Local man to fulfill lifetime dream of living, working in Alaska wilds
Everyone has seen the photos of the huge and hungry brown bears atop shallow waterfalls in Alaska, catching a jumping salmon midair with its teeth.
“Those photos are all taken at Katmai National Park and Preserve,” said Jherek Christy, of Donegal Township.
Christy, 40, finally is fulfilling his lifelong dream of working at the 4,000,000-acre park on a peninsula in southern Alaska.
The immense park is completely wild, and includes tundra, forests, lakes and mountains. Katmai is famous for its impressive brown bear population that is drawn to the abundant salmon in Brooks Falls.
Christy, a lifelong outdoorsman, always hoped to gain employment in a position that would keep him outside.
While he worked for the state Game Commission for a time, he eventually found himself working in information technology for a local utility company.
“I decided, hey, it’s time for a change,” Christy said. “I’m not really happy with what I’m doing.”