Alaska is a land of fresh discovery. It is also the land of ancient traditions. Tlingit people have lived here for thousands of years, and have developed cunning ways to exploit this sometimes difficult world, as well as creating exquisite and sophisticated artwork. But other animals have their traditions and culture. Killer whales are of two kinds here; some eat fish and some eat red meat. These killer whales could interbreed, but they never do. Their cultural ways are just too divergent. Bears also have their ancient ways. Creatures of habit, bears use the same trails regularly. As they walk, they place their hind feet just where their forefeet touched down. Walking the same trails, bears put their feet in exactly the same spots every time, eventually making great divots in the mossy forest floor. These marks may be used by different bears for years, decades, probably even centuries!
Today we visited Chichagof Island. We saw huge bear tracks in fresh mud, and holes where the bear had excavated roots to munch. In the forest we found the bear's habitual tracks. Stretching our legs, we were able to match the stride of a great brown bear!
