Skolai Images

Hey Folks,

Here’s another image from Moraine Lake, a couple of tourists enjoying the view, lakeside, of Wenkchmena Peaks and Moraine Lake. Banff National Park is a sweet place, with an incredible array of photographic opportunities and interesting subjects to shoot. I could go up to Moraine Lake a thousand times and not get bored with that view, I reckon. It does get a little sticky, inundated with bus loads of tourists as the day goes by, but early in the morning there’s usually very few people there.

One of the cool things about Banff National Park, for the nature photographer, is there are so many simply awesome scenes that are super-accessible. Just a short walk off the road and you’ve got this incredible scene. For the more adventurous traveller, there’s a ton of hikes and trails to explore and places to get into the backcountry and away from it all, which is great too, but for some really easy access, Banff National Park is the spot. Moraine Lake is just one of the places among literally dozens of scenic opportunities. I’ll try to post a few more along the way.

Cheers

Carl

Banff National Park Photos.

Hey Folks

Here’s another image from the Canadian Rockies - immortalized on the Canadian $20 bill. Moraine Lake is one of the classic views of the Canadian Rockies, indeed, of anywhere. It’s a special place. The lake is most likely mis-named - it’s probably not a moraine that formed it at all, but a rock slide. The peaks that tower above the inviting turquoise lake are called the Wenkchemna Peaks. “Wenkchemna” is the Stoney Indian word for 10. The Stoney Indians lived in the area, and guided early European settlers and explorers in the region.

Samuel Allen and Walter Wilcox were 2 of the first European explorers in the area, and they’re generally credited with much of the initial exploration of the Canadian Rockies - given, of course, that various Indian Nations already lived there, and had done so for centuries, and called the place home. Wilcox was especially fond of Moraine Lake and Wenkchemna Peaks, (more…)

Hey Folks,

I was going to write tonight about another company that I’ve had great dealings with, and do a little plug for them, but I’ve changed my mind. The news has been all about the Exxon Valdez case, so maybe I’ll make a few notes here about this subject. For those of you who haven’t been following it (and I haven’t followed this latest round too closely), the US Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments from Exxon and the plaintiffs, folks from the the Prince William Sound, Alaska area, specifically concerning punitive damages. I’m no lawyer, so my comments are worth the price you’re paying to read them - but I’ll share them here regardless.

In late March 1989 the Exxon Valdez oil tanker dumped nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound. These estimates come largely from simple math - 53 million (the number of gallons originally onboard), minus what was later reclaimed from the vessel equalled 10.8 million gallons missing, i.e., spilled. Many watch groups argue these estimates, though widely accepted, are underreported, because much of the oil recovered from the ship was diluted with sea water. The accident occurred, investigations found, primarily because the ship’s captain was drunk and sleeping at the time. (more…)

Hey Folks

Here’s an image loooking south towards the eastern edge of the Chugach Mountains, in Wrangell - St. Elias National Park. The glacial moraine in the foreground is the edge of the Kennecott Glacier. I’d hoped to get up to Kennecott early this particular morning and catch some alpenglow on Mount Blackburn, which I did, but a pesky cloud obscured the very peak of the mountain, and I need get back there and reshoot the images. It was kinda frustrating, to be sure, catching a magnificent peak like Blackburn (16 390′ high) in awesome light, before dawn, glowing magenta and red, and not quite be able to see the peak. I’ve made 3 attempts so far, once it was completely clouded in, this time, and the last time it as minus 45deg F - the snowmachine I borrowed wouldn’t start - well, after it DID start, via a preheater (hairdryer plugged into a generator-powered AC socket) and an extra battery, warmed in my cabin the night before, it took 30 minutes just to get it warmed up enough to turn the tracks, by which time I’d missed the light I was looking for. Maybe sometime soon I’ll get another crack at it - the last week or 2 every morning was overcast enough that I knew Blackburn wouldn’t be visible.

Hopefully I’ll be back in the park soon, and get to do some more shooting.

