Alaska’s Brooks Range Backpacking, ANWR

July 25th, 2010 by Carl D
A waterfall in a small stream near the Upper Marsh Fork River, Brooks Range mountains, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), Alaska.
A waterfall in a small stream near the Upper Marsh Fork River, Brooks Range mountains, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), Alaska. Please click the thumbnail to view a larger version of the photo.

Hey folks,

Here’s another image from our recent trip to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This Brooks Range trip was simply awesome. A great group of folks, from Florida, Colorado and Washington, who all carried the most ingredient for a great trip – great attitude. Everyone really clicked, and we had a ton of fun; lots of laughs and good times.

Backpacking the Brooks Range at Midnight

This photo was taken on our 1st night out; we camped on a big alluvial fan that comes out of the mountains, on the west side of the Marsh Fork River. After dinner we hiked up the stream and climbed a small ridgeline for some amazing views back south, to the heart of the mountain range and the continental divide. The light was really happening, and I was pretty happy with a few of the images I made.

Afterward, the light began to fade and we hiked back toward camp. The sun began to poke through again, for one great show, and I saw this little miniature waterfall that I knew would make a great foreground. The light show only lasted a couple of minutes before high clouds to the north dulled the glow. By the time I’d rearranged this for a horizontal composition, the light was noticeably dimmer on the distant peak. Minutes later, the glow was gone.

We’ve backpacked and packrafted and rafted in virtually every major mountain range in Alaska. There’s nothing quite like exploring the Brooks Range. Whether it’s west of here, backpacking in Gates of the Arctic National Park or even further west to Kobuk Sands National Park a& Preserve, or in the entire 19 millions acres of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, everybody loves the Brooks Range. The vast open, endless mountains are a treat for all backcountry travelers.

Photography in the Land of the Midnight Sun

This image was taken around 2:00am. Photography in the arctic summer is a challenge, shifting ones mental and body clock to the wee hours of the “night“, to capture the nicest light. Oftentimes I’ll shoot til later and go to bed around 4:00am, or later. They don’t call this the land of the midnight sun for nothing.

There is just nothing quite like backpacking or hiking in the Brooks Range.

Here’s a photo below of Steve, from Colorado, shooting the following morning, around 4:00am. We’d gone to bed, got some rest, and then the sun came around the corner of the range to the north, and lit up the valley. I was up immediately, woke Steve, and we shot for a couple of hours before going back to bed. It’s an absolutely incredible experience to watch the mountains here, in the quiet hours of the “dawn“, and feel the arctic air start to warm. Magical doesn’t describe the experience.

Steve shooting at Dawn, ANWR.
Steve shooting the Marsh Fork River, Brooks Range, ANWR.

What a blast we had! To view some of Steve’s fantastic work from this trip, visit his gallery here. He made some amazing images.

Shooting with Other Photographers

It’s really nice to have another serious photographer along on a trip like this, even the trip is not promoted as a ‘photography tour’ at all. Steve inspired and motivated me to work harder and longer, and to look more closely than I otherwise might. I learnt a lot from watching him shoot.

Cheers

Carl

Pacific Loon photo, ANWR

July 17th, 2010 by Carl D
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge photo, Arctic loon, ANWR, Alaska.
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge photo, Arctic loon, ANWR, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

A Pacific Loon, photographed on a pond on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Taken at the end of our recent trip to ANWR, floating down the Canning River to the Arctic Ocean.

The final evening provided some great light, and some gorgeous Pacific loons (Gavia pacifica) to photograph. Loons are one of my favorite birds, really a beautiful bird, and it’s always a treat to photograph them.

This year we were fortunate to see Common loons, Red-throated loon and Pacific loons, but not the less common Yellow-billed loon. Maybe next summer we’ll be treated to the awesome foursome!

I’ll try to post something soon from our Skolai – Wolverine hike . Until then, I hope you enjoy this Pacific loon photo.

Cheers

Carl

Horseplay on Aufeis

July 11th, 2010 by Carl D
Alaska rafting tour, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.
Horseplay on the aufeis on our Canning River rafting trip, ANWR.

