Anandoham - 'I Am Bliss'

This morning I awoke very early. Well rested and rejuvenated, I arose and moved through an asana practice. From where I practiced, I watched a big brown bear walk right behind my back door. A few minutes later, another, younger female ran up the trail by the kitchen, and I walked to the front of our tent to see what she was up to. She stopped at the kitchen door and sniffed around. I peeked out the front door to get a better look. She was a skinny blonde beauty. All of a sudden, she got startled again and took off, but this time she ran through camp. As she hopped over the electric fence, I heard her snort as the fence shocked her. She ran around the tents to the front of camp, as Caprice came out of her tent. Caprice ran her off and out of camp. I looked back at the kitchen and saw a male who appeared to be the same age. He had obviously been chasing this girl, but he didn't want anything to do with camp so he mosey'd on by and through the woods.

I walked out to the back viewing platform to spend a bit of time. For the past week, I have been filling in either for my manager or our cook. I haven't been away from camp much, and this early morning rise gave me some extra time to spend. As I sat on the back platform, I watched bears graze in the meadow. I watched tree swallows flying all around the creek, as they snacked on mosquitos (thank you tree swallows!). I watched beings simply being. In their natural habitat, doing what they do naturally. I find nature so inspiring, as I try to live my life being.. just being, and living in my true nature. When I am in nature observing, I am able to tune in to my inner guide/spirit easily. Underneath all of the distractions - the conditioning, the beliefs we have about ourselves and others, other people's opinions... underneath all of this is who we really are. Our true selves, bliss. I strive every day to live in harmony with my true self, and nature inspires and assists me in doing so ♡

It’s Not Personal… Swirling waters in playful banter contrast sharply to brute force and dagger-like claws. Much as life itself, one can hardly distinguish the benign and good-natured from the shrewd and crafty, the two-faced scoundrel willing to risk friendship for fortune, substance for civility. Mutual understanding allows these bears to spar despite their offensive capabilities. Intentions are understood even before first contact. When the rank and file of humanity pierce the heart of alliance, it’s not considered personal, it’s business. To this, I say, “bull!” #Brownbears #coastalbrownbears (at Silver Salmon Creek Lodge) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1JUswPAdz6/?igshid=9x1swmnr70rk

Day 1 #alaska #wildlifesoup #coastalbrownbear #coastalbrownbears (at Alaska) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQtcDUNMBo3/?utm_medium=tumblr

I love it when my hair does that! . . #alaskaultimatesafaris #bears #coastalbrownbears #alaskasummer #payne_less.health #jmpayne923 https://www.instagram.com/p/CQfdt5sHSnk/?utm_medium=tumblr

#beartracks #ilovebears #coastalbrownbears size nine shoes for comparison https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx_sH3flx7v/?igshid=gb65ckfn0xqc

Coastal Brown Bear "Playing with Mom" by Betty Rizzotti

Brown bear_4755.4 by raptor wack I'm a little biased, but I think this might be worth viewing large. I have been trying to get to Alaska for close to 50 years, and I already made it. The bears of Katmai were a definite highlight of the trip. Thanks for stopping by. Brown bear_4755.4 https://flic.kr/p/2gXnNaM

Brown Bear with Salmon - 1224b+ by PhotoJenics by Jen Hall I've been gone so long, I almost forgot how to post :) https://flic.kr/p/2gTwkfv

Serenity . Lake Clark National Park: My Happy Place . . . #bear #grizzly #coastalbrownbear #beautiful #pristine #Alaska #alaskawildlife #alaskalife #photography #photographer #photooftheday #picoftheday #followyourpassion #explore #wander #discover #travel #traveldeeper #observation #destination #beautifulworld #globetrotter #travelphotographer #wildlifephotographer #natgeoyourshot #natgeocreative #findyourmoment #moments #momentsbyheathernicole (at Silver Salmon Creek Lodge) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bww6aAKhnQ9/?igshid=11f9lgczqv1lm

Ringside Seat to a Bear’s World by David & Shiela Glatz Via Flickr: The weather was crappy in coastal Alaska. Rained for three days straight. Still overcast when we headed out to the coast in late afternoon. This mother Brown Bear, two spring cubs in tow nearby, caught several salmon. Here she ran right past us. No cropping on this image. She couldn’t get much closer. Light was not great. She missed the fish. But it was so exciting to have a ringside seat with a view into this bear’s life and those of her cubs. Fattening up before winter isn’t optional for this species. They need the fat to get through about 6 months of hibernation. You can see the intensity of the situation in the bear’s face - along with remnants of her last meal and a fish scale or two on her head. #brownbear #coastalbrownbear #salmonrun #action #alaska #glatznaturephoto #wildlife #wildlifephotography #animalsofinstagram #animalkingdom #animal #mammal #mammabear #natgeoyourshot #ursusarctos #fishingbear #lakeclarknps #lakeclarknationalpark #cookinlet #claw #uncropped

Love Games..

