The Brown Bears of Hallo Bay, Alaska

A PTR Review:

Photo Travel Review only recommends travel agencies that we have used personally. In this review, all expenses were born by the reviewer, and the reviewer received no compensation from Emerald Air Service.

By Bill

Name of Tour Provider:  Emerald Air Service

Location: Homer Alaska

Cost:  $500 per person for a one-day trip

I must be honest, when I booked my flight out of Homer, Alaska, to Hallo Bay with Emerald Air Service, I was concerned.  After all, the idea of walking with brown bears on open ground with no weapon and no vehicle was scary.  But then, I was misinformed as I later learned from my guide, Chris Day (one can see a photo of her here), whose experience over many years of walking with brown bears is unmatched. The morning of my trip, I arrived at the headquarters of Emerald Air Service a tad worried.  Yep, I'm a wimp. But, soon thereafter, Chris did an extraordinary briefing during which I learned that walking with brown bears is safe and an extraordinary experience because the bears, while sometimes curious about humans, prefer to just go about their lives while humans observe them.  Further, Chris pointed out that the brown bears we would see have never been hunted, thus they have nothing to fear from humans.  Her words of reassurance sorta helped me out as I put on hip boots that would be necessary for the trek at Hallo Bay.  I kept remembering a video of some guy photographing a brown bear as another guy stood by with a high-powered rifle, implying that photographing brown bears is dangerous and only done by people who have courage.  What bunk! As the trip progressed, I actually sat down on the grasses of the bay's shore and watched two young bears bask in the sun about 30 feet from where I sat.  My fears were misplaced and unnecessary. It was an extraordinary experience that I shall never forget. Just me and open space and brown bears close by.  I was probably safer there than sitting in a park in my home town.

Ken day, husband of Chris, was the pilot of our float-plane, a wonderful old Otter

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that Ken meticulously maintains.  Ken invited me to sit in the co-pilot's seat for our flight.  How extraordinary it was as we left Homer and the Kenai Peninsula seeing the Aleutian Range and volcanic peaks, some of which are active.  What an wonderful flight it was.  Especially the landing on the bay which was soft and smooth.

Ken anchored the float-plane in the bay and we waded ashore (now I know why I was wearing hip-boots!).

It wasn't long before I saw my first brown bear.  "Skiddish" is her name, given to her by Chris, because the young bear is aloof and prefers to be alone.

What an extraordinary place Hallo Bay is.  I don't think I have been anywhere as beautiful.  Untouched by the presence of humankind, except for footprints in the shore line, it was simply breathtaking.

As our group began our trek across the landscape, we joked with one another about our fears, yep, we still were not satisfied that this idea of walking around with nothing to protect us was a good idea.  But, that concern soon went away as we got closer and closer to the bears.

How powerful they are!  The largest I observed weighed around 1,000 pounds, but Chris told me that they get much larger!  I was struck by the wonderful rich colors of their fur and their cool way of "cowboy walking."

As the morning progressed, we walked along the shore, sometimes wading across small streams, and then stopping close by two three-year-old siblings who were enjoying the day.  And here I got a wonderful photograph that I call "Bear Feet."

Later, we sat down and ate our lunch, careful to pack up anything left over, as Chris pointed out that we do not want human food or human products to remain there, as such affects the behavior of the bears and the environment.

One interesting thing Chris did for us, was to be adult about needing a restroom.  Well, there aren't any restrooms at Hallo Bay, there is nothing there!  Her solution was simple.  The females formed a group, the males formed a group, we separated a good distance apart, each group formed a circle with each person looking out, each of us did our thing and then we reformed into a single group.  Imagine that, privacy in the middle of nowhere.

As the day progressed the winds picked up, so much so that I had difficulty getting sharp photographs, despite the intense sunlight of the near-artic area.  The winds affected our ability to fly out and soon Chris was prodding us to move back to the shore to board the Otter.  I hated to leave.  Really.  I was perfectly at peace, full of joy at the experience, and I wanted to stay there, pitch a tent, and live with the bears for a good while.  But, it was time to go.

I can't say enough positive things about Chris and Ken Day and Emerald Air Service.  What Chris and Ken offer is a fabulous opportunity for photography and travel that is both unusual and extremely rewarding as a personal experience.

Professionalism, courtesy, concern for safety, knowledge of the subject matter, and commitment to the environment, all describe Emerald Air Service.  By all means, if you have the opportunity, take this extraordinary trip, off the beaten path, and become one with brown bears.

Emerald Air Service gets the PTR rating of five stars.