That's a big bear...

My first summer in Alaska came and went without a grizzly sighting. A little disappointing. Well, this summer was a bit different. I had multiple grizzly sightings this summer, with a final sighting that was unforgettable. Myself and two friends Shandra and Russell, headed out to Dyea, the next valley over from Skagway. We had gotten a tip from some friends that some grizzlies were out there. We were really hoping that they would still be there by the time we got there. As we pulled up to the river bank we got to see a mom and two young cubs wandering through the river fishing for salmon. It was quite a sight. But they continued on down the river, and quickly left our sight. That would have been good enough, but then it got even better. We went a bit further upstream, and we were able to see a lone male fishing by himself. He was about 100 yards upstream. We got out of the car and hopped on top for a better view. Well, as the grizzly continued to fish he was working his way downstream right toward us. Next thing we know the grizzly was chasing a fish in the stream literally 'at our feet.' We were parked right on the river bank, which was probably a good four feet, and then we were on top of a big 15 passenger van, so we were probably around 15 feet above him, but other than that he was 'at our feet' chasing salmon. He finally caught the salmon and ate it just below us. We could hear bones crunching and everything. It was pretty amazing. All I can say is...Hoo Yip!