In the dark
depths of winter,
a mother listens
to the first sounds
of her brand
new baby cubs.
Let's call this
mama bear "Sky. "
And her cubs are
Scout and Amber.
Hi, little guys.
They say the first year
of parenting is the hardest.
Sky will soon learn that,
for bears,
it's nearly impossible.
Almost half
of all bear cubs
don't survive
their first year.
But for now,
deep inside the den,
they're safe.
It's warm and comfy.
And after an entire
winter together,
it probably smells
pretty bad.
Sky worked hard
last summer,
eating over 90 pounds
of fish a day,
to store up enough fat
to last through
these early months.
But now she's hungry,
and if she doesn't
eat soon,
the milk her cubs
need will dry up.
There's a long, dangerous
journey ahead of them.
Sky needs to get her cubs
down to the coast,
and she hopes that the salmon
will be plentiful this summer.
But there's no guarantee.
Little Scout and Amber's
survival depends on it.
Okay, cuddle
time is over.
These bears need
to get on the move.
This is the story of their
incredible first year.
What an amazing place
to take your first steps.
These little cubs will
have to be brave
from the second their paws
touch the snow.
This is the Alaska Peninsula.
With over five
million acres
of protected
national parkland,
it's home to thousands
of brown bears.
Five months ago,
Sky climbed these mountains
to dig her den.
But now, they're her
biggest obstacle.
They've got to get
all the way across these
frozen mountains
before they'll find even
the first hint of food.
Sky is clearly delighted
to be free of the smelly den.
"Wait up, Mom!"
Maybe a little too delighted.
Nothing like a mother's
gentle touch.
Like a lot of new moms,
Sky doesn't have patience
for dawdling.
"Come here, you.
Come here. "
"Yikes, Mom!
Not the teeth!"
"Oh!"
This doesn't hurt
little Scout, but still...
Sky has a bit to learn
when it comes to parenting.
Life was certainly easier when
she was just a single bear.
Now, she can only go
as fast as her cubs.
"Come on, you guys. "
She has good reason
to dish out a little tough love.
They have got an awful lot
of ground to cover.
And with every passing day,
the journey will
only get harder.
A walk in the warm sun
on a bright, spring day
may seem like fun,
but that warmth
starts the melt.
The snow that sheltered
them through the winter
becomes a deadly enemy.
Avalanche.
These massive monsters
reach speeds of up
to 80 miles an hour.
A wall of snow and ice
barreling over everything
in its path.
Sky and the cubs
were lucky this time,
but it's a good reminder
that they need to stay moving.
Amber's found a smart way
to keep up with her mom,
just hitch a ride.
Just gotta get
that toe in there.
There we go.
But Scout, being the
more adventurous one,
decides to explore
at his own pace.
They've been traveling
for over a week now,
and the climb is
only getting steeper.
As they climb their
final mountain,
Scout and Amber
try their best,
but it sure isn't easy.
They're finding themselves
a little on top of each other.
They've made it
to the summit.
The coast is now
within sight.
It's downhill all the
way from here.
The winter snow has melted
down by the Alaskan coast,
and all that green
offers the promise
of something to eat.
A quiet meadow.
Time for a little rest.
Amber's certainly
taking it easy.
This is one cub who really
likes staying close to mom.
But Scout acts like he's too
old to be carried around.
Bear rides are for babies.
Scout can't believe
what he is seeing.
"Other bears?"
"There are other
bears in the world?"
"Did everybody
know that?"
Sky did.
In fact, her mother brought her to
this meadow when she was little.
And she's been coming here
every summer since.
All these bears have come
down from the mountains.
They're starving.
What they really need is the
protein from loads of salmon.
But this will do in a pinch.
It's like settling
for a dirty salad.
Sky and Amber are exhausted
after their long journey.
But Scout, he is a little
too excited to sleep.
This place is crawling
with bears!
Scout is looking
for a role model.
Which bear will
he grow up to be?
He could be an angry bear.
Fighting all the time.
Seems like a lot of work.
No, no, these bears
are way too cuddly.
