First week of work in Lake Clark!
Orienting, hiking, interpreting, exploring, and encountering bears.
For context and people mentioned, view the previous blog post: click here.
Monday, May 18, 2026
I started today at 8 AM. In excitement, I woke up at 6 AM feeling fresh as ever.
I arrived a few minutes earlier than everyone except Hank (my mentor). Chelsea brought breakfast for all of us, for which I was excited! It was a good breakfast completed with beans, avocados, fruit, and tortillas. While eating, we wished for some exciting TV. Quinn had the wonderful idea to watch the live stream of the sled dogs (puppy cam) in Denali National Park (found here). It was entertaining watching the dogs interact with each other and the humans that popped in from time to time to either clean or feed the hungry pups.
After this, Quinn and Kaitlyn took Camryn and me on a tour of the town. It is not a large community: there is the park, those who support the park, some independent residents, and two faith-based organizations, the Tanalion Bible camp and Samaritan’s Purse, that also have seasonal staff. Samaritan’s Purse had a nice location on the lake with a clearer view of the lake and mountains than I did at home. From my house, the lake is not as visible, but the mountains can be seen clearly. All the roads in town are gravel with a few vehicles around. All vehicles are brought via a barge that likely comes to the area on demand. There is a surprising number of construction vehicles; I suppose rapid development is expected. Many houses also had many inoperable vehicles, equipment, and other large items lying around. I learnt that this is because it is expensive to dispose of things in Port Alsworth, and you never know when something may come in handy. It is also expensive to bring things into Port Alsworth.
Around 10 AM, we came back and went to the visitor center (where we will primarily work for the rest of the season). We started with an ice-breaker, which asked each of us to elaborate on a story involving an encounter with either a plant or an animal. Hank went first: a few years back (not sure how long), Hank was a professor taking students to many places for exploration. One of these places was a desert. Hank is a hardcore guy; he slept outside a tent. One night, while he was sleeping, he felt something cold on his forehead. It startled him awake. He immediately sat right up. It turns out that a coyote was smelling and touching Hank’s forehead. The coyote was understandably startled and consequently skedaddled out of there. So, Hank was kissed by a coyote. I knew immediately that no one could have a closer encounter than Hank.
Camryn mentioned that he was showing some people how to clean a chainsaw, and a moose appeared while he bent over. Camryn turned around, and the Moose was already on its way out. Kaitlyn spoke of a plant, specifically, the bleeding teeth fungus (which looks skin-crawlingly creepy). Kaitlyn had always wanted to see this plant. She spent four seasons at Isle Royale National Park in Michigan, where you can find these mushrooms. In the four seasons Kaitlyn was there, she had never seen them. In the last month of her last season, on a hike, Kaitlyn suddenly spotted them. She let out many noises of excitement!
Quinn and their friends drove 30 hours to northern Alaska looking for a Musk Ox in Deadhorse, Alaska. They had not succeeded upon their arrival. They had made a weekend trip, so all the friends needed to be back for work by Monday. They did not have much time, so they commenced their drive back. On the way back, however, two herds of Musk Oxen were crossing a valley. Quinn and the gang put out a picnic blanket and viewed all the Oxen against the sunset, enjoying some food.
Many more activities made us get to know each other better. We spoke of our strengths, weaknesses, and motivations. It was only the first day, but I felt closer to my team. I thought that we would work well together.
Camryn and I also received bicycles to us during our stay here. These bicycles are impressive due to their wide tires. These were the widest tires I have ever seen on a bicycle. I tried the bike on the back trail that we use to get to work, which is a muddy, tree-root-filled, narrow path. It was easier to bike than it was to walk.
