We went to the Alaskan rainforest and wildlife sanctuary this morning. Hiking through the forest was amazing - water dripping in the lush green among giant Hemlock, Red Cedar, Alder, Sitka Pine trees. We did come across several Black Bears feeding on the spawning salmon in the stream running through the rain forest. It was a little closer to wildlife than I expected! We went through "bear training" before the hike. Simple rules - if you see a black back you "fight back", if a brown bear, you "play dead unless it actually bites you then you "fight back vigorously". We had to get into a big huddle as we meandered through the three groups of bear that we in and around this stream. The thinking there is that the black bear is so near-sighted that a group in a huddles appears more like a big bear and it'll run off. No answer to "what about the human scent?".
Mama bear is head first in the water munching on a salmon, but her three cubs were a bit more wary of the humans tramping through their forest - one fella got a better look at us by climbing a tree!
This Red Cedar burl would generally be coveted by woodworkers for the intricate designs found in burls. This tree is now dead and starting to rot away in the rain forest. If alive, this tree would have sold for $40,000 or more. Since it is no longer living it has no value at all.
Totems are evident everywhere in Alaska. Wayne, seen below, has been a carver all his life. He is a quiet, humble, and focused worker. He did not speak much at all - responding to questions with few words (if anything at all). He would not look at us, or even raise his head for photos. The totem he is working on was expected to be completed that day. Completed sections were placed around the head component he was working on.
You can see Wayne's carving teeth a little better in the following picture.
These are examples of Wayne's work clustered around the wood working shop.
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