Hey Folks,

Here’s a shot from our recent rafting trip down the Canning River in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. You can see we had a lot of fun, great spirits, great weather, spectacular scenery and a great, great group of folks. What more could we ask for?

Aufeis is a German word to refer to overflow ice, that typically melts out during the summer, and re-accumulates in the winter. It’s pretty common along most waterways in the Arctic. Here it provided a platform for some tom-foolery.

Good fun all the way around.

Minutes earlier we’d been watching a mature bull caribou wander along the ridges of Aufeis; caribou often hang out on the ice to keep cool and stay away from the oft-present mosquitoes during summer’s brief madness.

Fortunately this year the bugs were largely gone by the time of our trip, and we all had a great time with no insanity from the mosquitoes.

Cheers

Carl

Hiking at Skolai Pass

June 1st, 2010 by Carl D
Backpackers hiking the tundra at Hole in the Wall.
Hole in the Wall, near Skolai Pass, is a great place to explore. Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Photo of the Month is this photo of some folks hiking up at Hole in the Wall, near Skolai Pass, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.

The Seven Fingers & Hole in the Wall

I love the sense of scale this photo gives for the peak in the background. This is one of the peaks known as the 7 fingers, glacier-capped outcroppings towering above the tundra.

Hole in the Wall is a classic old glacial formation. Hole in the Wall sits at roughly 6,000 feet elevation, carved by ancient ice into this dramatic gap in the ridge. The moraine offers endless exploration among house-sized boulders and stunning alpine views. and a great place to walk and explore.

I’ve spent many a day wandering around on the moraine, awestruck at the magnificent jagged cliff faces soaring above me.

Continue reading…

The Hubbard Glacier Calving into Russell Fjord

May 7th, 2010 by Carl D
Hubbard Gacier calving chunks of ice into Russell Fjord, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
Hubbard Glacier calving chunks of ice into Russell Fjord, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Please click on the thumbnail to view a larger version of this photo.

Hey Folks,

Here’s a photo from a trip to southeast Alaska I took, of the Hubbard Glacier calving into Russell Fjord at Gilbert Point, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, near Yakutat. To watch a 250′ high wall of ice crash into the ocean is simply awesome. And I mean awesome like ‘inspires awe’ … absolutely jaw-dropping stuff.

The Hubbard Glacier is one of the few advancing glaciers in Alaska right now, as most are retreating under the glare of warming climate; the cycles of glaciers that calve into the sea are also dependent upon dynamics of the sea floor, as well as other complicated elements.

The glaciers are often at various stages of a retreat-advance cycle, and the Hubbard is currently advancing. A decade or so ago it actually advanced across the very narrow neck of Russell Fjord, known as Gilbert Point, and blocked off the Fjord – drastically affecting the ecosystem there. Climate change is having a huge impact on the land here.

The pressure built up in the Fjord eventually pushed back, and the glacier washed out.

Continue reading…

Red Foxes, Coastal Plain, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

March 10th, 2010 by Carl D
Red fox kits (Vulpes vulpes), ANWR, Alaska.
2 red fox (Vulpes vulpes) kits playing and fighting outside a den on the coastal plain, at sunset, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Here is a photo from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge I took one evening, around 1am during our Canning River Rafting trip.

These red fox kits were playing just outside their den. I spent quite a bit of time, patiently trying to get close enough to photograph them. These foxes were pretty wary, and if I approached too quickly they’d duck down into their den. The interconnected network of burrows meant they could, and would, popup anywhere, often 50-60 yards away a few minutes later.

Climate Change and Arctic Wildlife

Red foxes appear to be moving further and further north with the warming climate; longer summers and less harsh weather in the winters means they’re able to survive where previously they didn’t.

The red fox is larger than their arctic cousins, the Arctic fox, and are (apparently) starting to cause quite a dent in the population of arctic fox, in some areas. Each year I’ve been to the coastal plain I have seen fewer arctic foxes than the year before, and seen more red foxes than previously.