At 12:30 PM, we met virtually with an extremely passionate marine biologist named Dan Young. He gave us a presentation on the basics of salmon: the five types, their movements and habits, their cultural and economic impact, and showed us some cool maps. There are five types of salmon, which can be remembered by the five-finger mnemonic:
Thumb: Chum (rhymes with thumb)
Pointer/index: Sockeye (imagine someone socking your eye)
Middle: King (the largest finger, so king)
Ring: Silver (because you can wear a silver ring on this finger)
Pinky: Pink
This was funny. I drew a hand in my notes.
Next, around 2 PM, we had a session about leaving no trace with Kaitlyn. This is a framework to minimize human impact on the wild outdoors. There are seven principles:
Plan ahead and prepare.
Travel and camp on durable surfaces.
Dispose of waste properly.
Leave what you find.
Minimize campfire impacts.
Respect wildlife.
Be considerate of others.
We must ensure that visitors to the park are leaving the wilderness as they found it, if not better (by picking up trash others may have left).
In our next session with Chelsea, we went through some of the park's history and establishment, and different land statuses. This included ANILCA and ANCSA. We also went over park priorities and foundation statements. In the coming days, as I focus on them, I will elaborate on them.
In other matters, we also discussed the Johnson Tract, which in the community is a highly controversial topic. Chelsea asked us to look into the Pebble Mine issue to view how mining can be controversial.
Finally, Kaitlyn gave us some homework: bring something meaningful to us the next day.
I also received access to the gym. I came home, changed, and headed back to the park campus (it is not really a campus; just a cluster of our main buildings). Russell was already in the gym working out. We decided to work out together, focusing on upper-body workouts. We also decided that we would work out together while Russell was still in Port Alsworth. Russell is scheduled to fly out to the Twin Lakes, slightly north of here; he is an interpretive ranger stationed there for the season.
I came home and made some pasta and, due to being exceedingly tired, slept almost immediately.
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
I ate oats for breakfast, which spilled over in the microwave. I spent a few minutes of this cloudy morning cleaning the microwave instead of breathing in the crispy air. I biked to work.
Our morning discussion started with Spruce Tips syrup and soda, which was new to me! I will try making this with other trees when I go back to Colorado.
Our first task this morning, other than discussing plants, was to walk over to one of the organizations in town, Samaritan’s Purse. At the entrance of one of their buildings, there was a life-size musk ox taxidermy (Figure 2). It was what seemed like an annual event where we exchanged various updates about ongoing or anticipated projects. They invited us to barbecue on Wednesdays, to which I will likely go once in a while. Their barista, named Tabby, was very kind and lively, and made me an espresso for me to take. She also gave me two cookies. I gladly received these perishable gifts.
At around 10 AM, we got back to the visitor center, where we addressed our homework. Since we were going to be in an interpretive role, we were to interpret what others’ meaningful objects could mean and then listen to what they actually meant from the owner. I think this activity gave us better insight into each other’s personalities.
Kaitlyn had a bottle with stickers. The bottle itself was a gift from the Coast Guard at Isle Royale. The gift was because she participated in a critical and tiring search-and-rescue operation for a girl who suffered major injuries after a collapsed hammock in a remote location. The bottle is covered in nature-based stickers because Kaitlyn is not a fan of bright colors (the bottle was lime green), and the stickers also represent different aspects of her. There was a sticker of a gnome meditating with the caption “gnomaste,” which was funny.
Camryn had three items: a wedding ring, a picture of his fiancée, and a chain with a cross. He was not yet wearing the wedding ring because it still needed to be sized; it was larger than his finger. The chain was passed down from his father. The picture captures a moment in which Camryn’s fiancée is giving Camryn a haircut on Christmas morning. For Camryn, that was a beautiful and precious moment.
Quinn brought a homemade harbor seal box filled with pictures and watercolor sketches. The container was a gift from Quinn’s grandmother, with whom, until recently (and likely still), there was tension due to disagreements. So, the gift coming from the grandmother meant more than it normally would have. The grandmother collects such containers; this specific one was made by a Yupik woman in the 1940s. The pictures and watercolor sketches remind Quinn that they have done more than they think on a bad day and that there are people who care for them.
