Winter in Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Wrangell Mountains, Mount Blackburn, Kuskulana River, Winter, Alaska. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.

Hey Folks,

I’d like to take a few minutes to say thanks so much to everyone for a really great year this year. We had some fantastic adventures, I met some wonderful people, and am so grateful to you all for coming out, as always. It really means a lot to me that so many people come out and share this amazing place with me. Thank you.

And I’d like to wish everyone the absolute happiest of holidays, and all of my very best to each of you for the coming New Year.

Travel safe, and travel well. Thanks again.

Cheers

Carl

Backpacking down the Goat Trail, Chitistone Canyon, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.

Hey Folks,

So now the “season” has officially ended, I want to thank everyone that came out this year for such a fun summer/fall. It’s always a treat to see familiar faces, those who’ve returned yet again for another Alaskan Alpine Treks trip, thank you. And for all those who took their first trip with us this year, thanks so much, and I sincerely hope you had a great time here. Thank you.

So now, it’s time for me to take off and explore some more. I’m taking 4 weeks to join up with Erin and Hig, of Ground Truth Trekking, for part of their ‘Life On Ice’ adventure, down around the Malaspina Glacier and the Lost Coast of Wrangell – St. Elias National Park, a little travelled part of the world for sure. I’m super excited about this trip,  for a number of reasons, one is simply to spend a month in the backcountry. I’m also stoked to join up with Erin and Hig, great people with a wealth of experience and wisdom to learn from. That’ll be a great experience.

Take a look at their site, and the links above. You might also want to follow their adventures on Twitter, as they post reasonably often. I won’t be posting until I get back; but you can get a glimpse of how things are going via their tweets. It promises to be a fantastic trip, and a wonderful place. I’ve only spent a brief time near the area before, so it will be fun to really explore a bit here.

In the meantime, I hope you all have a great fall, and I’ll try to follow up when I get back with a full trip report for you all, photos and all.

Thanks folks,

Cheers

Carl

Waterfall and boreal spruce forest, Nizina River drainage, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.

Hey Folks,

Here’s another waterfall photo from a trip I took to Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve early this summer. This is a waterfall I’ve flown over many times, along the Nizina River, but never had the opportunity to shoot it. This summer we took a trip to the Nizina Glacier and hiked around the area a bit, shooting a few waterfalls, flowers, the glacier and surrounding landscape. Overall, a productive and fun trip and a fantastic place to visit.

Cheers

Carl

Aurora borealis lights up the winter night sky over Mt McKinley, highest mountain in North America, also called Denali. Viewpoint from Denali State Park, Alaska. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.

Hey folks

The highest mountain in North America, Denali, or Mt McKinley as its more officially known, of the Alaska Range are dwarfed by the Aurora borealis, spiralling overhead in the night sky.

What a treat it was to see this last night. Well worth waiting up for. It’s 10:45am right now, and I’ve only been home maybe 30 minutes. A long night, cold and windy, but some fantastic sights to see. Winter in Alaska can be long and cold and dark; but those things are quickly forgotten in the moment.

On another note, my thoughts and prayers go all the way out to those folks in Japan; I haven’t seen all the reports yet, but from what I understand, the situation is pretty horrible. I feel for you.

Cheers

Carl

Winter in Alaska. The Viking Lodge Cabin, a public use cabin in Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, makes a fantastic getaway for a winter trip. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.

Hey Folks

Here’s a shot of one of my favorite places in Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve; Viking Lodge Cabin. The cabin is not far off the Nabesna Road, which is nice; accessible. Unlike most public use cabins in the park, this cabin requires reservations, though that also means when you arrive, you know ahead of time you don’t have to share the cabin with anyone else who might show up. There is no fee to use the cabin, which is nice. It’s quite a treat, being able to head out in the winter and have a cozy, comfortable cabin to relax in.

An old barrel stove sits in the middle of the cabin, and warms the cabin pretty quickly, even in the depths of winter. It makes the world of difference after a day out in the mountains, skiing or snowshoeing, to come back to a warm cabin, rather than a cold tent. Perhaps in the morning it makes even more difference, waking up and having a nice warm pair of boots sitting by the cabin, rather than crusty frozen boots outside the door. 

Viking Lodge Cabin was built in the 1970s, as a private, summertime residence, and the National Park Service renovated it in 2000. It’s in great shape, has an outhouse nearby, and a great view out the large window of Mt Sanford. Available year round, the cabin is really a treat in the winter. It’s only a 1/4 to half mile off the road, which means it’s easy to lug gear in; some of the other cabins are quite a bit further, making the jaunt in quite a mission.

The NPS suggests the cabin sleeps 4, but it can easily hold, comfortably, a few more. There are only 2 bunks (bring your own sleeping pad), but plenty of floor space, and a great big loft. Just be sure to not overpack your sleeping bag if you want to sleep upstairs (or even on the top bunk); you’ll roast, with even a small fire. There’s no bug screen on the door, so you won’t want to leave the door open to cool the cabin down if you’re there during the summer.

If you do decide to stay in the cabin, please, please, please don’t leave any of your gear behind. People seem to think ‘Oh, I’ll just leave these batteries/this candle/this book/etc behind and someone else can use it’. The cabin quickly accumulates all your crap. Pack it in, Pack it out, folks. And lastly, PLEASE don’t leave the cabin bereft of wood. By all means, use the wood in the cabin when you arrive, but make an effort to go gather/cut wood before you leave, and make sure there’s plenty of wood cut for the next visitor. I try to make sure I leave more wood than I used, and I think is a good approach. Arriving at a cabin in the dead of winter, at 40below Zero degrees, in the dark, only to find the last folks didn’t leave any wood behind, isn’t a great start to a trip.

