call of the seagulls and an occasional magpie.
The crisp cool taste of the air, so clean and absent of exhaust and
pollution. The mountains cradling us in
their majestic arms. The feel of the
water and the sand and the sea grass as we sloshed and hiked our way towards
the edge of the river. The smell of
decaying salmon heads and some unidentifiable scent that was uniquely Katmai.
It settled
in my lungs and I breathed a sigh of grateful surprise that I was finally, finally here.
There it
was again ~ that sense of timelessness, peace, well-being. I wanted to gather the park in my arms and
hold it, protect it. Which considering
Mount Katmai blew itself up in 1912, is just a tad silly. But I felt that same tightening in my chest
as I gazed around the valley.
And just
when I thought this trip of a lifetime couldn’t get any better, the unthinkable
happened.
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| Katmai National Park - Kodiak Brown Bear |
A lovely 3-400
pound female was directly across from us on the opposite shore. Although
keenly aware of us, she was ultimately more interested in fishing and eating
salmon. She watched the other bears
warily, sniffed the air now and then, and ignored us.
And then
she surprised us by getting up, splashing into the river, and walking towards
us.
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| Katmai National Park - Kodiak Brown Bear |
My
companion grabbed on to my arm and whispered, “Is she going to keep coming
towards us? I think I’ll just move
behind you a little.” I grinned and kept
my camera up to my eye, snapping pictures madly. Then our girl stopped, just over 5½ to six feet
from where we were standing.
It was the
most glorious moment of my life.
My
adrenaline spiked with wonder and excitement as she drew closer and closer, and
I wondered, "What will I do if she
decides to charge?" And then “Protect the camera equipment at all
costs! At least someone will enjoy these
freaking awesome pictures!”
She lunged
for a salmon but came up empty-handed. I
held my breath, fascinated, as she stood still, as if lost in thought, and then
walked up the river a few feet away, and lunged again. This time, she turned
back towards us with a prize in her large jaws.
I kept my
camera on her, shooting frame after frame, living in the moment, my heart
racing like I was on an insane roller coaster ride. The sound of her ripping into the salmon,
crunching on its bones, was music to my ears.
Not because I’m morbid or particularly blood-thirsty (although I might
be ~ but that’s another story), but because it was so silent in the park, and
we were so close to her, that we could
hear it.
Too soon,
she finished her quick snack and left us to wander downstream. We soon followed, hoping to beat the low tide
out to the float plane. I lifted my face
to the sun and filled my lungs with one last taste of the cool mountain air,
wishing I could have stay there indefinitely.
Since
returning, friends and co-workers have looked at my photographs, heard me tell
my Katmai story excitedly, and shaken their heads in disbelief and
censure. And I understand. To stand unprotected in the midst of legendary
Kodiak bears is not for everyone.
But for
those two precious hours, I felt no fear, only awe at the power and beauty of
God’s creation. And that deep abiding
peace and awe that coloured my entire Kodiak experience.
And just like
Frodo, I am filled with “an overwhelming longing to rest and remain” cradled in
the arms of Alaska.
Oremus pro invicem,
~
Mikaela
Where do you find peace and feel a sense of awe and wonder?
1 comment:
Thank you M. Peaceful and bears...interesting! What a trip!
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