At 10:45, we started discussing interpretation: what is the role of an interpretive ranger and how to perform the role well. I will likely compile these notes separately since it is an overarching theme for the rest of the internship. The core is to connect the visitor to the park in a meaningful way. Camryn and I will also work with kids. So our programming has to keep kids in mind. I am excited to create programs to get kids interested in the park and history/science in general. I noted down some ideas for programming: Alaskan aviation, mushroom foraging, and animal tracking. I will flesh them out in the coming few days.
At 3 PM, we had a session with the former park historian, John Branson. He had an incredible memory and a tight grasp of the history of Port Alsworth and Lake Clark National Park. It was an informative session filled with old black-and-white pictures. I learnt that one of our park team members, Randy, has a history in this place. Much of his ancestry was native to this land, so we saw many pictures of them. It felt more intimate since we were listening to a story of someone we know.
Then, around 5 PM, Russell and I worked out our legs, but too much. The next day, we are scheduled to go on a hike to Kontrashibuna Lake.
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Oats again. Oats will continue to be my breakfast.
Today, except for some training in the morning(from about 9 through 10:30 AM), the rest of the day is scheduled for a hike to Kontrashibuna Lake via Tanalian Falls.
Around 10:50 AM, we started our hike. We began with a debrief: Hank gave us the rundown of the route, our general strategy for dealing with bears and moose (we did not encounter any), and where the first-aid kits and communication devices were on his person and pack. I had one of the two first-aid kits. It was not expected to be a hard hike, but we were practicing for when we embarked on longer, more strenuous journeys into bear country. Hank was prepared; his bag was packed with more stuff than I could even name.
We started our journey. I also took the role of being the sweep, which was to be in the back, ensuring lookout backwards, and not letting anyone fall behind. I took my role seriously. For the beginning of the hike, we dilly-dallied our way through the forest: Kaitlyn was pointing out different plants and fungi, giving us information about them. Kaitlyn knows about many plants found in Lake Clark National Park; I was very impressed. I learnt that there are three kinds of lichen, and that lichen is not one organism, but a symbiotic relationship between fungi and algae (I think). I also chewed on some fireweed: it had a bouncy texture. Later on, Chelsea would tell me that it tastes amazing when pickled and served with garlic. I also smelled Labrador tea (Figure 3), which smells much better than I expected! I will boil it with some tea soon and try it out. The forest suddenly felt less intimidating. I was getting to know the forest.
Two hours later, we reached Tanalian Falls. As the water came crashing down, so did the glacier sediment. This glacier sediment gave the water an incredible blue hue (Figures 4 and 5). We broke for lunch here and skipped stones. Kaitlyn, hailing from Minnesota, skipped a stone beyond ten skips. I was already impressed by her knowledge of plants. This took it further. I had one of the canned Mediterranean lentil soups with oats for lunch.
Jenny, a backcountry interpretive ranger heading out to the Twin Lakes soon, gave Camryn and me a Proenneke sourdough pancake. Richard Proenneke was an American naturalist and conservationist who, at the age of 51, visited the Twin Lakes (north of here) and remained there for 30 years. Proenneke lived remotely and meticulously journaled his experience, wildlife and human encounters, and vegetation. He occasionally took the grocery resupply, but largely remained remote. His cabin is now a heritage site. Jenny and Russell are rangers going there for the season for interpretation. So, Proenneke had his own sourdough starter and would make pancakes with it. Jenny, using the same starter, made Camryn and me a pancake (Figure 6). It was Proenneke’s recipe. It was great! Jenny is a lovely and kind woman.
We continued hiking to Kontrashibuna Lake. Midway, Hank stopped us all and gave us a scenario: a person fell into the lake and, after being pulled out, needed a fire to warm up. We needed to build a fire quickly. In a damp forest, where could we find dry wood? We pulled our bark, twigs, and other things that were not in direct contact with the moist ground. We built the fire at Kontrashibuna Lake and passed Hank’s scenario.
