We took the day trip bus tour to the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, which is no longer smoking. We made a few brief stops on the way out to the visitor center, then hiked down to Ukak Falls.
Back at the falls after dinner, the salmon were popping like popcorn! There was some speculation that the salmon fishing season had ended a few days before, so a new influx of fish were getting through. In any case, there were fewer bears around than the day before, presumably because many of them had gotten their fill during the day. Did I mention the salmon were completely bonkers?
My original plan had been to stay at Brooks in the morning and take an afternoon flight back to King Salmon. However, I opted for the morning flight out due to weather concerns for me getting to Anchorage later in the day. Once again, I departed IFR, but the skies cleared approaching Anchorage.