Skolai Images

Hey Folks,

Here’s another from the Tana River sand dunes. We were basecamped in the area, day hiking up, down, and around the region. Every morning we’d walk right past this little willow bush to our kitchen, and then back again to our camp. Every night we’d do the same. I kept thinking “I gotta shoot that bush, it’s SO cool”. One afteroon I did - I wish I could’ve got a little higher, to get a little more separation between the top of the bush and the shrubs in the background, but this was all I could manage.

Cheers

Carl

Hey Folks,

Here’s another image from the Tana Glacier - this one from our afternoon hiking around on the ice. We kinda found this little blue tarn by accident - I hadn’t seen it from the air, and didn’t see it at all until I nearly walked right into it. I hiked over this little crest and right beneath me is this incredible blue pond. I took a few images here, but it was drizzling rain most of the time, so I moved on up the glacier towards an ice cave I had seen from afar. In hindsight, I wish I’d spent more time at the tarn - the colors and patterns to be had were infinite.

Glaciers really are a pot pourri for a photographer - they offer such an array of compositions, from close intimate abstract shots of patterns and colors to wider, expansive landscapes. They’re cool to shoot (now that’s a good pun! ) from the air, and they’re great to shoot from on foot. This was my first time on the Tana Glacier, and it’s funny how each glacier has his/her own personality - they’re tons of fun. But it can also be dangerous to explore them, so if you head out in glacier country, be careful.

Cheers

Carl

hey Folks,

Here’s one of the few images I’ve made this summer with blue sky! This particular afternoon we got a little light, and I hiked and photographed as much as I could. Of course, by the time the light started to get really warm, low cloud rolled in from the southwest and all went flat again.

I like this scene, with the sand dunes undulating beneath the spires of Thompson Ridge. Ross Green Lake lies between the green willow-covered ridge in the middle ground and the jagged crags of Thompson Ridge beyond.

Cheers

Carl

Hey Folks,

Here’s another image from the recent trip to Ross Green Lake. This one from down on the riverbed, looking across the sand dunes toward the ridge to the north-east and the rich fall colors there. The myriad different tones and colors on display were enticing - unfortunately the brush is not quite as welcoming to walk through as it is inviting to do so.

Fall is over way too quickly here in Alaska (like summer) and I’m keen to get back to the park and capture some more photos of the great fall colors this year.

Cheers

Carl

Hey Folks,

Here’s another aerial photo I took, right before we landed at Ross Green Lake. This is the terminus of the Tana Glacier. It used to be possible to hike from Ross Green Lake, east of here (to the left) across the glacier, and around to Iceberg Lake. As you can see from this photo, the Tana Glacier has become an array of crevasses - not something one can easily, or safely, hike across. The route hasn’t been hiked in a few years. I wish I had an opportunity this trip to explore it a little more, and possibly find a new route across. It looked to me, from the air, like it was possible slightly to the north of here, but I can’t say without hiking it first, or at least a good look from the ground - from the air, in a place as vast as this, perspective is everything, and things are often not as they appear to be; the scale is so hard to gauge.

I like the story this photo tells - of the place of ice and water on rock, and how this stuff works. Look at the rock in the foreground, and the debris surrounding it, torn, cracked, splintered and shattered by power of the ice and a little gravity. In the background, you can clearly see a medial moraine, running down between the seam of 2 glaciers that run together off the great Bagley Icefield to create the Tana Glacier.

I did get to hike, one afternoon, down from our camp to the Tana Glacier and walk around it a bit. it’s amazing being on the ice. I’ll post some photos from that hike later.

Cheers

Carl

Hey Folks,

Here’s a second post for today. I’m trying to see if I’ve fixed a few things that have suddenly been messing with my blog - darn pesky hackers! So here goes:

I just finished a trip to Ross Green Lake, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park - we basecamped near the lake, and spent our days exploring the valley, the nearby Tana Glacier, and photographing the fall colors. The weather wasn’t the best - a day in the rain on a chunk of ice that’s part of the largest non-polar ice field in the world is a rough gig. But we did have a good time. This image is of a small valley that runs down to the Tana River valley, show from the plane as we flew to Ross Green Lake. I hadn’t even landed for our trip and I already got some nice photos. Flying around Wrangell - St. Elias National Park is a real treat, and I’m fortunate that I get to do it as often as I do. It’s simply amazing to view from the air.

Cheers

Carl

Hey Folks,

Here’s another image from the Harry’s Gulch section of the Bremner Mines to Tebay Lakes trip we did in August. This is Svetlana, or Sveta, as she hiked past me on the ridgeline. We decided a little further on that we were a tad high, and the sidehilling was a little slow, so we descended to easier walking down along the valley floor. A good decision, but I’m sure glad we spent time up high too - great views back east through the Chugach Mountains. (more…)

Hey Folks,

Sunset on our 2nd last night of the Iceberg Lake to Bremner trip. We’d just wrapped up a tasty dinner, and I saw the clouds start to break a little. The valley we were camped in began to glow and I headed back to the tent to grab my camera. I shot this looking down towards the Bremner River, as I liked the deep rich color of the sky. I was hoping the cloud would get a little more color as the sun sank lower, but alas, it wasn’t to be so.

Cheers

Carl

Hey Folks,

Here’s an image from the recent Bremner Mines to Tebay Lakes trip we did. This one is of a small waterfall we passed by as we paralleled the East Fork of the Little Bremner River, heading west down out of the pass at Harry’s Gulch. This was definitely one of the coolest sections of the hike. The night before we camped on a grassy bench just below the pass, had a visit at dinner time from a grizzly bear, and then enjoyed a really delightful walk down the valley. The stream grew larger and larger as other tributaries ran into it - up at the head of the pass it was a fraction of the size it was here. Shortly after we stopped for this scene, we had a creek crossing of our own. The first of 2 that required some caution. Fortunately everyone did great, and nobody took a dunking - just as well, because there were some nasty falls downstream that could’ve been problematic - like, really problematic.

Anyway, we had a great day hiking down the valley. This scene really caught my eye, and the creek washed into a tight deep ravine just below here as well, which was pretty cool. At the end of the day we camped high on a ridge with iews back up this valley - pretty sweet (not as sweet as my usual campsites, but someone else chose this one - I’m sure they’ll let it be known who).

I’m heading back to the park for another week, so I’ll schedule some posts for the interim and then reply when I return - stay tuned.

Cheers

Carl

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…)