The lake itself was beautiful. It was cold, though. If it were not cold, it would be a lake to savour by swimming in it. The pictures I took of it do it no justice. We soaked in the view of the surrounding mountains. I imagined summiting them.
We began our hike back. The patches of snow on the Tanalion mountain looked like sheep from afar. Camryn said that they look like marshmallows on the surface of hot chocolate—I like this visual, I took note of it.
We reached back and had a pat-on-the-back debrief. I did not need to work out today, we had hiked about eight miles. I was already tired from the previous day’s leg workout. I slept soon enough.
Thursday, May 21, 2026
The visitor center is one day away from opening. Predictably, our main tasks were to learn its operations and set it up. I spent the day vacuuming, cleaning, dusting, organizing, and learning its workings. I learnt about the safe, cash registry, different electronics, and troubleshooting basic problems around them. The visitor center also has three bear pelts—I will get a picture with them soon.
I also learnt today that I can use part of my summer funding to travel to another national park and learn its workings via shadowing or direct participation. I was incredibly excited to hear this. I immediately started thinking of ideas and places: interpretation at Denali, salmon research at Katmai, and other field courses!
Chelsea, Kaitlyn, Quinn, Camryn, and I were just getting the visitor center up and running. We end the day ready for the next.
My background check also approved. Nice. I will receive my badge and possibly a laptop soon. Though this has opened the opportunity for more training, IT training, it’s not particularly interesting.
I worked out with Russell again: upper body. I ate some pasta, beans, and spam for dinner. I have also enjoyed some Pokémon HeartGold before sleeping.
Friday, May 22, 2026
Today was the first day of opening the visitor center. But before that, Kaitlyn was leaving Port Alsworth to go back to Anchorage. We decided to get coffee in the morning for this occasion, and the fact that the seasonal coffee shop, the Cranberry Cache (Figure 7), was opening! There are only two places to get coffee and food in Port Alsworth, and this was one of them. The other one, Cissie’s Kitchen, is not open yet. I ordered a Mocha Frappe. I assumed the drink would be hot (I wanted hot; it was a cold morning), but the drink was icy cold. I also got a blueberry muffin. Chels (Chelsea) paid for all of us, and I did not realize it then! When I went to pay, the bill was already paid! The boss’s treat. After spending a few minutes there, Russell and I went to drop Kaitlyn off at the LPA office to check in for her flight. We said our goodbyes, and I went to the visitor center.
Camryn, Chels, and Quinn were ready to open. We opened with raising the American flag. You need a hat to perform the flag-related duties. I forgot my hat at home, so I watched instead. Raising the flag was not as straightforward as I thought: there are some practices that are recommended and heights that are required. After raising the flag, we opened the boat barn and went through all opening procedures, which included turning on the electronics, ensuring the visitor space is clean, updating the date and such wherever required, and starting the register. We did them all.
A few minutes after opening, unexpectedly, we got our first visitors! A family of five traveling from Wisconsin. We spent close to 40 minutes with them. The family consisted of three kids, the eldest was about 8 or 9, accompanied by mom and dad. The mom was a big reader, so she and I were discussing some of the free publications we have available at the visitor center, and other books I thought she might be interested in. Chels gave the kids a Junior Ranger booklet and preemptively swore the three kids in as Junior Rangers! It was very cute. The three kids stood proudly by the Lake Clark National Park sign with their right hands raised. They repeated the Junior Range pledge and got sworn in. They wore their badges and then came back inside the visitor center. It was a rainy morning. I recommended some day hikes for the family, and after some more talking, they were on their way. I also worked the register for the first time and got it mostly right. Chels gave me some notes on better customer service: do not undermine the parents (I did not do this, but it was a tip she gave me), and ensure my words are adequately simple for children (I did use some complicated words for a five-year-old child).
