Backcountry cross country skiing (XC skiing), Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Please click the image to view a larger version of the photo.

Hey folks,

In honor of my ambitious plan to go skiing tomorrow, tuesday, I thought I’d post this scene from last spring – cross country skiing in Wrangell St. Elias National Park. It seemed like every day for the entire month of April was like this last year, and this is pretty much how I spent each morning – gliding over a nice crust of snow, surrounded by snow-covered mountain ranges, wide open spaces, blue skies and wildness.

I’m enjoying my time in Anchorage this year, but am OH SO wishing I were over in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park again. There is no place quite like it.

For those of you who might be newer to the blog, a quick little catch up; I moved full-time to Alaska nearly 3 years to work on a photography book on Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, and spent my first 2 winters, or most of them, living in a shack in the woods. Absolutely amazing experience and opportunity that I owe to Jim Edwards and his wife Audrey; more than I can ever hope to thank enough!!! Fantastic people.

I’m still plugging away at my project, though I’ve slowed temporarily to catch up some more tedious office work – website updates, photo editing, etc. I’ve already been making plans for this coming spring and summer to shoot some images of the park in areas I haven’t yet managed to photograph, and broaden my coverage of the nation’s largest National Park.

Tomorrow I think I’ll go skiing.

Oh, and a special note. This time last year I was curled up on the floor, wretched, whimpering in pain. A trip to the doctor and one big fat prescription later, and an entire year has passed with no more gout for me. Gaia bless the inventor of Alopurinol! Gout-free is the way to be!

Cheers

Carl