Continue reading…

Many Rivers to Cross; Expert Guide to Safe Alaska River Crossings

February 18th, 2010 by Carl D
Backpackers crossing a creek in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
Backpackers crossing a creek in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

One of the more challenging aspects of a remote Alaskan backpacking trips is river crossings.

With the exception of the occasional Kenai Peninsula hike, all of these treks are off-trail, wilderness backpacking trips, and so there’s no easy way to get across the streams, creeks and rivers that meander through the mountains.

We have a. more thorough post on river crossing safety here, but to get you restarted, read on. A few tips that can be useful to heed:

10 Essential River Crossing Safety Tips

1. Cross Small Streams One Person at a Time

For smaller streams, I prefer to cross one person at a time. If by chance someone in the group does stumble, it means we have one wet person to deal with. Everyone else in the group is safe and secure on shore. Things unravel quickly in the backcountry, and that happens most often when something small goes wrong. One person stumbles, takes a dip, someone else reaches to grab them, they go down, knock their partner off balance, and all of a sudden bedlam results. That’s how people get hurt. It can also mean everyone gets wet gear. A much simpler problem to deal with is getting one person out of a creek, drying them off, and loaning them some warm, dry gear that another person in the group has in their pack. One person falling is a hassle – a group falling can be a disaster.

2. Unbuckle Your Pack Before Crossing

For anything over knee-high, unbuckle your hip belt and sternum strap on the backpack.

Continue reading…

Backcountry Photography

February 4th, 2010 by Carl D

Shower Camp Camera Cover from Expeditions Alaska on Vimeo.

Hey Folks

I thought this video might be both entertaining and useful to visitors to the website. Here, Andy Seeger shows off his fashion-sense and creative ingenuity with ‘Shower Cap Hat’ – a cheap workable solution to protecting your camera gear from bad weather on backpacking trips. Backpacking is ALL about compromise; weight, bulk and space, durability, multi-use, etc … these are things to consider when packing for your trip.

Rather than carry an expensive and heavier camera rain cover, a cheap plastic shower cap fits perfectly. it’s lightweight, packable, durable, light and easily available. What’s more, as Andy says, you can even get water with it. 🙂

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Choosing Your Backcountry Campsite; Alaska Wilderness Camping

January 27th, 2010 by Carl D
Campsite in the Chugach Mountains, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Alaska.
Campsite in the Chugach Mountains, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Alaska.

Hey Folks

Here’s a short post with some tips for you on picking a campsite in the backcountry.  Why a post about picking a campsite? I think it’s useful because many folks overlook this part of a trip, as most people are (typically) so used to backpacking and hiking on trails in the Lower 48 states that it doesn’t really occur to them until it’s time to set up a tent. And by then, it’s too late.

Your campsite is your home, albeit ever so temporarily, and it’s well worth taking a couple of steps toward setting up home for the evening in a setting that you enjoy. Backpacking all day with a heavy load through rugged but beautiful mountains is hard work, and an important part of the trip, to us, is enjoying a great campsite.

What Makes a Great Backcountry Campsite?

1. Low Impact Camping Principles

Firstly, it needs to be “low impact.” Essentially, low impact campsites are those that don’t leave undue stress on the landscape, or on other visitors to the park, both while you’re camped there and after you’re gone. There are a number of elements that are important, and I’ll stress a few of them here (this is not a comprehensive list).

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Backpacker Magazine!

January 18th, 2010 by Carl D
Hole in the Wall, Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska.
Mountain Avens and Dwarf Fireweed, Hole in the Wall, Skolai Pass, Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

It’s always nice when a magazine editor wants your photo for their story, and you get published.

But it’s WAY nicer when you get published in a magazine you enjoy, read and value. This image posted here is in the current edition of backpacker magazine, page 65 – full page vertical, which is nice. The image accompanies an article on backpacking “the Goat Trail”, in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.

This was the first route I ever hiked in Wrangell-St. Elias, and definitely a favorite of mine, so having my image chosen to accompany the story represents much more than just another published photo and a check to me.

The Route

It’s also cool for me because a few of my friends are published in the same edition of the magazine. It’d be remiss of me not to mention Bret Edge, and Ron Niebrugge, all of whom are photographers I admire.

Continue reading…
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