The rest of the day was in and out, mostly in, the visitor center. I interacted with three more visitors, two of whom were from Stuttgart, Germany. One of the Germans had already been to Lake Clark before: his father donated stem cells to someone who lived in Port Alsworth. He brought his friend this time. That was an interesting story.
Near lunch time, I had to complete some more IT training. This occupied me for an hour. Later on, Hank asked us if we wanted to join him on a hike the next day to Tanalian Falls. I told him that I am working and could not join him. Chels and he discussed letting me go on the hike as an assignment: I would be roving. Roving here means that I am moving around, engaging with visitors, and providing safety messaging when relevant. I did receive an additional task: take pictures of the trail signage and report back on its condition. This will be some exciting, but mild, fieldwork! In preparation for this, Hank showed me how to use a Satellite phone and a Garmin inReach (which I will keep on my person); I like gadgets.
At around 4:40 PM, we initiated closing procedures, which involve opening up the safe. I was able to unlock the safe on my third attempt. It was a tough safe to unlock. The closing procedures are tedious, but understandably necessary. Chels patiently watched me do them. As I forgot the steps, she chimed in.
After closing, Russell and I went to the gym and worked out lightly. I cycled back home in the cold, wearing shorts and a t-shirt. The wind did not cut me any slack as well. I came back home, and my new roommate, not Anne, but Samantha, moved in! She currently lives in Wyoming, where her boyfriend is stationed at Yellowstone National Park. Samantha, or Sam, grew up in Illinois. It is also Sam’s first time up here in Alaska.
I showered and ate dinner. As I ate, Sam came downstairs, and we (Claire, Sam, me) talked for more than an hour. We discussed some health-related issues, Alaska, working at the NPS (they are seasonal; I am an SCA intern), math, and more! It was fun to get to know my housemates. They both seem very cool and adventurous! Claire once backpacked through the Andes—I have to take some notes about that.
Eventually, Sam, who just arrived today, went to rest. Claire and I talked for a few more minutes before I broke away to sleep as well. I tried messing with entering my time cards before sleeping. I have been consistently struggling throughout the day. The main reason is the SMS verification loop: I have no signal. I cannot receive texts, so two-factor authentication does not work for many applications! Mint Mobile is being bitchy about it when I tried their online support portal. I cannot even log in to Mint Mobile! I am sure it is actually my fault somewhere.
I kept trying to send a text message (which I did not receive), but all of a sudden, for reasons unknown to me, the need for SMS verification disappeared, and the Home page in ADP opened up for me. After doing this, I slept better. I will get paid on time, it seems.
Saturday, May 23, 2026
In the morning, at 08:15 AM, I encountered a bear as soon as I exited the driveway.
I normally get on my bike outside the driveway to bike to work. As I was getting on my bike, a brown bear crossed the road. We briefly make eye contact, but the bear continues crossing the road. My bear spray is attached to my bag, only slightly out of my reach. I back off a little bit without turning away. I adjusted my backpack and obtained my bear spray. I unhooked it and held it in my hand. I walk back to the outside of my driveway. I saw a little bit of the bear as it made its way to the pond on the side of the road. I stand still for a few minutes and then get back on my bike. I slowly biked my way through the road. I pass the point where the bear was, so now, my attention is focused behind me. I kept turning around to see if the bear reappeared.
I started to gain speed on a downhill. As I embraced this speed, another, larger, brown bear appeared. I was terrified, but stood my ground—which is the recommended action. My bear spray’s safety was still off. I made eye contact with this second bear as well. At the same time, I am thinking about the first bear that might suddenly reappear behind me. I mentally prepared myself to spray the bear in front of me. I did not break eye contact. The bear stood on its hind legs. It stood for less than five seconds, though it felt significantly longer. The bear got back on all fours and started jogging the other way. I felt a bout of relief. I turned around to get a glimpse of whatever may be behind me. My arms twitched with anticipation of action. The bear in front continues going at a pace faster than walking for a few tens of feet before turning left and vanishing. I stood still again for a few minutes before getting back on my bike and heading to the visitor center.