I am sitting on the viewing platform that sits behind camp. I just finished a lovely meditation. Birds chirping near and far, as close as five feet away, where swallows are flying in and out of their house on one of the posts. I see multiple swallows going to and fro, and there are the sweetest tiny little eggs inside. I haven't researched, but it appears that multiple adults take care of the nest. So sweet! I see six swans up the creek - two bathing in the creek, the other four are sitting on the bank and appear to be feeding. A robin is off to my right, walking towards me (they spend a lot of time ground feeding, and aren't too afraid of humans getting close). With my naked eye, I can see eight bears in the meadow. Two of them just finished mating, and are beginning to grunt at one another. They are all just grazing, feeding on sedge grass. It is a beautiful afternoon. A few clouds are in the sky, the sun is shining and a light breeze is blowing.

Earlier today, just after breakfast, Ben and I hopped on the four wheeler and took off down the beach. "Date hour" is what I am calling it. We rode down to the cliffs, as far down the beach as we could go. Ben brought clients out yesterday, and saw that the wild lupine is in full bloom down there. Knowing it is one of my favorites, he brought me there this morning. Along the way, we passed a bear who was clamming in the bay. During low tide, bears go out onto the mud flats and dig for razor clams. As we continued along our way, Ben spotted a wolf walking the beach in the distance. It heard us coming, and stepped up into the tall grass, heading towards the mountains.

As we made our way towards the end of the driveable beach, I began to see the lupine that is blooming beautifully! It is just stunning to me. We found the tracks from the wolf we saw - a smaller wolf, we could tell from the tracks. Ben found an eagle feather, and I learned that having one of these in your possession is punishable by a $25.000 fine. Of course, we left it where he found it.

On our way back to camp, we saw a bear running out on the mud flats. We stopped to take a look through binoculars and we saw the bear and four eagles! One of the eagles had something in its talons. The other three - one of which was a juvenile - flew off, and we realized that the bear was chasing the eagle that was carrying something. The eagle would stop when it got far enough away from the bear, and begin to eat. As the bear got closer, the eagle would once again take off. It was really fun to watch!

As we got close to camp, a large boar (male bear) crossed out of the tall grass towards the bay. Chasing him was a cute blonde female (or sow). It is rare to see a sow chasing a boar. We stopped and shut off the motor to watch. She chased him down the beach, and as they passed us the boar stopped. He turned around and looked at the sow, and then headed in her direction as he chomped his jaw. We could hear his teeth clanking together. She also turned around, and now the boar was following her. They crossed right in front of us, and went back into the grass.

We continued back to camp to help finish lunch and prepare the dining tent for service. About 15 minutes after getting back, Johnny (our fill in bear guide, friend, and also Caprice's husband) came into the kitchen to tell us about two bears who were mating just outside of camp, in the grass. The sow was blonde and they were right where the two on the beach had gone. Even bears play love games ♡♡♡

Power, Speed, and Grace. It’s that time of year again when coastal brown bears tune-in to splashes on the river and take note of the tiny wakes caused by salmon swimming just below the water’s surface. Few things can score a bear’s attention with such fervent intensity. Once focused, the race is on. If you think you can outrun this beautiful creature? Think again! In a flash, the lumbering waddle so characteristic of bears is transformed into a visage of power, speed, and grace. #CoastalBrownBears #brownbears #brownbear (at Lake Clark National Park & Preserve) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1Eb4LrAd31/?igshid=1wt72e9dve61c

This is a series of snaps from my trip to Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in Port Alsworth, Alaska in August 2018. This is a coastal brown bear fishing for salmon in the inlet. I have yet to do any post processing (as I typically don’t do any post processing of my photos, but these need some bringing out of details in the bears face, etc) of these photos and they need some. This series just spoke to me this morning! I hope it gives you all a small sense of the excitement (salmon not so much… circle of life, right!!!) that was felt by the witnesses!! #grizzlybear #grizzly #grizz #coastalbrownbear #coastalbrownbears #alaskaphotography #alaska #alaskaadventure #alaskawildlife https://www.instagram.com/p/CVpydzDr0CopqE1JC95b5S0A7JDlYp-127g8WY0/?utm_medium=tumblr

Thanks to our great bear guide for this awesome shot. 📸: @wings_over_alaska #alaska #explore #wanderlust #katmai #katmainationalpark #hallo #bears #brownbear #coastalbrownbear #momandcubs #springcubs #bearcubs #

Pouncing Bear by Glatz Nature Photography http://ift.tt/2zyWW7z

#standuppaddleboarding #alaskalife #kellienightlinger #coastalbrownbears #admiraltyisland #fortressofthebear #ilovebears https://www.instagram.com/kellienightlinger/p/BxC-qT2Bx77/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1tttt0udwtdvn