Juneau man grateful to be alive after he's mauled by a bear

Kenneth Steck doesn't know why a large brown bear that charged and mauled him in the thick brush near the Southeast Alaska town of Yakutat stopped its attack. Steck came to believe he may die in those brief moments, and he told God he accepted that outcome.

"I remember thinking 'My wife is losing her husband,' and then I thought 'God, if you're calling me home, I'm willing,' " said Steck Wednesday during an interview in a family member's East Anchorage home, where he is recovering after being hospitalized at Providence Alaska Medical Center for four days.

Originally from a Chicago suburb, Steck came to the state four years ago after enrolling in the outdoor studies program at Alaska Pacific University. His courses, including lessons about bear safety, have carried over into his exploration of his new home.

Kenneth and his wife, Hannah Steck, were visiting friends and family in Yakutat last week from their home in Juneau. Eight of them headed for Disenchantment Bay on May 12; the Stecks wanted to explore somewhere they'd never been. The group traveled using a 22-foot aluminum skiff and set up camp on a gravel bar on the east side of Calahonda Creek.