Backpacking in the snow

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Backpackers stop in a snowy pass, near Bremner Mines, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Just back in from a GREAT hike – Bremner Mines, in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, to Tebay Lakes. We had an amazing time, and loved nearly every second of the trip. We started a little hesitantly – our flight in to the backcountry was a day late, due to inclement weather, and when we arrived, things hadn’t seemed to be on the improve.

We hit a good hail storm within 10 minutes of landing and heading off – so rather than ‘tent it’, we stayed the first night in a little bunkhouse cabin near the old mines, currently occupied by the Park Service archaeologist, Barbara, a delightful and knowledgeable lady who made our night a treat. The next morning the weather was marginally better, and by the time we hit the first pass, close to lunch, we’d already hiked through a small snow storm.

Here’s the view of the group at the pass, Jodee, Geoff, Svetlana, Mike and Sergei, from left to right. I think they’re wondering ‘what the hell are we doing up here’, before we set off down the steep snowy slope – an adventure, for sure.

All up, the trip was fantastic, the scenery incredible, the hiking a good challenge, and the group wonderful – everyone really chipped in and made this a memorable hike.

I’ll post some more over the next week or so.

Cheers

Carl

Camping by Mt Sanford, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska

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Camped in front of Mt Sanford, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

So I got back right on time – the last glows of the evening were just dwindling down, and I arrived back at the ‘house’ and grabbed my camera, and set up this shot. 10 minutes earlier and the color in the sky was gorgeous. 25 minutes earlier and the mountain was on fire. Zanetti and Wrangell, further south, were even more spectacular. As per usual, my impeccable timing got me a drab sky and no great light.

Cheers

Carl

Hiking Sanford Glacier, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska

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A hiker enjoys an ice arch on the Sanford Glacier, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Here’s Steve “Don’t Dude Me” New – posing in front of the Arch. Every so often a rock or three would fall from the bridge in the background, and crash down onto the ice below – pretty awesome stuff. We enjoyed the glacier and moraine, but the hiking is tough on that terrain. Fortunately we didn’t have to hike too far across the rocks and ice – and the moraine made the river crossing WAY simpler than it would otherwise have been.

Cheers

Carl

Delicate Arch – Alaska-style?

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photo of a hiker atop an ice arch on the Sanford Glacier, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Here’s an image from our first afternoon on the Sanford Glacier – well, on the moraine section of the glacier. We arrive at the landing strip, donned raingear to ward off the ever-present drizzle, and set off up the valley. Before long, we found a place to camp, setup camp, had a nap (always a critical part of a day’s hiking), and then we hiked up the valley to the moraine, and explored that a little. Right before we got on the moraine we saw a grizzly bear, maybe 75 yards away. The bear reared up on its hind legs, took a look at our intimidating crew, and then dropped to all fours and raced off into the brush. Good bear!

After hiking around the glacier a while, we found this arch, which was really cool. Of course, we didn’t have cameras with us, so we made sure the following day to take a short detour off our route up to this arch for some images. I’m glad we did, what a cool place this is. What’s really cool is that it changes on such a scale that it could well not be around next year. I hope it is, but I’m sure we’ll find something else equally as interesting if not. Such seems to be the way of glaciers.

I convinced Dan “Two Plates” Kelly to head up on the bridge of the glacier for a photo-opp. Dan’s never one to shy away from such a chance to shine, and he posed nicely for this. I’ll post another image soon of his brother, Steve “Don’t Dude Me” also at this arch, from below.

Cheers

Carl

The Sanford River, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska

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The Sanford River drainage, sunset, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

I just returned from a week on the Sanford Plateau. This is the view north from camp on our second evening. One of the few nice evenings we had – more rain, more wind, more clouds, more wind, and then crazy insane winds that nearly drove us off the range. Nearly. I was really hoping to get some nice stuff of the big mountains visible from up here, but the weather didn’t co-operate like I hoped it might. Such seems to be the summer. We had an AWESOME trip though, and thanks to Sergei, Steven, Daniel, Kevin and Wendell 🙂 – awesome folks, awesome fun, awesome times. And best of luck with Daniel who’s about to head off to MIT for his first year of college – I’ve never met an MIT person before – I’m still kind of in shock.

More to come over the next few days – while I’ll be gone leading a trip from Bremner Mines to Tebay Lakes in Wrangell -St. Elias National Park until the 20th – so I’ll schedule a few posts for while I’m gone. Pray for sunshine.

Cheers

Carl

Wild MuskOx photo, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR, Alaska

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Wild MuskOx, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Here’s another Musk Ox photo, from the Canning River, Section 1002 area of the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.

