Link to more photos.
As previously explained, Victor was responsible for my 2000 trip to Katmai National Park, but could not accompany me. Now that he is in the U.S., I scheduled a repeat trip with him, again with Katmai Coastal Bear Tours.
We had a great time. We watched bears for six days. The weather was great, too.
One unusual incident: A mother bear walked away from her three sleeping cubs to a nearby stream. The cubs woke up, didn't see their mother, and suddenly ran right at and through us, right over one member of our group who was lying down! When the mother returned and saw her cubs running away, she ran right at us! She stopped less than ten feet in front of us, then went around us to her cubs. It was all very fast. I wish another group had been nearby to video the whole thing. Victor got the best photo, showing the cubs approaching us:
Victor insisted on clearing everyone's dishes after meals, and he always carried others' gear when we went ashore. Here he has a tripod, camera and backpack, none his own:
