Alaska : Where Brown Bears Abound

Highlights

Photograph the Alaskan Brown Bear on the Katmai Coast of the Kodiak Islands of Alaska with Pro Photographer and 10 year Alaskan resident, Tom Bol. Travel with Photo Quest Adventures August 8th-16th aboard the Coastal Voyage vessel to Katmai – “the last great place to explore and photograph the giant Brown Bears on the Alaskan peninsula!” Your PQA leader, Tom Bol along with the Coastal Explorer’s highly experienced Captain Chuck Keim, will guide you on an exceptional adventure where you will take short, daily boat rides from the Coastal Explorer to various areas along Katmai’s shoreline to capture heart stirring images of brown bears and the rugged Alaskan landscape.

• 6 day adventure on the cozy Coastal Explorer vessel run by Captain Charles “Chuck” Keim and his staff
• Traverse Katmai by foot photographing the Brown bears against dramatic landscapes

Advantages of exploring bears by boat include:

• the ability to traverse various bays providing a myriad of locations, scenery and backdrops plus more opportunities to photograph bears never photographed before
• Reducing our “footprint” by choosing to travel and sleep on the Coastal Explorer as opposed to camping out in the National Park
• Small, intimate group with a maximum of 7 guests
• Little or no traffic from other tour operators

Itinerary

Aug 8 – Arrival Kodiak Island
Meet the group on Kodiak Island, Alaska. Accommodations at the Shelikof Lodge.

Aug 9 – Kukak Bay, Board Cruise Ship
Morning departure by floatplane to Kukak Bay to board The Coastal Explorer vessel run by Captain Charles “Chuck” Keim and his staff. Chuck has 24 years of experienced under his belt in the Alaskan waters and extensive knowledgeable about wildlife, weather patterns and life at sea. A seasoned nature photographer as well with 13+ years of hands-on experience as a guide will ensure safe, world-class Brown Bear viewing.

Aug 10-14 – Bear Viewing Along The Shores of Katmai
Take daily skiffs (small flat bottom boats) to the stunning shores of Katmai in the early mornings and then again in the afternoons. Traverse Katmai by foot observing and photographing the Brown bears against dramatic landscapes.

Aug 15 – Return to Kodiak
Today we will return by floatplane to Kodiak Island. Captain Chuck recommends staying the night in Kodiak (hotel is included tonight) in the event of bad weather and possible delays making connecting flights to Anchorage.

Aug 16 – Fly home from Kodiak.

Itinerary is subject to change.

(updated 3/10/08)

Lodging

Based on double occupancy-single supplement not available

2 nights at the Shelikof Lodge on Kodiak Island

6 nights on “The Coastal Explorer” (updated 3/10/08)

Our Coast Guard approved vessel will be your home away from home for your stay with us while you photographing bears. At all times we will have our boat anchored in a remote bay that offers the optimal bear photography experience.

Our boat is near 70’ in length and equipped with all the safety and comfort features you would expect from a top notch hotel. We have four state rooms equipped with comfortable beds, showers, and toilets.

Our boat is equipped with all the latest in navigational, radar and GPS equipment to ensure your safety while traveling the remote and seldom explored tidal waters that the coastal brown bears call home.

The vessel is completely equipped with a full chef’s kitchen including stove, microwave , coffee make, refrigerator and freezer. Your meals ( breakfast, lunch and dinner ) on board will be served family style in our small but adequate dinning room that comfortably seats 8.

Cost per person

$5800 Based on double occupancy from Kodiak Island

Single supplement is not available

Limited to 7 participants

Terms and Conditions

Included:

• Quest workshop fee
• 2 nights hotel accommodations at the Shelikof Lodge on Kodiak Island
• Floatplane to/from vessel
• Accommodations on vessel including ALL meals

Not included:

• Airfare from your home to Kodiak Island return
• Meals on Kodiak Island
• Gratuities

Tom Bol

Tom Bol is an editorial and commercial photographer who specializes in adventure sports, portraits and travel photography. He shoots assignments for clients including Columbia Sportswear, Men’s Journal, National Geographic Adventure, Nikon, Sunset Magazine and the Wall Street Journal. He is represented by 6 stock agencies, and his images are used for advertising, books, billboards, brochures and posters. He loves to teach, and has taught workshops for 12 years. Tom was on the list of National Geographic Adventure’s “50 of Americas Top Visionaries” for his photography.

