Sometimes You Just Have to Ask For It ......
Sometimes getting the right shot takes a lot of planning,
good equipment and a lot patience. Sometimes, though it just takes a nothing
more than a little luck. And if luck is often elusive, sometimes you just
have to ask for it. A very good friend of mine recently asked me how I got
the "Soft Shoulder " shot of the Grizzly bear in my photo section.
I told her I simply asked for it. However there were a string of events and
special circumstances that needed to occur before I could ever be put in the
right spot for the shot first.
Semi blind-luck got me into Denali National Park in the first place with a
road lottery pass days before the park officially closes. (The "semi-blind"
refers to the point that we have to at the very least put ourselves in a position
initially to even be open to luck in the first place. That is, you cant win
the lottery if you dont at least buy a ticket.) This road-pass allows me and
a few other lucky souls to drive anywhere I want in the park alone and pick
and choose my spots to stake out while the rest of the park was closed to
the general public. Now I was not lucky enough to actually win a lottery ticket
for myself the conventional way, despite sending in more than my share of
entries.
I had a few days left over after I flew out of the Katmai peninsula photographing
the coastal bears, a much larger cousin of these inland grizzlies. I had hit
the jackpot there and if I had seen nothing more than a few ground squirrels
for the rest of the trip, I would have still been thrilled and able to practically
fly home to LA with out the help of the a jet airplane. I was walking on air
and I thought it was worth taking my chances in Denali even with out a pass
into a closed park. After all, now I was playing with house money so I packed
up the car and headed north for the 4 hour scenic drive.
When I arrived at the Perch, a little place I used to stay to visit a friend
in the past, I immediately headed to the restaurant to see if there were any
people who may be lounging around to say hello to. A week alone in Katmai
and I was ready for some human company and blueberry pancakes. There was one
older couple drinking coffee and it wasnt too long before they asked me where
I rolled in from. After a little idle chit chat, I told them I planned on
going to the gate in the morning to look pathetic as possible and possible
hitch a ride into the park They said I didnt have to do that because they
had an extra lottery ticket and had no need for it. I couldnt believe my luck
and wanted to hug the both of these old folks so hard but I was afraid I might
hurt them. They were happy to see how much it lit me up and turned me into
kid at Christmas and settled for a handshake and a free cup of coffee. I offered
them more and would have paid a kings ransom for it, but they were having
none of it.
It was as if the sun was just following me around every corner. I have eluded
to my spirituality and feeling of overall connection to the Earth in past
blogs in places like this.
I can't help but think that my senses of awareness are heightened and that
someone is really listening to me here. The presence I feel here in Alaska
is undeniable and just cant be felt to this degree in any man made structure
Ive been in yet. It is said that the Aborigines are so in tuned with their
environment that they simply ask it for food, water or shelter when they need
it and somehow they find their way to it or the other way around. To a lesser
degree, I feel the same connection to this land and often ask for something
Id like to see. Somehow, someway I stubble across it or visa-versa.
I know the park pretty well and Sable Pass is the place to see Grizzlies.
Of course there are no guarantees, but the odds definitely go up there. As
I drove slowly through the pass there were no signs anywhere and decided to
pull the car over. There happened to be a soft shoulder sign and pulled right
up in front of it. I closed up all the windows, locked up the car, packed
up the camera gear and set off across the spongy tundra. When I hit a big
wild blueberry patch, I thought it would make a good place to sit tight and
see what crossed my path out here. Besides even though the berries were a
bit on the sour side, it gave me something to nibble on while I waited.
A very dark single cloud formed directly over me and it began to pour. As
I looked around the valley, it dawned on me that it was only raining on the
area where I was. Sun drenched the rest of the valley and mountains. I thought
maybe my luck was changing and hunched over my camera to keep it dry. It was
amusing though to me that this lone cloud found its way directly above me
and just let loose. It wasnt long until a complete rainbow extended from one
side to the other. I began to shoot pictures of it and began to think the
shots would need something else to really capture the magic of this park.
I asked myself "why not?" I looked directly up in the rain and asked
for a bear. I remember how ridiculous I sounded because I had already been
given so much previously on this trip and felt a bit greedy, but as I said
before I was playing with house money and had nothing to lose.
As if on cue, a dark brown male appeared from behind a knoll about 200 yards
away and began to lumber his way out into the open grazing on the berries.
I could do nothing more than grin from ear to ear and position myself better
to get the entire shot.
Not the smartest thing Ive ever done, but I needed to have the rainbow drop
on the bears back. So I began to run across the open area most likely grabbing
every predators eye in an effort to position myself just at the right angle
to get a few of the following type shots.
Of course ole Yogi caught a glimpse of me scurrying across like a really large
ground squirrel (their other favorite snack) and began to work his way over
in my direction. I appreciate the way he did it though, not ever really overtly
paying too much attention to me. He just began working his way towards me
while munching away on the berries in front of him. Im sure he was humming
la, la , la to himself the whole time. I all of the sudden felt very exposed
in the wide open area and the wind shifted in his direction. It was time to
make my way back to the car that was close to a mile a way or I may as well
at least start pouring A-1 sauce once so I least tasted ok. The mile looked
so far away and there was no chance to run for it. Grizzlies can easily reach
speeds of 30 mph and compared to the 10 or so mph I could muster even if I
dropped all my gear, I did not have to be a math major wiz to figure out it
I had no chance if he decided to make a move first.
Now this bear of course may have had no intention of doing anything more than
just investigating me and that chance would most likely be high; but at this
point I would have been pushing my already incredible luck and took no chances.
I back-tracked to the car never turning my back on him and realized his pace
was slightly faster than mine since I had unsure footing going backwards on
an uneven terrain. Half way back he was with in 100 yards and by the time
I was in safe running distance to the car, he was only 10 or so yards from
me. I picked up the pace a bit and found myself on the driver's side looking
over the hood as he sniffed the wheels on the passenger side. This is when
our little dance began.
He began to move around the car mumbling something to himself in low bear
grunts. I just continued to walk the opposite side never taking my eye off
of him even once. A few times he disappeared only for me to catch him peeking
under the car at my feet. We locked eyes several times. I saw him and started
my conversation to him starting with "peek a boo." I scrambled for
my camera but he moved back up and around the car again, this time mumbling
to himself a bit louder.
Bear: "Grrrrr Grrrr"
Chris: "Hey you, how does it feel to be outwitted by one of the slower
ones form my species?"
Bear: "Grrrrrr" (louder)
Chris: "Whos on top of the food chain now, Yogi?"
Bear: Nothing. (giving me the silent treatment or finally getting bored playing
with me)
Chris: "Hey, Yogi theres a nice big sign post behind you. You cant tell
me that wouldnt feel nice against your back"
The bear literally and once again as if on cue made his way to the very thing
I mentioned out loud and attacked this Soft Shoulder sign with his back. His
eyes rolled back while letting out the loudest sounds of bear ecstasy and
I snapped a way as he practically dislodged the post from it foundation. I
was laughing my ass off as I shot off two rolls.
He was at it for well over 10 minutes and when he had his fill, he fell down
to all fours with a thud and made his way away from me and the car. I sat
there on the hood, watched him slowly stroll back to the endless sea of blueberries
and this magical field of dreams. I thanked everyone responsible for making
this happen and absorbed exactly what all this meant. There were several other
instances equally as powerful that that happened to me that day (one including
a lone wolf) that made me realize I was just about as lucky as anyone I have
ever known.
But I had to ask for it first.
Chris Perry
Wildsidegalleries.com