Hey Folks,

What’s this, you might ask! Sand dunes and ripples in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska? Yup!

At the headwaters of the Tana River, near Ross Green Lake, the glacial silt from the numerous glaciers and ice fields in the area is blown about the incessant wind, and there are some incredible sand dunes down the Tana.

We landed at the airstrip at Ross Green Lake, and were immediately taken by the cool landscape around us. Jagged snow-capped crags and spires sank into the clouds south of us (Thompson Ridge), a myriad of fall color sparkled on the hillsides, a deep cool lakes of every hue nestled into the depressions in the valley, the Tana glacier fell into pieces at its terminus to our west, and rippled sand dunes and waves of fine sand patterned themselves beneath our feet. ‘Cool’ is the only word that describes the place.

The weather was also cool – cold, at times, windy, cloudy, rainy, and snow fell on the peaks above us several of the nights we were camped in the area.

Some more light would’ve been sweet, but one does what one can in the outdoors. Both times the sun came out to greet us mid-afternoon it was gone before sunset – high, flat clouds rolled in, quickly, from the coast and brought stormy weather and flat, gray light – not so good for photography.

I’ll try to post a few images from this trip over the next week or so, and give you an idea of the landscape we hiked and explored.

Cheers

Carl