Charlie Crossing The Tundra






Lemon and Lime Checking
Us Out






Charlie at Kambalnoye River

First Clumps of Rhododendrun

(Click on any Image to see a higher resolution version)

Coming Back to Our Second Home

When I left Kambalnoye Lake last September, my plan was to return this year for perhaps one month only. With winter's passing I repeatedly called our travel agent and extended the date of my return to Canada. I was starting to crave the solitude of life here, under the volcano. When reaching Petropavlovsk with Charlie on the 5th of June, I felt desperate to be down here. I think this lake is the one place on the earth where I can become part of nature in a "zen-like" meditative state, which is driven by isolation. A friend asked me before departure this year if I brought lots of music with me. "No" I want to leave all but what is necessary for survival behind to again listen and see the bears, mink, eagles, gulls and so on. The first morning here I awoke to hearing the "nightingale" sing on the roof of the cabin - no thoughts of telephone ringing, driving somewhere, appointments to be met - only listening.

Ten days has passed now since our arrival - the windmill is up and running, Charlie and I have had our first big fight (living with one person in a small cabin is definitely one of the biggest challenges on re-entry), the electric fence is re-assembled after being flattened by snows. It continues to impress us that our toilet and compost holes, within the non-functioning electric fence when we are away, is not touched; while anything beyond the boundary of the fence is fair game. For example a lumber pile down by the helicopter-landing pad was chewed a very small bit. No fence has ever
been there! We will move it this year.

After two warm sunny introductory days, the bad weather of this area descended in force. We have had 7 continuous days of cold, wet, , foggy weather with temperature from 3C - 7C(on a warmer day). Every morning we awaken to fresh snow on the volcano.

Brandy's New Family

Yesterday, we hiked up into Chico Basin for the third visit to Brandy and her two spring cubs whom we have named Lemon and Lime; the darker of the two with a white chevron on his chest. When we approached the first time, Brandy was very calm and acknowledged our approach with a look of approval after a good sniff in our direction. The cubs took one good look at us and ran straight up to the top of the mountain. Brandy calmly and slowly went after them to encourage them back down, chuffing out to them, half kneeling, begging them to come back down. Finally giving up, she went after them and not until hours later could they be convinced to return with her to lusher grass. We speculated that her cubs had been harassed by the predator bear or maybe something else. They seemed unusually frightened of us. We gained a clue the next day.

After finally working closer, calling out reassuringly, we came to within 40 metres of Brandy and her cubs. This time they at least checked us out before they high tailed it upwards. We came back to camp and kept an eye on the happenings with the spotting scope. We realized, when out in the basin, that Brandy and her family's use of high areas this time of year was not an original one. We also spotted on the slope closer to camp, a younger mother was sleeping with 3 spring cubs and directly around the corner from Brandy another older and larger bear had 3 cubs. Eleven bears visible with a sweep of the eye.

Biscuit soon came into view over the high ridge from Ittleman Bay. Brandy picked up her scent on the wind which was blowing from Biscuit's direction. The old chase was on. The cubs were abandoned as Brandy barreled down the slope hotly in pursuit of Biscuit who quickly left the area scaling the steep snow covered slope on the far side. We are convinced these chases must be terrifying for her cubs as they were left alone for 20 minutes(something she did with her former family leaving Gin and Tonic with us as she chased Chico and Biscuit). With Biscuit out of sight, she started sniffing slowly up the mountain following the cubs' trail of scent. They were no where in sight. She found them close to the top, on a rock out-cropping, on a very steep bit of cliff, peering down at her approach - clearly used to the routine. The other mother bears simply moved away from Biscuit's approach. We had hoped the old rivalry had ended but apparently not. We are guessing that when Lemon and Lime see us they imagine the abandonment about to ensue and leave upwards to cliffs immediately. They are slowly working it out that we are OK and not to be an object of a chase.

Without any question, Chico Basin is a great place for mother bears. There is lots of first growth of fresh sedge under the alders and first clumps of rhododendrun are in bloom. We wonder if Biscuit will be allowed entry when she has cubs of her own. No sign of Chico yet but we have far from given up. No sign of Tonic, Gin's brother either as both sets of cubs are of the age to separate. But we both miss Chico and with fresh agony identify single bears, on a daily basis across the lake, as not Chico.

- Maureen