Best Scenery of 2019: I Dream of Katmai

I’d fish in a sewer pipe or a garbage dump if it promised the chance of a trophy catch, but all other things being equal, fishing is better when you do it in beautiful places. In the past 12 months, I’ve fished in the crystal blue waters off of Guatemala and in the rock-strewn rapids of an Amazonian tributary, but by far the most scenic place I fished during that period (or any period, for that matter) was at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park, Alaska.

If you’ve ever watched National Geographic’s coverage of brown bears swatting salmon off of a short falls, then you’re remotely familiar with Brooks. When the staff of Bear Trail Lodge took me and Keith Combs there in early August, the bears were out in full force, feasting on, and toying with, hordes of sockeye salmon. Fortunately, they let us catch a few, too.

Even if you don’t fish, seeing it on TV is simply not enough. I’ve been to Rome and Jerusalem and Victoria Falls, and while I’m not a sightseer, each of those scenes simply gut-punched my breath away. At the end of 2018, Hanna visited the Taj Mahal and said much the same – until you are actually standing there, in front of it, you can’t truly understand the majesty.

Now imagine going to the Taj Mahal or the Pyramids or the Great Wall of China…with fish…and bears.

The first bear you see is jarring. The second puts you on edge. By the time 12 go by, they’re more or less wallpaper. You never let your guard down completely, but after a while the amazing goes to surreal and then goes to normal.

Any American – or any citizen of the world, for that matter – who has the means to go to Alaska and has not done so, should be ashamed of themselves. That’s even more true if you like to fish.

My only regret was that Hanna, who has been to 47 states but not Alaska, was not there with me. The good news means that we’ll have to go back. I’m sure I’ll be every bit as amazed the second time around. Put it on your list.