Toklat River, Denali National Park, Alaska

We were backpacking in Alaska, in Denali National Park. It was June, and the grizzly bears were on the prowl, preying on any newly born moose calves they could find. A backpacker had been mauled the week before we made this trip, and someone else was attacked the week after. So it was definitely worthwhile to be extra careful.

One way of avoiding grizzlies was to stay out in the open, where they could be seen a long way off, and they wouldn't stumble onto you, either. Also, the moose seemed to be giving birth to their young down low, in the river bottoms where there was brush and tree cover.

So our plan was to hike up one of the many flat, almost bare glacial river beds, then climb up a high ridge for our camp. Being up high had two advantages: not many grizzlies (we hoped), and the view would be even better than down low.

This photo was made on one of the ridges as we approached our chosen campsite. The Toklat River is down below, and in the distance are the peaks of the Alaska Range.

We did have a young grizzly stumble onto our camp anyway, but it ran down the mountain away from us after discovering our tents. That's the kind of grizz we hoped to see: one that wanted nothing to do with humans.

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