Posts Tagged ‘Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve’
Friday, February 5th, 2010
Winter snowshoeing, boreal forest, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Click the image to view a larger version.
Hey Folks,
All photo sales are unique, but this one was pretty weird. My phone rings around 5:30am, I kinda half open my eyes, clasp for the phone, miss, knock it off the table beside my bed, try to catch it, bang my head on the guitar standing against the wall, drop the phone, and it crashes to the floor. My go-to response in this situation is pretty simple; I curse. It’s a sin, I know, but it’s a hard habit to break. So I curse again, and then pick up the phone.
Surprisingly, the person on the other end of the phone is still there. I gurgle a quick greeting;
“hello, this is Carl.”
“hello, this is special agent ——– ………. “ (more…)
Tags: Alaska, boreal forest, CIA, forest, hiking, Skolai Images, snowshoeing, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Wrangell St. Elias
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, Cool stories, Snowshoeing, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 12 Comments »
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
Dawn touches Mt Sanford, Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Click the image to see a larger version.
Hey Folks,
After the George Harrison classic song of the same name – Abbey Road is such a great tune. This song is actually the first Beatles tune I ever learned how to play on guitar. it struck me when I learned it how similar it was to a classic song my favorite band at the time, Cream. The song ‘Badge’ has a similar intro-guitar riff. Come to find out that George Harrison actually co-wrote the Cream tune with Eric Clapton, for the Goodbye album, and it was that same song-writing session that produced “Here Comes the Sun” for Abbey Road. On the record, Harrison’s song-writing name was “L’angelo Mysterioso”. Sly devil.
This photo is of Mount Sanford, as the peak reaches high into the cold night air to meet the first light of the coming morning. The light gracefully kisses the mountain top good morning, and comes down to say hello to my cold fingers an hour or so later.
Cheers
Carl
Tags: Alaska, Landscapes, Mount Sanford, Mt Sanford, Sanford, scenics, Skolai Images, sunrise, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Wrangell St. Elias
Posted in Alaska, Landscapes, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 2 Comments »
Friday, January 8th, 2010
Dawn rising over Mount Blackburn, elevation – 16,390 feet (4,996 M), winter, Wrangell – St. Elias National Park, Alaska. Click the image to see a larger version and to browse the rest of the gallery.
Hey Folks,
I thought I might make a blog post, the first for the new year, with a quick presentation of my favorite images from the past year. Not necessarily a “best of”, but just a collection of 12 images, one from each month, each of which mean something to me. Some of these have appeared on the blog before, some have not.
The first one is my favorite image of Mt. Blackburn I’ve taken so far, taken one cold morning a year ago. One of the primary reasons I wanted to spend winter in the McCarthy area was this particular scene. I knew the mountain would get great light in the winter, though I’d only viewed it from here in the summer previously. During the summer the great light is on the northside of mountains here in Alaska, so I’d never really viewed this scene in the great alpenglow you see here. A couple of winters in a cabin in the woods rewarded me in many ways, and I consider this image a nice memory of those days. Good times.
The 2nd photo (more…)
Tags: 2009 review, Alaska, bears, Birds, Moose, scenics, Wildlife, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Wrangell St. Elias
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, Katmai National Park, Landscapes, Musings, Photography, Reviews, Skiing, Snowboarding, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 15 Comments »
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
Mount St. Elias and Nootka lupine (Lupinus nootkatensis) from Icy Bay, Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
Hey Folks,
As I just sold a print of this photo yesterday, I thought it would fit with the recent postings from Mount St. Elias and a little chatter about the movie of the same name. This photo was taken from Icy Bay, from a small island I paddled out to in my now defunct and sitting in the Yakuat landfill sea kayak. The Nootka lupine (Lupinus nootkatensis) were pretty thick on this small island for some reason, much more so than anywhere else in the bay.
I’d have liked to stay on the island longer so I could take some photos in softer light, but (more…)
Tags: Alaska, Landscapes, lupine, Lupinus nootkatensis, Mount St. Elias, Mt. St. Elias, Nootka lupine, Saint Elias, scenics, Skolai Images, St. Elias, wildflowers, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Wrangell St. Elias
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, Flowers, Kayaking, Landscapes, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
Looking down from a great height at some of the amazing escarpments in the St. Elias Mountain Range, Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Click on the image to see a larger version.
Hey Folks,
Have you ever thought about climbing the 2nd highest mountain in the US, the 2nd highest mountain in Canada, the 3rd highest mountain in North America, the mountain with the greatest vertical relief of any mountain in the world so you can ski from top to bottom? From 18 008′ to the sea? If so, this movie’s for you. Mount St. Elias. 2 Austrian mountaineers and an American freeski mountaineer set out to run the “ultimate vertical descent” – 18 000 of skiing from the summit of Mount St. Elias to the sea, to Icy Bay. Pretty amazing stuff to watch, I can’t begin to imagine what that kind of endeavor must be like.
“If you want to achieve something great, you have to risk more than usual – that’s the way it is.” — (Axel Naglich) (more…)
Tags: Aerial Photos, films, Landscapes, Mount St. Elias, Mountains, Mt. St. Elias, scenics, Skolai Images, snow, St., Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Wrangell St. Elias
Posted in Abstract Photos, Aerial Photos, Alaska, Cool stories, Landscapes, News, Photography, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 3 Comments »
Monday, December 7th, 2009
Fall in the boreal forest, aspen tree trunks, Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Hey Folks,
A quick visit back to September; the boreal forest is a melange of color in the fall. The vibrancy of the Alaska woods in the fall is a function, perhaps, of the speed at which the dramatic changes take place. The green foliage of summer glimpses the oncoming winter and is gone in the blink of an eye; one last hurrah of color before settling in, nestled beneath the whites of winter.
