Alaska adventure! Randy Hartnell, left, and Dave Hamburg, co-founders of Vital Choice Wild Seafood & Organics, kayaking off the tip of Baranof Islands in Alaska. Their company is entirely focused on sustainable fishing practices for fresh wild salmon.

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Alaska is not for the faint of heart. We were in a cove off of Admiralty Island and the best way to view wildlife is via kayak. I teamed with my friend Andre Fasciola. This was a surprisingly intense cardio workout.

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Our Alaskan adventure, mapped out.

Walking on the water's edge. From right to left, this is John Pisto, Captain Dennis Rogers, and I on Baranof Island. The morning we cruised into the island's harbor, we saw several adult grizzly bears feasting on salmon in this exact location.

John Pisto, professional chef and host of Monterey's Cookin' Pisto Style, is always on the lookout for fresh ingredients, even in bear country here on Baranof Island. I think he found some wild edible mushrooms in these weeds.

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These are grizzly tracks--only a few hours old. Nothing like being at the bottom of the food chain to restore your humility.

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We were lucky enough to witness a truly awe-inspiring event. A pod of humpback whales encircled a school of fish with a ring of bubbles, a behavior known as bubble-net feeding. The whales were so close, we could smell their breath from our kayaks.

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