09/29/2026
On my second trip out to Katmai, my friend Melissa and I got dinner in King Salmon the night before our float plane was due to depart.
At dinner, a table of three men was paying really close attention to us. They left about 30 minutes before we did, but somehow intercepted us as we walked out of the restaurant and started asking us questions.
During the conversation, I accidentally gave away where we were staying by mentioning where we’d gotten the bikes we were riding (a cardinal rule I’m usually VERY aware of not breaking).
As we biked back to our cabin, the guys drove by us in their truck and pretty persistently tried to convince us to put our bikes in the back so they could give us a ride home. We politely declined, and they drove away.
Until about half a mile up the road, where they pulled over and waited for us. We hung back. At this point, we were getting a really weird feeling and didn’t dare ride past their truck. After a few minutes, they finally sped away.
That night, I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that they knew where we were staying. Then, around midnight, the cabin owner’s dog started barking.
I was so afraid I could feel my heart beating in my tongue.
We ended up sleeping inside the sweet owner’s house that night. The next morning, her husband said, “If these girls can’t handle some guys, how are they going to handle the bears?”
Once we got to Katmai, I had some of the most peaceful sleep of my life. We camped surrounded by brown bears and I felt safe the entire time.
Sir, you wouldn’t understand.
I’d quite literally choose the bear.
