Tag Archives: Winter

Winter in McCarthy

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2 Winters in McCarthy from an Aussie Photographer

Spending winter in McCarthy is a study in both extreme beauty and quiet endurance. Life in Wrangell St. Elias National Park during the coldest months revolves around the simple mechanics of survival, like hauling wood for the shack or coaxing a frozen snowmachine to life.

While most people only see this landscape in the green of summer, the true character of the backcountry emerges when the crowds vanish and the mercury drops toward minus fifty. The mountains seem to pull closer in the crisp air, and the vast silence is only broken by the occasional crunch of skis on fresh powder.

The following collection of images and stories comes from my time poking around the frozen Kennecott River and the Lakina drainage.

Whether it is chasing the magenta alpenglow on Mt. Porphyry or hunting for abstract patterns in the snow covered glacial moraines, winter photography here is a constant battle against the elements. Everything from sticking tripod legs to fogged viewfinders makes each frame a hard earned reward. It is a slow, cold way of living, but catching that soft noon light on an unnamed peak makes every subzero mile worth the effort.

Livin in the a Little Shack Down by the River

A cabin in the woods in winter, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

My humble abode. This is after I shovelled all the snow off the roof. There’s about another 6-9 inches of snow on the roof already!

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Shadows and Light

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Snow covered spruce tree, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Here’s another photo I took on my most recent sojoun to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska. I’d been hoping to find some scenes like this, but they’re hard to come by. Fresh snow still sitting on a spruce tree, in nice warm sunshine.  Usually, after a nice dump of snow, wind blows it off the trees before the weather clears up enough for this kind of photo.

One calm evening I went up on this ridge, not a breath of air was stirring down in the forest at the cabin. But up high, the wind was blowing like crazy. It was weird, it’d blow really hard for a few seconds, a gust, then stop and all was perfectly still for a few seconds, then the wind would kick up again, often from exactly the opposite direction it had last came.

This went on for a few hours. I didn’t shoot much that afternoon, but it was cool to see this crazy weather. A few days later, after we’d had some more snow fall, up I went again, and got some nicer conditions.

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Snowshoeing Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, winter

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Winter snowshoeing in Wrangell St. Elias national Park, Alaska.

Another winter in McCarthy, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

“Oh, break up is early”, they said. “Spring’s here!” they cried. “Summer’s on the way”, they projected. Well, it was about 15 degrees Fahrenheit this morning, and that didn’t factor in the wind chill. Winds in the vicinity of, oh, I dunno, say around 200mph, blowing straight out from under the polar ice cap, I’m led to believe. And here’s me trying to snowshoe across one of the great lakes to take some pictures!

Well, fool me once, for about 5 minutes, but I’m not THAT stupid. Uh uh, no sir, not me. This little vegemite turned tail, and scampered back to the veritable safety (i.e., warm, heated and still running) of my van, turned that baby around and beared to’ard the ole cabin. Full steam ahead. (NB: given the road conditions, and the wildly lunging, out of control nature of said van in such conditions, ‘full steam’ consisted of about 15mph – or, 185mph slower than the aforementioned wind).

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Conservation Photography

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Crystalline Hills, Wrangell Mountains, winter, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

I stumbled across this article earlier today, and thought it might be a good topic for a post. The subject is conservation photography, rather than typical nature photography. “Although nature photography can appeal to a viewer’s aesthetic sensibilities, the truth is that photography has much more potential to play a role in conservation than has yet been realized. When photographic skills, creative talent and scientific understanding converge on a subject the outcome can be powerful.”

I think it’s a great article, and an important one, but I think it’s simultaneously important that we remain aware of the capacity in which photography can harm our, as well as our audience’s relationship with the natural world.

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Alpenglow, Wrangell mountains in winter

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Alpenglow on the Wrangell mountains, including Donoho Peak, Bonanza Ridge and Jumbo Ridge, the Kennecott and Root Glacier, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

The mountains are the Wrangell Mountains, including Bonanza and Jumbo Ridges, where 2 of the more famous of the Kennecott Mines were dug.