He definitely wants to be
tougher than this.
Scout's sure he'll find at least
one bear he can look up to.
"Well... "
"Maybe that... Nah. "
"Oh, come on. "
"Someone do something!"
"Huh?
Wow. "
"He looks fun at least. "
"Just one bear. "
"One bear who is the toughest,
coolest bear. "
"Anybody?
Hello?"
"You, sir... "
"Want to chase me?"
"No. You want to
lick a mosquito. "
"I thought that being
a bear would be,"
"I don't know,
more fierce. "
"Forget it. "
"This is downright
embarrassing. "
If a tough bear is
what Scout wants,
he's about to
meet just that.
Magnus.
This bear is huge.
At over 1,000 pounds,
he is three times
the size of Sky,
and this meadow is his turf.
He is confident, dominant,
and everyone knows
to stay out of his way.
Sky has to keep her cubs away
from big males like Magnus.
She'll have to find food
somewhere calmer.
As Magnus watches
over his domain,
it's clear he's got one thing
in particular on his mind.
Or one she-bear,
to be specific.
Magnus might have a half-ton
of weight to throw around,
but he's got no game.
Magnus, you're so obvious.
Put a little mystery into it!
Pick her some flowers from
the meadow or something.
See that walking away?
That's sort...
That's bear for
"No," I think.
I'm actually starting
to feel sorry for him.
Sky has found a quiet corner
of the meadow
to let her cubs nurse.
Scout and Amber are going
through a growth spurt,
and they need all the
milk they can get.
Tikani.
He's a gray wolf,
and the thief of the meadow.
These wolves know
a slow bear cub,
makes for a quick, easy meal.
This is why it's so
much harder for Sky
than the other bears.
She has to make sure
her cubs are always by her side.
Amber is about to
learn what happens,
when you ride a bear
without wearing your seatbelt.
Sky's found herself driven
to a remote, unfamiliar area.
The bad part of town.
The dangers reveal themselves
almost immediately.
This is Chinook.
The outcast.
Banished from the
meadow by Magnus,
Chinook has grown leaner,
meaner,
and more desperate for food.
Any food.
Even bear cubs.
There's nowhere to hide.
Sky must stand her ground.
Chinook's circling
is dangerous.
If Sky shows any weakness,
he will attack.
It worked.
Sky successfully
held her ground.
And Chinook continues
his hunt elsewhere.
Scout and Amber must be
pretty impressed with their mom.
At certain times of the year
a huge change comes
over the coast.
A vast area of mudflats
are exposed.
This muddy desert has hidden
treasures buried beneath.
Sky and the cubs
have gone way out
to the edge of the tide
to search for anything
that could count as calories.
Bears have an excellent
sense of smell.
Their noses are seven times
more sensitive than a bloodhound's.
Scout doesn't seem to get
what Mom's looking for.
Jackpot.
Sky pulls up a meaty clam.
It will help in the meantime,
but one or two clams,
even a dozen,
aren't nearly enough.
Sky needs her
cubs to stay close.
She's following the low
tide a long way out.
But Scout's not worried.
He'd rather enjoy his
first day at the beach.
Amber chooses to
stay close to Mom.
It looks a little less,
well, ridiculous.
But Scout doesn't care.
He likes this sand stuff.
"Watch this somersault!"
"Well, it was a
half somersault. "
"Amber, look at me!
I'm a mud monster!"
"Real mature, Scout.
Real mature. "
"No, come on! It's fun!"
"Why is this bird always
following us around"
"no matter where we go?"
"I'm gonna go ask him. "
"Hey, bird!"
"Hey, where did you
get those fish?"
Sky and Amber enjoy some
mother-daughter bonding time.
Scout's learning that
sand tastes bad.
Both cubs,
in their own way,
are loving their first
day at the beach.
But Sky can't afford
too much time playing.
She's got to keep searching
for clams while the tide is out.
Wherever Sky goes,
the raven follows.
The raven can spot an
opportunity from way up high,
while the bears got a nose
for finding hidden food.
An unusual partnership,
but it works.
