Day 3, June 16, 2014, 18 miles hiking along the Ribdon River No packraft crossings today. 18 miles backpacking. A 7 day, 170 mile wilderness hiking trip along the Ribdon River valley and packraft down the Ivishak and Sagavanirktok rivers, Alaska’s Brooks Range, June 14-20. Hiking on day 3 was mainly along the broad, braided river bed of the Ribdon River.…
During my early summer photo ventures into Alaska’s Arctic, I’ve collected qiviut from the willow bushes along the tundra. What is qiviut? It is the super soft undercoating of the muskox. In June, as the summer warmth comes to the Arctic, the muskox shed their winter coat. I’ll be traveling to the Arctic a handful…
Stepping outside of my house to views like this is one of the many reasons I enjoy living in Fairbanks, Alaska, and yes, even through the dark and cold winters. Natural beauty is a tonic to the soul, and I find that embracing the seasons and getting outside regardless of the conditions, cultivates an awareness…
While scouting a possible location for aurora photography, I came across this scene in the Brooks Range of Alaska. It has some promise for a future time, but the wispy clouds at the time added a gentle feeling to the scene so I took a moment to make a landscape photo. A very strong landscape…
In Alaska’s high Arctic in October, one can photograph all day under beautiful light. That is, if you get the light. The north coast is often cloudy, foggy, and under the immersion of seasonal change from autumn to winter. Clouds are the norm. However, we had some great splashes of light on a recent photo…
Sable Pass is the first of four, nearly 4,000 ft. (1,292m) mountain passes that you cross on the 90 mile stretch of Denali Park Road. I took this picture in August while visiting the park during a very cloudy and rainy period. Denali looms off in the clouded mountain background, not visible in this picture.…
One thing I love about Alaska is it’s mountains. And mountains usually mean weather, drama, wind, and all of the paradoxical beauty and ferocity that goes along with that. While it is pretty common knowledge that mountains change elevation over time, I found it interesting in the news today that Mount McKinley, locally known as…
Finally, it is time to say goodbye to winter in Alaska’s interior and welcome the warmer weather, even though we have set a record for the latest spring green up in recorded history. Snow is melting quickly and soon some color will fill the landscape. I chose this photo of a bird’s wing prints in…
While going through some old image files, I had to pause when looking at pictures I took in the Arrigetch Peaks a few years ago. That region is one of the coolest places I’ve seen on planet earth. Looking at this picture of me, taken by my friend Amy Johnson, put my mind back in…
This is not the first time I’ve shared similar pictures, but I’m compelled to put them out there as an exhortation to respect the beautiful Alaska that many of us call home. These pictures are a common sight along the James Dalton Highway, designated one of Alaska’s scenic byways. The highway transects remote areas and the few…