Hey Folks

Well, it’s been a nervous last few days, but here I am in Anchorage. I managed, through sheer luck, to get all the way back to town with no real drama. A little tweaking of cables and a lot of grace, and my van started, and drove me and my buddy Charlie and his 2 dogs, Keba and Musa, all the way from McCarthy, deep in the park, back to Anchorage.

I’m still in a little bit of shock. My van seems to have some kind of mystery virus, that nobody is able to diagnose. There’s a possibility, one mechanic told me, that it’s as simple as 2 cables poorly soldered together. Which 2 remains anyone’s guess.

I’ll be here (hopefully only) a few days, and then head back to the cabin.

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Where are the Wrangell Mountains and How to Visit Them

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If you are looking for where in the US are the Wrangell Mountains, you will find them in the rugged southeastern interior of Alaska.

This range defines the landscape of Wrangell St. Elias National Park, the largest national park in the United States. Many visitors start their journey with a Wrangell Mountains map to navigate the two primary access points: the McCarthy Road to the south and the Nabesna Road to the north.

Mt Drum photo, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska

Mt Drum, Mt Sanford in the Wrangell Mountains of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
Mt Drum, Mt Sanford in winter the Wrangell Mountains of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

Scenic Vistas and Winter Light

I truly believe there is no grander vista in all of North America than the Wrangell Mountain Range viewed from Willow Lake. It is one of the few places where you can see a massive line of peaks all exceeding 12,000 feet, including the towering Mt. Blackburn at 16,500 feet.

This photo above was taken a during a brutal cold snap. The alpenglow was incredible, but the temperature was minus 40 and dropped to nearly minus 50 that night. Working a tripod in those conditions is a nightmare. The metal tabs and ballhead lock up, forcing you to remove your gloves to make adjustments. It reminds me of the book “Black Elk Speaks,” where the cold was so intense that metal would freeze to skin and tear it away.

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The North Face – and the last supper

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The north face of Mt. Bona, in the University Range, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska. Black and white photo of Mt. Bona..

Hey Folks,

And so, with little to no ado, I bid adieu, for the time being. I’m hitting the road in the morning, and I’m not sure when I’ll have internet access again – hopefully it’ll be no more than a few days between swigs.

I’m heading out in the morning to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, to live in a cabin named “Shacky”. I’ll be there a couple of weeks or so at a time, then make a run to Anchorage for some groceries and a little warming up, then back to Shacky. If all goes as planned. If all does not go as planned, I’ll spend a few nights there, say something like ‘this is C-R-A-Z-E-E-E!!!’ and boogie on back to the relative comfort of Anchor-ville.

I’ve too little pride to tolerate discomfort long.

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The McCarthy Road, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

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Sign warning of danger, dangerous weather and road conditions on the McCarthy Road, in winter, Wrangell-St. Elias, Alaska.

Hey Folks

Well, I’ve not got a lot to tell you, unfortunately. For various reasons, none to exciting, I’m in Anchorage until after the holiday. Around the first of the year I’ll be heading to McCarthy. Not for a trip, but for the winter. Update (actually it was 2 awesome winters).

That’s right, I’ll be staying just outside a town that has about 5 people in it during the winter. I’m not sure how often I’ll get internet access, but hopefully I can work that out and stay in touch. For those of you who don’t know much about McCarthy, the photo posted here gives you a little idea.

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Alpenglow on Stairway Icefall, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska

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Alpenglow on Stairway Icefall, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks

Well, this one will be the last of my current winter in McCarthy series.

This is another photo of the Wrangell Mountains in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Donoho Peak, and the moraine at the toe of Kennicott Glacier and Root Glacier. You can clearly see from the snow that this is wintertime. No disputing that!

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Kennicott Glacier, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska

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Kennicott Glacier, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Here’s another photo from my recent trip to the Wrangells. This is a photo of a couple of chunks of ice. I spent quite a bit of time right around this little area, watching the light – it’s amazing how much it changes in a very short time in the winter here.

I found some great pieces of ice and chunks and walls and all kinds of cool stuff. If it had been summer, I wouldn’t have been able to cross the river and lake to get to this part of the glacier.

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