"Hey, Mom, how do you open
one of these things, anyway?"
"Mom!"
"Never mind, I got it. I'm fine. "
"My claw has...
Mom, the... "
"Well, what do you do if your
claw gets stuck in the clam?"
"Let go. "
"Mom, it's stuck in my claw!"
"What are you
looking at, bird?"
"This is how I carry it. "
"Just walk it over here. Just taking
my clam for a walk, that's all. "
"Let go of my claw, clam!"
"Let go!"
"I didn't want that
clam anyway. "
Sky and the cubs are far from the
shore when the tide starts to turn.
Sky is trying to get as
much food as she can
before the water
covers up the mud.
Scout doesn't know what's
about to happen to the tide.
He's just tired
from a long day.
And now, they are
surrounded by water.
Freezing cold water.
When Sky finally heads
back to the shore,
she assumes both her cubs
are close behind.
It's a mistake.
Scout is too tired
to keep going.
Amber notices that Scout isn't
just dawdling this time.
He's asleep.
When Scout wakes up,
he sees he's stranded
far from the shore.
He desperately
calls for his mother.
And she calls back.
Urging him to hurry.
The current is much
stronger now,
and Scout is really struggling
to get back on land.
Scout stayed tough and
made it safely to the shore.
And the cubs, well,
they look pretty happy
to see each other.
As the weeks progress,
the weather warms,
and the mudflats are
no longer so exposed.
Time to head back
to the meadow,
where it's bursting
with color.
Scout and Amber are bonding during
these early days of summer,
while their mother watches
from a safe distance.
With no fish nearby,
it's back to eating grass.
Scout is less
than impressed.
By this time of year,
everything tastes a little stale and dry.
With food in such
short supply,
even the female bears
are getting a little cranky.
These fierce head-to-heads
may be short,
but they are becoming
more frequent.
It's getting tense.
The cubs know something
feels wrong.
There's nowhere to hide.
Everyone is watching them.
Seeing her cubs
getting nervous,
Sky goes to their
side to protect them.
Magnus.
And this time,
he's really hungry.
He's spotted the cubs.
Sky must quickly
decide what to do.
She runs, hoping
to find safety.
It's a choice,
she will soon regret.
Chinook!
Round two and
ready to fight.
He takes off
after them.
Chinook is much
stronger than Sky,
but she'll fight with
everything she's got
to give her cubs
a chance to escape.
The cubs make a run for it.
Sky tries to
lead him away,
but instead of
following her,
Chinook heads straight
for the cubs.
He knows they can't
have gotten far.
Chinook's powerful
sense of smell
tells him the cubs are
hiding in the logs.
But which ones?
Sky is desperately searching
for her cubs.
Amber.
But no sign of Scout.
Amber doesn't want to leave the
meadow without her brother.
But Sky knows they need
to keep moving.
Chinook could come back
at any moment.
She still has Amber
to protect,
no matter how much she
wants to look for Scout.
It's not an easy decision.
There he is!
Back together again.
Sky knows another
spot up the coast
her mother took
her to long ago.
As she leads
her cubs there,
she must be hoping her
luck will start changing.
Midsummer brings longer
days and a new place to feed.
While Sky and the cubs are
moving to a safer place to eat
the rest of the bears leave the
meadow, and head for the shore.
Chinook is already here.
And so is Magnus.
For now, they wait,
and wait.
It's salmon!
The first opportunity to fish.
It has been a full year
since the bears went fishing.
Looks like they're a bit rusty.
"I got it!
I got it!"
"I... I had it. "
"These are really
slippery fish. "
Only Magnus has
dignity here.
Magnus doesn't
have to fish,
because he has a plan.
He's going to take
whatever Chinook catches.
"Yeah, that's it, Chinook. "
"Get me that fish. "
"Good bear. "
Magnus moves in.
Magnus ultimately wins,
and Chinook can
only limp away
watching his hard-earned meal
go to someone else's stomach.
Chinook won't forget this.
Far from the danger of the
crowded salmon beach,
Sky and her cubs are still searching
for a quiet place to feed.
