Hey Folks,
I must admit; I really like shooting the patterns the windblown snow makes on the ground in the winter. They can be some pretty cool patterns. This frozen lake, covered in over 3′ of snow (deeper in some places, with drifts) was a nice place to wander around on and look for images.
The setting sun faded slowly across the lake, and I chased it’s light from shore to shore as it slipped into the night. Continue reading
Hey Folks,
Here’s a REAL snowshoe hare photo, taken on my recent sojourn to the northern side of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. I was very surprised at how little sign of snowshoe hares there was in this area – negligible. Everywhere else, it seems, the woods are crawling with them. This is at, or close to, the peak of the cycle for snowshoe hares; a 10 year population fluctuation that seems to be pretty consistent.
Sometimes the cycle might be 9 years, or 11, but it’s not usually far off. The population rises steadily, then faster, peaks, and falls drastically, almost completely, in a single year. Ecologists aren’t sure as to what causes the drop in numbers, Continue reading
Hey Folks,
Normally I wouldn’t post a photo of an animal with its head buried under the snow. But, for caribou, this is winter life. Caribou feed on lichens and grasses, and those lie buried, often deep beneath snow’s crust for the long winter months.
Caribou have a few options to eke out their winter, and a heavy snow pack in the winter can be a tough gig for them; finding food is a mission and avoiding predators, namely, the wolf, an equally difficult, if not critical, task. So they’ll typically seek high ground, Continue reading
Hey Folks,
Life has a way, all too often, of providing us with little (or large) lessons on what we need to work on. Communication is something that all of us frequently do poorly, and here’s a good example of that, and how it can mess up your day. I’m usually pretty good about seeking advice from those who know better than me (my father will disagree, I’m sure). So when I first came to AK, I asked my good and trusted friend Ron Niebrugge for some advice. Continue reading
Hey Folks,
OK, here’s a test; What’s going on in this photo? This is a boreal spruce forest setting, winter, and there’s some flagging hanging from the branches, and a Compact Disc is hanging in between the flagging. In the middle of the woods, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska. Anyone?
Here’s a closer look.
Cheers
Carl
Hey folks,
Here’s a Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), year-round Alaska resident, perched on a small spruce tree. There’s not a lot of birds in the great north woods this time of year, so it’s always a treat when they stop by. I’ll try to get a photo of his close cousin, the Boreal Chickadee – so far, no luck.
Cheers
Carl
Hey Folks,
This photo was taken from the Kennicott River. The mountain is Mt. Porphyry, the backdrop for the small town of McCarthy in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. This cold winter afternoon I skied up the river, waited for sunset, and shot images of the snow covered boulders in the riverbed, as the mountain wrapped itself in the evening alpenglow. The peak creeping into the frame on the right, behind Porphyry, is Sourdough Peak. Soon after this photo was taken, the light faded and I skied back to the shack, stoked up the fire and enjoyed a tasty pasta supper. A nice end to a simple day.
Cheers
Carl
Hey Folks,
Here’s another unnamed mountain in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. I skied up the Lakina River a ways to take this photo. I’m looking forward to skiing further up the river and exploring the drainage a bit more – it’s a great place to look around, and doesn’t get too many folks visiting – particularly in the winter. There wasn’t even a snow machine trail up here, which in Wrangell St. Elias National Park in the winter is pretty rare. Continue reading
Hey Folks,
One of the crazier things at the start of the Iditarod is the costumes and outfits some people go for. I am posting these 3 images not because they were the craziest of the outfits but because all 3 people, later in the day whilst walking through the park, were apparently fired upon by Alaska Fish and Game Board predator-control snipers in passing airplanes.
No casualties recorded.
Cheers
Carl
Hey Folks,
It’s that crazy time of the year again – Iditarod 2009. The ceremonial start of the race was held this morning, downtown Anchorage, and the weather was perfect – perfect for me, not so perfect for the dogs. The dogs like it colder than I do, strangely enough – but they’re probably working harder. This photo is Lance Mackey, winner of the last 2 Iditarod races, and a favorite for this year as well. Unfortunately I’ll be in the backcountry and not following the race too closely, but I’ll try to check in and see how the race shape up. It’d be way cool if Lance makes it 3 in a row.
Cheers
Carl
UPDATE: Lance passed in Sep 2022. RIP to the great man.