Our trip into Togiak National Wildlife Refuge for the July 14-19, 2010 Walrus and Seabird Photography Base Camp, through Equinox Wilderness Expeditions, began the morning of July 14 in Anchorage, Alaska. We met our guide, Hugh Rose, a Fairbanks based Nature Photographer, at the Anchorage Airport PenAir gate. Besides Peggie and myself we had a third member, Jon, also join us on this Base Camp trip.

We were scheduled to fly on the PenAir KS#251 8:15am flight to Dillingham, however our flight was canceled due to fog and low ceilings in Dillingham. We were rebooked on PenAir KS#263 leaving Anchorage at 11:30am and arriving in Dillingham around 1:00pm.

We arrived in Dillingham a little after 1:00pm and were met by Denise from Tikchik Airventures at the airport. We were shuttled over to their house to gather the rest of our gear that had been shipped down previously, as well as repack for the upcoming float plane ride. We had a choice of landing on Sangor Lake and setting up camp near there, or landing on Nanvak Bay and setting up camp inside the bear fence surrounding the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge, Cape Peirce Research Camp. Besides being closer to the cliffs and beaches, we had the added advantage of a pit toilet at the Research Camp. We opted to camp in the Research Camp.

We left the Dillingham Float Plane Pond a little after 4:00pm on a de Havilland Beaver and arrived at Nanvak Bay around 5:15pm. We unloaded our gear, stored it temporarily in a bear fence enclosure near the beach, and then made three trips to haul our gear for about a half mile from Nanvak Bay to the Research Camp located near Cabin Pond. There were also four U.S. Geological Survey researchers staying at the Research Camp, working on a Eelgrass Survey in Nanvak Bay.

Here is a photograph of what our Base Camp looked like – Three sleeping tents and a cooking shelter scattered inside the bear fence around the Research Camp.