Scout gets distracted
by the tiniest things,
slowing them down.
They're being followed.
Tikani has sensed
an opportunity.
If he's quiet enough,
he can snatch
a dawdling cub.
Scout attacks!
Tikani wants Scout
to follow him.
Get him alone.
But Sky stays close.
Only Sky can
chase Tikani off.
This mama bear's keeping
a good eye on her cubs.
Tikani's usual tricks
aren't working,
but that doesn't
mean he's giving up.
Just a few miles
up the coast
Sky follows the
raven's call
to a very special place.
A hidden sanctuary
where the bears can
let down their guard.
Nice find, Mr. Raven.
Good eye.
Sky must be worried
about her milk supply.
If she doesn't eat tons of salmon
by the end of the summer,
she won't have enough fat stored up
to feed Scout and Amber
through next
winter's hibernation.
The cubs could starve to death
right beside her in the den.
Sky knows that
before too long
she will have to brave
the salmon beach.
But first, she has a little treat
to show her cubs.
When the tide goes out,
the ocean becomes
a secret restaurant,
serving up mussel-covered
rocks.
It's all-you-can-eat,
but you have to eat carefully.
The cubs seem
completely confused.
"Is it supposed to
taste like this?"
"This is really crunchy. "
But Sky knows that a good
claw-full is worthwhile.
She uses her powerful paws
to expose a hidden snack.
Rock eels.
These shy little fish are
not exactly salmon,
but they're better
than nothing.
Scout thinks he has
the muscles for the job.
While Amber lets her mother
do all the heavy lifting.
And the clever raven
collects his reward.
"Hey, that was mine. "
"I was saving that!"
It is a lot of work,
but there's nothing else
on the menu right now.
Ouch!
Back at the beach,
the salmon have finally
arrived in large numbers.
This is what the bears have
been waiting for all summer.
The sea is bubbling with fish,
and their massive numbers
make them much
easier to catch.
This is where Sky and her
cubs need to be, and soon.
They're already
missing out.
Chinook's not letting anyone
swipe a fish from him this time.
Without Magnus around,
he's got more than a mouthful.
Even Tikani is here,
testing out his fishing skills.
It's harder than it looks.
And there's no mistaking the
inexperienced ones out here.
Then it's just a matter
of eating your catch
before someone else does.
Hurry up, little guy!
Run!
You know when a wolf's
walking like that,
he's up to something.
Head down,
slow and steady.
The thief at work.
Impressive.
And he didn't even
get his tail wet.
After months of being on the
constant hunt for salmon,
it seems almost impossible that
the bears can be too full to eat.
But that's exactly
what's happening here.
So very full.
And interested in...
I don't know
what he's doing.
Suddenly everyone's
very itchy.
This guy looks like my dad
when he's watching TV.
"Hey, who changed
the channel?"
"I was watching that. "
Sky and her cubs aren't the
only ones on a journey here.
The salmon are
merely waiting
before they can start
heading upriver to spawn.
They've spent the entire
winter out in the salty ocean,
and it will take a few
weeks for their bodies
to adapt to fresh water.
They hang around the shallow
river mouth behind the beach,
hidden from where
the bears have been hunting.
Sky is the first to get here,
and she's got the
place all to herself.
It's a huge amount of fish.
She has to take advantage
of the situation now,
but she knows it's risky
to leave the cubs.
She's only got so much time
before the other bears arrive.
She'll hunt much more
efficiently if she goes it alone.
She decides it's
worth the risk.
The cubs try to
defend themselves
while calling for
their mother's help.
But they can't
do it alone.
Sky rushes back,
and Tikani retreats.
Sky has taken her cubs to every
spot she knows on the coast
with no luck.
There are other
secret places upstream,
hidden spots like
the Golden Pond
that are sometimes
filled with fish.
But they're hard to find,
and the climb is steep.
Sky doesn't have
much choice,
she needs to find somewhere
to feed before it's too late.
For the salmon, it's been
two weeks in the river mouth,
and they're now used
to the fresh water.
Their journey upstream
can finally begin.
