Final Day with the Bears

It's our last day out watching the bears.  Snow is falling and most of the bears are curled up resting and conserving energy before they head out to hunt seals in next week or so.   Today we went ashore leaving the safety of our boat and walking in the paw prints of these amazing polar bears.  It was exhilarating to look across and watch them thru the blowing snow.  Jack and Steve kept a close lookout to insure our safety.  Hard to say goodbye to the bears, but it's been a privilege to view these impressive animals in the wild!

 

Kaktovik Village

Kaktovik is a small coastal village with only about 300 residents.  They have a school, community center, post office, two hotels and two stores.  At night, the polar bears wander into town so no one walks around outside at night.   Occasionally, we hear gunshots during the night which is the night patrol chasing the bears out of town.

Every evening, we retreat back to the local hotel for a home cooked meal and warm bed, much welcomed after a day in the cold weather.  At the front door, we are greeted with a collection of moose and caribou antlers, quintessential Alaska!  Local transportation provided via school bus.