Cheers
Carl
Tags: Alaska, Aspen, autumn, color, Fall, foliage, forest, Landscapes, Skolai Images, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Wrangell St. Elias
Posted in Abstract Photos, Alaska, Fall, Forests, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
Winter landscape of sunset over Mt. Wrangell and the Copper River Basin. Mount Wrangell, Mount Zanetti and snow covered boreal forest of the Copper River Basin, Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Click the image to view larger version.
Hey Folks,
“We had a remarkable sunset one day last November .. It was such a light as we could not have imagined a moment before, and the air also was so warm and serene that nothing was wanting to make a paradise of that meadow. When we reflected that this was not a solitary phenomenon, never to happen again, but that it would happen forever and ever an infinite number of evenings, and cheer and reassure the latest child that walked there, it was more glorious still.
The sun sets on some retired meadow, where no house is visible, with all the glory and splendor that it lavishes on cities, and, perchance, as it has never set before, …. so pure and bright a light, …. so softly and serenely bright, I thought I had never bathed in such a golden flood, without a ripple or murmur to it.” – Henry David Thoreau, “Walking”.
For those of you perhaps unfamiliar with this essay, my advice is to read it carefully; those who’ve read it previously will do well to re-read the piece; it’s a classic. (more…)
Tags: Alaska, alpenglow, Copper River, Landscapes, Mount Wrangell, Mt Wrangell, national parks, scenics, Sunsets & Sunrises, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Wrangell St. Elias
Posted in Alaska, Forests, Landscapes, Musings, Reviews, Winter, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 6 Comments »
Friday, November 13th, 2009
Tallest peaks in the University Range, Mt. Churchill and Mt. Bona rise dramatically from Russell Glacier, catching the last rays of the day, Fall colors in the foreground, Wrangell – St. Elias National Park, Alaska.
Hey Folks,
Here’s an image that I am amazingly lucky to have made. Probably luckier than I deserve to be. Not because of the luck involved in catching this scene like this; this image has been a long, long time in coming. The scene is taken from the south end of Chitistone Pass, near Skolai Pass, Wrangell – St. Elias National Park, Alaska. I’ve spent more time here than I probably should admit to, waiting, hoping and wondering if I’d ever actually happen to catch it in the light that I knew graces these peaks from time to time. Finally, this September, I was up there with our phototour and we were really blessed with some great weather. I was giddy with excitement and I’m sure the folks along on the trip were wondering just what they’d got themselves into. Within 20 minutes of landing we’d already found and photographed a Least Weasel, which I’d never had the opportunity to photograph inside the park previously. Next up we ran into some Woodland caribou, apparently the only woodland caribou herd in Alaska, so that was pretty awesome. Then we saw some Dall sheep rams, and managed to stalk up on them a little. Next up was sunset, (more…)
Tags: Alaska, alpenglow, Chitistone Pass, colors, Fall, fall colors, glacial, Glaciers, Landscapes, Mountains, Mt. Bona, Mt. Churchill, Russell Glacier, scenics, Skolai Images, sunset, University Range, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Wrangell St. Elias
Posted in Adventures, Alaska, Backpacking and Hiking, Cool stories, Fall, Landscapes, Photo Tours, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 5 Comments »
Thursday, November 5th, 2009
Camera panning blurs the boles of Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) in Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
Hey Folks,
Here’s a follow up to my most recent post of this small aspen stand in Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Aspens aren’t doing so well in the warming climate we’re seeing in the world today. It’s more than a shame, they’re such a magnificent tree. I remember the first time I ever camped beneath the canopy of a stand of aspen, not far off the Resurrection Pass Trail in Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. A quick dinner of pasta and tuna, some cocoa and a Milky Way for dessert, and my sleeping bag called my name; just as I settled in to that beautiful state of semi-consciousness between wakefulness and sleep, those moments when all the world is your friend, a slight breeze rustled through the forest, the indescribable sound instantly hooking my complete attention. (more…)
Tags: Alaska, Populus tremuloides, Quaking aspen, Trees, trunks, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Wrangell St. Elias
Posted in Abstract Photos, Alaska, Fall, Forests, Musings, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
Quaking aspen, Populus tremuloides, Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
Hey Folks,
I was looking through some older images tonight, and found this one from last fall. This is from a little stand of Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) that I’ve photographed a few times. I’d actually been looking for some wildlife to photograph, but was thwarted yet again in my quest, so, as the light faded, I headed for this stand of aspen. I had photographed them a number of times, but never really played with the camera panning technique here before. This was a situation where digital photography was a real help; I could take an image, review the frame on the LCD on the back of the camera, and see what I liked, or disliked, and figure out what I needed to do in order to create the kind of image I was looking for.
Now, generally I don’t post the ‘photo techs’ on images, because I think to do is largely useless information. (more…)
Tags: Alaska, Art, creative process, Forests, Populus tremuloides, Quaking aspens, Trees, trunks, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Wrangell St. Elias
Posted in Abstract Photos, Alaska, Art, Fall, Forests, Photography, Tech Stuff, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park | 6 Comments »