I could not manage the courage, perhaps risk, to pull out my phone and take a picture.
I immediately commenced opening procedures and then told Chels about my morning adventures. She was surprised. She notified the appropriate people, who got the word out to the rest of Port Alsworth. I opened the visitor center while Chels reminded me of all the steps I forgot. Chels is thorough. I brought my hat today too. I raised the flag to full staff, and we were officially open for the day. Though I was to go on a hike with John (park historian) and Hank (mentor) soon. John was accompanied by his dog, Mojo. I was tasked with roving and getting pictures of the trail signage.
Before that, the Sourdough Fly-in had started in Port Alsworth at the LPA hangar. They were starting at 9 AM with a 5k. I wish I could have participated, but I was working. Russell, however, was running! Chels and I made signs to cheer him on. I went to cheer him on alone as someone had to watch the visitor center. I could not figure out the route of the 5k. Among this confusion, a man with a baby in a stroller walks by: the Port Alsworth school principal, Nate. He tells me the route, and I join him since he, too, was headed to cheer his family. He would go on to tell me about his large, cozy-sounding family and that he moved to Port Alsworth about 13 years ago. After two handfuls of runners, I see Russell with his hiking bag that contains 2L of water, which was not necessary. Russell ended up finishing in 10th position.
After this, I go to Hank’s house and tell him about the bear encounter. Jenny comes in for a second to give me some sourdough pancakes for the hike! I was very appreciative of this sweet gesture. Then John arrives with Mojo, and we head for the hike. We hiked for 3 hours. I obtained all the pictures of the trail signage (Figure 8) and a few great pictures of Mojo (Figures 9 and 10).
We hiked the Beaver Pond trail, and John told us some of its natural history: the namesake is due to the high beaver activity in the area. However, the beavers stopped coming here about 20 years ago. John has been in Port Alsworth for 57 years. He even showed us places in which beavers had chewed off wood (Figure 11).
After the hike, I head back to the visitor center. The runway is near the visitor center, and I saw that the flying competitions were in full swing. Grant (park superintendent) kindly left some cash for me and everyone else to grab some tacos. I was not there earlier, so Quinn and Camryn grabbed the tacos for me! Jenny also grabbed some dessert for me. I happily ate those for lunch and watched some of the flying competitions. There were three main competitions: spot landing, spot takeoff (Figure 13), and pizza-box throwing; or at least I think there were three. There were also planes for sale(Figure 12).
Fun fact about Grant: he was born in Columbia, Missouri! His dad went to Mizzou for chemistry. This was a great coincidence! Later on, another couple (visitors) would also tell us that they were from Missouri, though not a place I knew: the couple ran the Jesse James Museum.
Then I spent some time at the visitor center, which was busier than usual. We would end the day with 64 visitors (I think this is some record). I helped many folks with trails, maps, and other visitor center duties. I convinced three people from the Chilutna Lodge to watch a park film (11 minutes long). One of them wanted me to stay and watch the film with them. It was a great film about bears and the coastal Lake Clark. It features a local celebrity, Buck, who is our park biologist.
I did the closing procedures almost perfectly. I definitely forgot a few things. Chels taught me to fold the US flag appropriately as well. Then I biked back home, bear spray in hand. I ate some dinner and slept.
That was the end of my first work week—six days. I am already learning and experiencing more than I wished to. I wanted to see a bear, and I did. Though these were not the conditions I was hoping for.
I am working with some kind and adventurous people. I am excited for all the things I will get to do this summer.
PICTURES
All pictures were taken by me.
AI USAGE
AI was not used in any capacity to write this article.
I would’ve shat myself if I saw not one, but two bears while biking first thing in the morning! Kudos to you for staying calm and collected.