We had the most expensive and most expected tour coming up. On the itinerary, we were to fly a couple of hours to the world famous Katmai National Park to watch grizzly bears catching salmon jumping up the waterfall to spawn.
The day started with some light showers and the sky was cloudy. The young driver, picking us up from the hotel, gave us no indicator of what was about to come. After everyone checked in, we were informed that the flight to Katmai needed to be cancelled due to unstable weather. That dashed our hope of watching grizzly bears feeding themselves salmon over the waterfall. No-one complained much as safety is millions times more important. We were disappointed and wondered when we could come back in future years to try again.
Instead, we spent the day visiting Alaska Heritage Center and gained a new level of respect for the indigenous tribes, their dwelling, their respects, their culture and their way of living. We learned that they had the habit of backing in a homestead to show their friendliness; we learned that they used the soft squirrel skins as diapers for babies and that many of their homesteads were underground. We enjoyed the performance of their games to spare the winter, and to train the children’s fitness. It was not hard to see that much has been taken away from them from the caucacians. It was both their land, their culture and their abode. Natives have been given free medical service within Alaska and probably other benefits, yet this gives little comfort compared to what has been taken away from them.
The heritage center was a place to remember in Anchorage, and that sense of resentment, from the native of having their land taken from them, was a strong reminder of the many exploitations of colonization.
The Wild scoop ice cream was a more pleasant place to remember. I tried the Spruce Tip flavor. That tree fragrance, along with the tint of bitterness at the end, was among the most special ice cream I have ever tried. If you ever plan to visit Anchorage, don’t miss your chance of trying the ice cream.
Coming up next the luxurious Alyeska Resort at Girdwood.
oliviatamccue 
[…] Alaska – Harding Icefield Hike (Day 7) Alaska – Katmai Bear Viewing, it was not to be (Day 9) » Aug […]