It's an almost
unbelievable mission.
They're trying to return to the exact
same place where they were hatched.
They rely on
chemical cues,
the taste of the water,
to tell them exactly where to go.
Some travel up
to 30 miles upriver
against a relentless current.
And often, the waterfalls are
just too steep to let them pass.
Unable to swim any higher,
these salmon will
just have to wait
in the plunge pools below.
This is where the
salmon are headed.
Calm, shallow waters that offer
the perfect place to lay their eggs.
Sky and the cubs have
just arrived, too.
They've spent the
past two weeks
climbing their way
to this lonely spot.
Sky is shockingly thin.
She's hoping she's made it
for the salmon's first arrival
to these quiet waters.
But her timing is
heartbreakingly off.
The fish are still stuck
in the pools below.
There's nothing to eat.
It looks like this time
the raven was wrong.
They may be soaking
wet and freezing,
but the rain actually
gives Sky
and the cubs some
much-needed hope.
The downpour causes
the water levels to rise
giving the salmon the exact push
they need to get back on track.
Yes!
They've made it.
Sky knows the
salmon are coming.
She can almost
taste them.
Sky searches.
Where are they?
It's her first fish
of the season.
And the cubs finally get
to taste salmon.
Scout takes his to go.
But Amber Cuddles up for a
little mother-daughter sushi date.
"Mom, salmon is my
new favorite food. "
"Let's never have
mussels again. "
The only problem
with salmon is
they don't stay in
one place for long.
They're still on
their journey.
Sky knows where
they're headed,
and it's a place
far too dangerous
for a mother
with young cubs.
With no other options,
she has to find
the Golden Pond.
These are the Great Falls.
Only the biggest and
baddest come here.
Thousands of salmon pass
through these falls,
for just a few short weeks
at the end of summer.
If you want to
catch a fat fish,
you've got to be
in the right place
at the right time.
And even then, well...
...there's no guarantee.
Magnus is an old pro.
Just open your mouth.
The competition for the best
fishing spot is intense.
Chinook wants Magnus'
prime position.
But he's forgotten
how powerful Magnus is.
Time for a little reminder.
Chinook surrenders.
And Magnus remains the
undisputed ruler of the Great Falls.
Sky and the cubs have found
a peaceful place
deep in the woods,
upriver from the Great Falls.
Summer is almost over,
and with the promise of fall,
the cubs are already growing
their thick winter coats.
With hardly any salmon,
Sky hasn't had a
chance to build up
her fat reserves
for the winter.
With no food,
Sky's milk will
definitely dry up
and Scout and Amber
won't make it
through hibernation.
Poor Sky.
She tried hard all year to be
a good mom and keep her cubs safe.
She's lost and
totally exhausted,
but she still doesn't want
to give up the fight.
If only she knew,
she's almost there.
Just a short walk away.
This is the Golden Pond,
where Sky wanted
to take her cubs.
In certain years, salmon gather
here in unimaginable numbers.
The raven calls,
asking Sky to follow.
Sky can hardly
believe her eyes.
So many bears,
peacefully gathered.
Safe and welcoming.
And more salmon than she and
the cubs can shake a paw at.
With all this salmon,
the cubs will grow fat,
and Sky will be able to keep
them going through the winter.
Sky's long,
difficult journey is finally over.
Turns out that tough bear
Scout was looking for
was right by his side,
all along.
As winter approaches,
all the bears begin their trek
back up the mountains.
Scout and Amber will rely on their
mother for the next two years,
growing stronger with
each passing season.
Before the dark days
of winter arrive,
every bear must return
to the high peaks
to dig their dens
for hibernation.
And for the next
six months,
all the bears will
remain asleep
under a deep
blanket of snow.
There goes Chinook.
He survived another year.
And the mighty Magnus gives
one last look over his domain.
They say the first year
of parenting is the hardest.
But Sky was patient
and determined.
She never stopped caring.
And her reward?
Eight little paws following her
back up the mountain
for a long, winter's nap.
Go around.
Go around.
Go around.
Hey, bear.
Good.
Right there.