Cheers

Carl

Hey Folks

Well, it’s been a nervous last few days, but here I am in Anchorage. I managed, through sheer luck, to get all the way back to town with no real drama. A little tweaking of cables and a lot of grace, and my van started, and drove me and my buddy Charlie and his 2 dogs, Keba and Musa, all the way back to Anchorage. I’m still in a little bit of shock. My van seems to have some kind of mystery virus, that nobody is able to diagnose. There’s a possibility, one mechanic told me, that it’s as simple as 2 cables poorly soldered together. Which 2 remains anyone’s guess.

I’ll be here (hopefully only) a few days, and then head back to the cabin. (more…)

hey Folks

Well, I’m back in the woods, living the quiet life. This image is from a trip I made up to kennecott a few weeks back, hoping to get a nice morning shot of Mt. Blackburn. I had no luck with Blackburn, so I shot Donoho Peak, instead, along with various other images. This is Root Glacier in the foreground.

It’s been pretty cold here the last few days, so I haven’t spent much time on the computer .. the owners of the house are away, and so the house has no heat. I come over, check my email, (solar power!) and head back to my cabin. Today I turned on a little propane heater, which I’m nearly sitting on, and it’s still freezing! The days are unbelievably clear, but it’s way cold. What’s most frustrating to me is how nothing seems to work well in the cold. The tripod legs stick, the camera fogs up ( I couoldn’t even read the historgram yesterday), ad infinitum.I can’t imagine what it must be like trying to start and deal with an automobile.

I’m heading back to the cabin to get warm.

Cheers

Carl

Hey Folks,

OK, here’s another trivia; these 2 mountains, Mt Drum on the left and Mt Sanford on the right, are volcanic mountains. Mt Sanford is a shield volcano. Shield volcanos are the result of low viscosity lava flows (free flowing) that build up over time - the lava flows and flows, hardens, flows, etc, and the mountains gradually grow. They tend to have a lower profile with shallow, kind of sloping sides .. they become broader mountains, typically, and are sometimes mistaken to be entire mountain ranges.
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Hey Folks,

Here’s an image I took one of my first afternoons in the park this last time. I headed out from the cabin around 2pm, and took this maybe 45 minutes later.I was back in the cabin by 4pm, well after sunset had faded. The days are getting longer now, and I’m keen to spend some more time poking around the hills seeing what I can find. Hopefully we’ll get some more snow soon, as a few windy nights had blown most of it off the trees and shrubs right before I left. Most of the snow, it seemed, landed on the road, making the drive out somewhat, uhhmm, memorable.

The mountain on the left is Porphyry Mountain, which rises above McCarthy, and that is the tip of Sourdough Peak off in the background, which lies southeast of McCarthy, overlooking the Nizina River before it enters the Chitina River. Sourdough Peak is the one I posted a photo of the rock glacier from recently. The riverbed I’m looking over here is the Kennecott River.

Cheers

Carl

Hey Folks,

Here’s a closer look at the same mountains, Mount Drum, Mount Sanford, Mount Zanetti and Mount Wrangell. This is a panoramic image - click on the single frame and will open the full size photo for you - the finished photo is I think 8 horizontal frames stitched together in Photoshop - which means this sucker will print up H-U-G-E! Hopefully this does the view some form of justice.

Cheers

Carl

Hey Folks,

Just got back into town for a brief respite, some catchup work, and I’ll try to post a few photos. This one from the trip home this afternoon. I think there is no grander vista in all of North America than the Wrangell Mountain Range from Willow Lake. I can’t think of another place where one can see so many really big mountains - all of these are over 12 000′, and haven’t included Mt Blackburn, a little to the south (right) which is 16 500′.

It was REALLY cold here, and is expected to get down to -37˚ F this evening, hence I took some photos and then jumped in my (heated) van and headed to Anchorage. But I’ll be back, soon.

For now, I’m headed to bed. I’ll write a catch up post tomorrow.

G’nite.

Cheers

Carl