Skolai Images

hey Folks,

Well, this one is not from our last trip. This photo is of the Hubbard Glacier, from my trip in June down to SouthEast Alaska. The Hubbard is a well-known glacier, because it’s one of the most calvingest glaciers in the world. The Hubbard Glacier is over 70 miles long, reaching from it’s beginnings along the face of Mt. Logan, all the way to the Pacific Ocean, at Disenchantment Bay and the Russell Fjord. Lots of cruise ships pull in for a view, but because of the abundant icebergs in the bay, they keep their distance. Icebergs the size of a 10-story building frequently fall from the face of the Hubbard Glacier, not something one wants to be to close to. (more…)

Hey Folks,

Some of you may have read my recent piece on the proposals to drill for oil and gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. You can read it here. For those of you who aren’t aware, another hot issue with proposals to drill is the off-shore sites, in the arctic ocean. We were keen to explore this possibility as well, as the testing we did on the coastal plain really showed how magical this arctic oil is. However, howling winds and chilly temperatures proved that off-shore drilling simply isn’t possible. Any deeper than this in the arctic ocean and nothing would be the same afterward. So we said “No”, to off-shore drilling.

Cheers

Carl

Hey Folks,

Here’s a look at the effects of global warming on the arctic shoreline. The coastline here is disappearing, rapidly, due to the melting permafrost underneath. 2 years ago there was a reasonably wide swathe of sand along this shoreline. Now the shoreline has collapsed, and the sandy beach is gone.

Cheers

Carl

Hey Folks,

Mark knows his stuff. I’d never have got this photo of the Hubbard Glacier calving without his knowledge. He looked at the wall and said ‘that’s gunna go, soon’ .. so we waited. And sure enough, a few small pieces of ice started to fall. I shot a bit, and few more started to fall. I shot a bit more. Thinking ‘that was cool’, I started to ease up. Mark says “get ready”. I’m smart enough to know he knows what’s up, so I get ready; seconds later this huge wall lets go. This wall is approx 150′ high. To witness such a blast was amazing. I got some nice shots of the wall falling, then the camera lost focus in the splash - the autofocus just couldn’t grab onto anything, and I was too useless to do anything about it. (more…)

hey Folks,

As I said, Mark got us closer. And Closer. This photo is of Gilbert Point, famous because the glacier has advanced enough at times past that it closed the gap, and dammed up Russell Fjord, which sits behind the gap - around to the right in this photo, behind the cliff face. The Hubbard Glacier has been advancing pretty rapidly recently, and in 2002 it closed off Gilbert Point. This had occurred previously in 1986. It essentially turns Russell Fjord into a giant dam, stranding wildlife in the area, including whales, sea lions, fish, etc. Eventually the pressure builds up enough that the dam bursts, and water flows out of the strait at some insane volumes - (more…)

Hey Folks,

So ya can’t go to Yakutat without a trip up to get some Hubbard Glacier photos. I wanted to do a flight-seeing trip to shoot this glacier, but the light wasn’t that great. And when the light was great, I was out at the beach. I need to get back down there and shoot some stuff of this glacier from the air to complement the images I got from lower down. The Hubbard is one of the most visited glaciers in Wrangell - St. Elias - you can’t really do a book on Wrangell - St. Elias National Park without at least some photos from the Hubbard Glacier.
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Hey Folks,

The sun was still setting northwest of me, but the color toward the south was nice. I tried a few different shutter speeds, trying to get a nice blur of the waves. Shooting here was a great experience .. I really had a great time, alone on the beach, just enjoying the play of the surf. A beautiful place.

Cheers

Carl

Hey Folks,

Here’s a look at some of the pebbles and stones washed up on the beach at Point Carrew, a famous surfing beach near Yakutat. On a clear day, the view from here across Disenchantment Bay towards the Malaspina Glacier and Mt. St. Elias is second to none! On this evening, clouds to the northwest meant the view was stifled - I could see the pyramid like peak of St. Elias poking out above the clouds, but it wasn’t such a great photo. I liked this little collection of pebbles and rocks.

Cheers

Carl

Hey Folks,

I do enjoy the beach. Especially late in the day. This was after I’d returned from the debacle at Icy Bay and was wondering what I’d do with the rest of my time - I wasn’t scheduled to return back to Anchorage for a week, so I tooled around at the beach for a while - that’s usually a pretty good option, I reckon. Especially on days like this.

Cheers

Carl

Hey Folks,

Here’s another image, pre-bear, from Icy Bay. This afternoon I paddled my still inflated kayak over to this little island and hung out. Beautiful spot for a rest. The lupine just COVERED the island, it was really cool how much more intense the lupine ere on the island than everywhere else. They were awesome. As the afternoon grew, a big storm seemed to be kicking up to the southwest, and I grew concerned about being stuck and not making it back to camp - the boat is not really made for a paddle in rough water. So I packed up and headed back .. sure enough, the storm abated, and the evening grew calmer than ever, and I really wished I’d stayed out to catch some warmer light. But sometimes one takes what one gets.

This is another view of Mt. St. Elias from the Taan Fjord, Icy Bay, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park.

Cheers

Carl