What it's like to go bear viewing on Kodiak Island with Alutiiq guides at the remote Kodiak Brown Bear Center and Lodge in Alaska.

The stars are bigger than ever, but the annual contest is about more than which bear packed on the most pounds before hibernation.

Key takeaways: Outside contributor Gwen Pratesi shares a first-hand look at what it’s like to track the world’s largest bear—the Kodiak bear—in Alaska with Alutiiq guides whose ancestors have ...