Day 2- Salmon Spawning

September 28^th-

5 -7pm

I had noticed as I ran along the trail the number of people glaring into the stream looking for Salomon that were spawning so I decided to go back and take a look for myself. In the upper part of the river there were very few Salomon that had made the long journey this far. I sat on the bank at different spots to just watch these amazingly powerful animals swim up the river. They would jump over low sections of water and motor through the deep sections. As I watched I noticed them resting behind bigger rocks in the river to get enough energy to push forward another ten feet. It was amazing to see their shinny body’s just glistening in the water. After observing the fish swimming through the current I decided to walk further down the river to see if I could see anymore salmon. About a kilometer down the river floating on the surface of the river I noticed a shinny salmon. I made sure there were no bears around and I approached the floating fish that was stuck on a rock. The fish had a very distinct smell and was almost too much to take. The salmon must have spawned up the river and then after laying her eggs passed away. The fish was now just a meal for a bird or a bear. I had seen a bear the other night in an orchard close to the river and realized why he was down so low. The bear was able to get a free lunch whenever he wanted. As I kept walking down the stream I got to see the salmon work their way through the rapids like a human in maze. The salmon ranged in size from four inches to as big as a foot. The bigger ones looked like they could power through the deeper sections easier but the small ones could jump over the low level sections a lot smoother. It was amazing to just watch the beautiful salmon so close. After a couple hours it started to get dark out and I did not want to be the bears next meal so I made my way home.

I was not able to capture the Salmon Spawning with my camera. I took this picture to give you an image of the type of rapids that these salmon make it up. It is incredible to watch the salmon maneuver through the river.