Once again, I had to wait for the fog to clear enough for me to head up the river.  And, once again, it’s raining.  The rain is great for feeding the waterfalls, but it’s not so great for taking pictures.

We have a big tide today, and it’s coming up on high as I set out, so maybe I’ll be able to get farther up the river. 

As I got to the spot where the seals were hauled out on a log the other day, I spotted the ears of a grizzly above the sedge.  The current was running pretty good, so I was having to paddle into position for a shot, then wait for the bear to raise his head so I could take a shot, and then just before I could press the button, the current would spin me around.  This happened time after time after time.  Very frustrating!  

I had almost given up on getting anything worthwhile, when I noticed movement on the shore, not 20 feet from me.  It was a grizzly cub!  While I was excited about finding a cub, I was worried that his momma wouldn’t be too thrilled with me being this close to her baby.  They can get real grumpy about that.  So, while trying to keep track of the cub, I searched frantically for momma grizzly and back-paddled away from shore as quickly as I could.  I spotted momma grizzly still chomping sedge about 150 feet away, unconcerned about her cub.  So, I was able to get these cub shots.

I continued up the river when the grizzlies wandered deeper into the sedge.  The rain has stopped and I was able to enjoy the beautiful scenery.  

I notice that there is newly fallen snow on the distant mountains.

Wildflowers are in bloom along the banks of the river.

The rain has fed waterfalls all around us.  I notice that the waterfall east of the anchorage is really roaring.

I spotted this immature eagle trying to dry out from all the rain.  

I paddled like crazy, trying to get as far up the river as I could before the tide changed.  When the water was getting shallower and shallower, and I was having to search out deeper channels, I rounded a bend and discovered I’d made it all the way to the rapids.  Time to turn around and float all the way back to the boat.  Yay!

I was able to capture another perspective of the waterfalls.

A family of mergansers was making its way downriver along the shore.