Quest Leader’s website: www.tombolphoto.com

FACTS ABOUT: KODIAK ISLAND/KATMAI, ALASKA
Please keep in mind that this Quest is suitable for healthy and fit individuals. Physical strength is essential for the moderate hikes we will be doing in semi-rugged terrain as well as getting on and off of small boats.

About

Kodiak Island, also known as The Emerald Isle, is the largest island in the Kodiak Island Archipelago and the second largest island in the United States. Located 250 miles south of Anchorage and 30 miles off the coast of Alaska in the gulf, the city of Kodiak serves as the major supply and transportation hub for the archipelago’s 6 villages. Ten thousand years ago, Kodiak and the surrounding islands were covered by glaciers that scored and carved the landscape into the jagged peaks, fjord-like bays and wide U-shaped valleys they are today. Lush vegetation carpets the terrain during the summer, giving the Emerald Isle its name for it’s glorious, green glow.

From a floatplane ride in Kodiak, you’ll climb aboard the cozy Coastal Voyager, your “floating bear viewing accommodations” for the next 7 days. The Coastal Explorer, run by Captain Chuck Keim, travels the beautiful and rugged shores along the Katmai wilderness coast as Captain Chuck employs his 24 years of experience guiding photographers and searching for unique photo ops of the breathtaking brown bears. Your adventure will be conducted in close proximity to the coastal brown bears from the anchored Coastal Voyager boat and traversing the terrain with short hikes to the meadows, rivers and streams where you will view many brown bears grazing on sedge grass or feeding on salmon.

Katmai National Park and Preserve lies across the Shelikof Strait northwest of Kodiak Island and about 300 miles southwest of Anchorage on the Alaska Peninsula. Katmai is most famous for it’s outstanding Brown Bear population numbering nearly 2,000! The Katmai National Park has the highest concentration of brown bears in the world where hunting is prohibited and it’s not uncommon to see 30-40 bears per day. Katmai is also known for it’s millions of acres of untouched rugged wilderness that encompasses volcanoes, glaciers, lakes and a jagged coastline. Moose live in the coastal and lake regions as well as a migratory caribou herd. Other wildlife found at Katmai National Park includes the nesting sites for thousands of tundra swans, ducks, loons, grebes and arctic terns on the lake edges and marshes. Grouse and ptarmigan reside in the uplands with bald eagles, hawks, falcons and owls living on the seacoast and lakeshores. Sea lions, sea otters, orcas and gray whales can sometimes be seen in Shelikof Strait.

Climate

Summer daytime temperatures range from about mid-50s to mid-60s degrees Fahrenheit; the average summer low is 44 degrees Fahrenheit. Strong winds and sudden gusts, frequently sweep the area, occasionally at speeds up to 50 to 60 miles per hour. Skies are clear about 20% of the summer. Light rain can last for days. Be prepared for stormy weather and some sunshine.

Visit: www.katmai.national-park.com/weather for current weather conditions

Gear to Bring

We recommend you bring the following gear with you on our Quests.

• Digital SLR with back up camera that will fit your lenses
• Battery charger
• A few extra batteries
• Memory cards (bring plenty!!!)
• Sensor cleaning supplies
• Flash with plenty of batteries

Lenses

• 12-24mm (for the 1.5x sensor size cameras)
  or 17-35mm
• 28-105mm lens or similar
• 70-200mm
• 70-300mm or 100-400mm
• 1.4X tele-converter
• Fish-eye lens
• Polarizing filter(s)
• Lens hoods for all lenses
• Lint-free cloth to clean lenses and blower ball for dust
• Lensbaby if you have one or else you can try ours!

Computer / Digital Acessories

• Laptop with charger and Photoshop CS3 and Lightroom (not mandatory)
• Storage device, such as an EPSON P5000, or portable hard drives like Lacie hard drives
• Card Reader
• All cables for drives, computer, card readers, storage devices, etc.
• Power converters/adapters for all Global Quests