20060528 No Man's Land

I stand in No Man's Land--at least it will be soon. The spot next to Brooks Falls where I am standing will be closed to entry June 15 until September. While just to my right is the safety of the elevated viewing platform, when the salmon arrive several bears will be within a few feet of where I stand either catching them jumping the falls or eating the calorie-rich fish.

Could I possibly look more geeky? On my day off I am just a tourist. Strapped with two cameras, binoculars, hand lense, bird guide and time, I explore the area where I work. This will be one of my last chances for relative solitude for a while. A scant three days from now the other tourists begin to arrive, though in small numbers at first. Then in July with the salmon run, Brooks Camp is overrun.

By the way, the neckerchief is not my attempt at the Roy Rogers look. White sox, a kind of blackfly, have been reported in the area. While I have not had the pleasure, I am told they surreptitiously remove a small chunk of flesh, often on the neck. This leads to a small river of blood trickling down the neck.

I do not know which is worse--a very small chance of an ugly encounter with a bear or a 100% chance of a great many white sox. Either way, it's no man's land.