Editorial: When I learned of the possibility of visiting the Alaska Peninsula, I researched. I quickly ran across “volcanoes” and “bears” and immediately thought of two books that I must bring with me: Rising Fire by John Calderazzo and Great Colorado Bear Stories by Laura Pritchett. I was right. Having read both before, I am sampling them now, finding parts most appropriate to my visit to this place, created by the largest volcano in the 20th century and now populated by over 2,000 “brown bears”—a subspecies (horribilis) of Ursus arctos (grizzlies).
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Novarupta, on the Pacific Ring of fire, pulled magma from Mt. Katmai, 6 miles away, like sucking milkshake through a straw. Spread ash Glen Canyon Dam deep. Changed temperatures for 2 years. Stopped salmon. Starved bears. Displaced people, killed none.
The earth coughs fire
Pyroclastic air fall tuff
Ashes out the sun.
I did not know brown bears are a type of grizzly! Now I’m even more relieved at your safe return!
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