There's an adventure travel company located just upstream that offers twilight rides on the river. I book a seat on the spur of the moment. Vickie Burton, a British investment banker turned guide, mans the oars. There are six passengers, and our sole responsibility is not to fall overboard. We see pine martens, silver salmon, bald eagles, Dall sheep in the distant hills, and an abandoned miner's cabin.
Nobody really buys that.
We beach the raft after a three-hour glide and start unloading our gear. They stare intently at the rippling water, then swipe a paw at some unseen target, as often as not snaring a wriggling salmon. The bears were having a good day. All rights reserved.