The Epic Journey of a Salmon



Today we left Homer to travel to Seward which is also located on the Kenai Penisula. Because of the massive Kenai Mountain range, we had to travel north to Soldotna and then east in order to be able to get to Seward. 







Because it was a clear day we got to stop at an overlook and see several volcanoes on the "ring of fire" on the Aleutian Islands which extends westward from the mainland. We got really good views of the Lliamna and the Redoubt volcanoes. 





On our way to Seward, we stoped at Kenai National Wildlife Refuge to hike to Shilak Lake. While we were taking in the beauty of the lake, we learned about diverse fish that are found in Shilak Lake - Sockeye, Coho, and Pink Salmon along with Rainbow and Lake Trout. We also learned about the journey of salmon. When the salmon are born in Shilak Lake (fresh water)  they travel to Cook's Inlet (salt water). The salmon spend several years in the ocean maturing before they start to return to the exact spot where they were born in order to spawn and create new salmon. As the salmon "run," they might be bank to bank in the rivers. After they reach the exact location where they were born (a miracle mystery), they spawn and then die where they become food for the bears. They will have completed an epic journey in their mission to reproduce. 





As we hiked out from Shilak Lake, we went through an area that the bears frequent to feed on the salmon. We were lucky to be able to spot a grizzly bear - luckily at a distance! A couple people in our group were able to get a photo to confirm our bear sighting :-)

Comments

  1. Marsha SJuly 24, 2025 at 9:21 AM

    Nature is so miraculous. Great mountain pics. Looks serene.

    ReplyDelete

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