This trip was the first time I’ve seen MuskOx, and it was great to get some images. They’re almost a prehistoric looking creature, very cool, and reasonably calm, if approached carefully.

We took over an hour just slowly getting closer and closer – but photos were few and far between, as they tended to stay in the willows and thicker brush, making decent photos hard to come by. Patience was rewarded, and I got this and a few other images that I liked.

Muskox photos, Arctic coastal plain, Alaska

Muskox photos, Arctic coastal plain, alaska.

Here’s another image of muskox from our trip to the arctic coastal plain this past summer, and a float trip down the Canning River in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. As you can see from the muskox photo, the mosquitoes were out in the droves this summer in the arctic.

Fortunately the winds we experienced kept them down much of the time – but I had headed out to shoot these guys in shorts, a long-sleeved shirt and a ball cap – not really the gear I needed to keep the bugs at bay. After about 15 minutes of nonsense, I left the muskox, went back and donned some more suitable attire, and returned to the fray.

Muskox photos.

Cheers

Carl

MuskOx Calf photo, coastal plain, arctic Alaska

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MuskOx calf, coastal plain, arctic Alaska.

Hey Folks,

As I don’t have anything new to post from the Skolai Trip I did last week, I’ll post a few more Muskox.

This young calf was hanging around with his mom and the herd one afternoon, and it took quite a while before I got a decent opportunity to shoot a portrait of the calf. Muskox really protect their young well, mostly by hiding the calves behind the adults, and often keeping them in the thicker brush. Finally this calf ran out in the open, stopped and looked back, and I took this photo. You can see the Mosquitoes were plentiful up in the arctic this summer.

What makes a baby muskox so incredibly cute is that they look like a cross between a miniature bison and a very grumpy, overgrown rug. Those tiny, stubby horns haven’t quite formed yet, so they just have these fuzzy little nubs on their heads while they try to figure out how to be intimidating. A baby muskox spends most of its time in a state of high-speed play, darting between the legs of the adults like a hairy little pinball. It is a hilarious contrast to see a frantic, fluffy calf bouncing around a group of adults that are essentially unmoving boulders of muscle and fur.

Despite the cuteness, life for a baby muskox on the coastal plain is serious business. They are born into one of the harshest environments on the planet, often arriving while there is still plenty of snow on the ground. To survive, the baby muskox relies on a specialized layer of underwool called qiviut. It is one of the warmest and finest natural fibers in existence, and even these calves are packed into a dense coat of it from day one. This insulation is what allows them to withstand the brutal arctic winds that would freeze most other newborns solid in minutes.

The social structure of the herd is the ultimate insurance policy for every baby muskox. When a predator like a wolf or a grizzly bear shows up, the adults don’t run. Instead, they form a defensive circle with their massive heads and horns facing outward, tucking each baby muskox safely into the middle of the huddle. Watching a calf peek out from behind a literal wall of thick fur and sharp horns gives you a real appreciation for their survival strategy. They might be the cutest animals in the north, but they are born into a world that is anything but soft.

Muskox photos.

Cheers

Carl

The Golden Oil of ANWR – it’s over!

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oil in ANWR

Hey Folks,

By now, you’ve all heard the rumors, I’m sure. How the massive oil fields, despoiling the pristine earth lying deep beneath the frozen, barren tundra of the lonely coastal plains of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (known by its acronym ANWR), could save our planet. How, if only those whacko enviro-freaks, who are bent on ruining the lives of countless hard-working patriotic Americans, have consistently and ruthlessly undertaken to bully the American Congress and the oil industry into submission, and not allow the oil and natural gas that is currently being wasted underground to be extracted and delivered to gas stations across America.

I’m sure you’ve read the facts, and seen how, if the estimated 10 billion barrels of ANWR oil could be drilled and refined, gasoline prices at the pump would plummet; but not just the gas prices,

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Bull MuskOx photo, arctic coastal plain, Alaska

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Bull MuskOx, arctic coastal plain, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

So I just got back in from a nice long trip to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). I drove up to Fairbanks, picked up Bob and Erika, a lovely couple from Florida, and we headed on up the Dalton Highway, almost to Deadhorse/Prudhoe Bay, where we met our pilot, picked up a raft, and flew in to the headwaters of the Upper Marsh Fork of the Canning River.

It was quite an adventure, an their first time in the Refuge, so we all had a great time. I’ll tell you some more about it over the next week. Before we flew in though, we were told about a small herd of MuskOx just north of us, on the Sag river.

With some time to kill, and gigabytes on the memory cards, we figured we’d go take some pictures.

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Hubbard Glacier calving photos, Gilbert Point, Russell Fjord, Alaska

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The Hubbard Glacier calving, Gilbert Point, Russell Fjord, Alaska.

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.

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