Park regulations allow you to cut dead trees, or gather/cut any dead down wood you find. Do not cut any green trees. I’d suggest you check with the Ranger Station at Slana before your stay if you’re not sure about any of this. You can also buy wood in the area.

There are a lot of great hiking/skiing/snowshoeing options in the area, so be sure to allow a few days at least. And at least one day to spend sipping coffee by the fire, reading a good book, enjoying the view of the mountain out your window. Viking Lodge Cabin is really a little gem in the woods. And the best thing about a winter trip? It’s no problem to bring a pint of Ice Cream (or several). Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk, to be specific. Mmmhhhmmmmm!!!! Enjoy.

Cheers

Carl

Bret snapping a photo of camp and the killer scenery on the Goat Trail, Skolai Pass - Wolverine, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Just a quick note to say ‘At last’ .. the 2011 calendar is online. Take a quick look at the trips listed. Also, if you don’t see a trip you’re interested in, or the dates don’t quite match what you’re looking for, send me an email and we’ll see what we can do about scheduling that.

It’s set to be a great year …. the Gates of the Arctic trip to the Arrigetch Peaks should be a blast. 2 weeks exploring the Brooks Range, awesome. We have room for only one or 2 more people, so if this might be a trip for you, definitely drop us a note ASAP. This is an exploratory trip, so intermediate – advanced hikers only. All transport taken care of from Fairbanks to the backcountry and back! I’ve wanted to return to the Gates for 15 years now, and have long been wanting to explore the Arrigetch area. This one will be amazing.

More info on new trips and events coming soon. Stay tuned!

Cheers

Carl

Hey Folks,

Here’s hoping you’re somewhere special, with people you love and care about, and enjoying the moment. And if ya can’t be with the one you love, well, love the one ya with. And love ‘em with everything you got. It’s a good time.

All my best to all you, and thanks so much for a great, great year. Here’s to many, many more of them.

Cheers

Carl

Hiking on the tundra beneath the towering Mt Blackburn, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska.

3 adult Bald Eagles on perch, Homer, Alaska. (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Please click on the image above to view a larger version of the photo.

Hey Folks,

So, the next piece of news; I’ve finally redone my 3 bald eagle galleries for the site. It’s a tedious chore, but SOOOO needs to be done. Soon (I hope) all the galleries will have the the same updated look, cleaner and easier to deal with, and the best thing — larger photos!

You can browse the 3 bald eagle galleries below:
* Bald eagles
* Bald eagles 2
* Bald eagles 3

If you take the time to run through, please let me know if you see anything I need to edit, such as typos, broken links, etc, etc. It’s so easy to miss those little things, so please post something if you notice a glitch. I think they’re working OK.

This photo here is from my first trip to Homer, Alaska, and I had an absolute blast. I went with some good friends, from various parts of the country, and most of us hadn’t been to Homer to shoot the eagles before. We had such a good time together. There were virtually no other photographers around, and things were very different to how they became later on, in the last couple of years.

I’m sad to see the opportunity there come to a close, in some ways, but I’m also kinda glad it’s passed, too. Double-edged sword, I guess. I do miss all those birds, though.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the photos. Hopefully I’ll get those other galleries up before too long. Thanks.

Cheers

Carl

Fresh winter snow covers a young willow sapling, Wrangell Mountains, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Please click on the image above the view a larger version of the photo.

Hey Folks

It’s been a busy fall for me, and I’m working on updating all the image galleries on the site. I apologize for the inconvenience, if any, and how it takes. Website work isn’t as much fun as hiking or photographing.

So, the good news? I’ve uploaded and updated the 3 Landscapes galleries on the website. Take a look if you will:

* Landscapes
* Landscapes 2
* Landscapes 3

Please let me know if you see any glitches or anything. There’s always little errors that creep in, but I think I caught most of them.

I’m slowly working on getting all the galleries redone; new images, larger images, and a consistent display. Hopefully it’ll be an improvement.

The image to the right here is from Wrangell – St. Elias National Park, high in the Wrangell Mountains. I love getting up high in winter, treeline or above, as the light is sublime. I was super lucky to find this young snow-laden willow sapling, as the first wind after a snowfall will blow the snow from this brush in a New York Minute. Next time I headed up to this area, the snow was completely gone from the willow, it’s bare, winter dormant branches protruding from the snow like rusted fingers.

This coming winter I hope to get some more images like this. Nothing like great light, fresh deep powder and some alpine country for good fun. I’ll have the skis out, the camera handy, and coffee in the thermos!

I hope you enjoy the images in the galleries.

Cheers

Carl

The aurora borealis (northern lights) light up the night sky above a tent. Campsite in the Mentasta Mountains, boreal forest, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Please click on the image to view a larger version of the photo.

Hey Folks,

From my last summer/fall camping trip in Wrangell – St. Elias National Park, for this year – well, so far, anyway. If you think sleeping in the big city is hard, with all those big city lights, try sleeping in a tent under this kind of light.

What a treat it is to see the aurora borealis (or ‘northern lights’). Nothing quite touches that experience for a little slice of magic. It’s mystical, each and every time.

Fall is a great time to see the aurora – the skies are dark, often clear, and it’s not yet 40 below zero, like it can be in the dead of winter.

For shooting the northern lights, I crank up the ISO of the camera, open the lens to its widest aperture, and shoot with as high a shutter speed as I can. Fast lenses, like a 1.8 or even a 2.8 make a big difference. They’re also heavier than smaller aperture lenses, which makes it a trade-off for a backpacking trip. Sometimes though, such as when the aurora borealis is out, that trade-off becomes moot. The extra weight is well worth the effort. A small headlamp to light up the tent, set up the tripod, and click the shutter. Good night folks.

Cheers

Carl