Summer’s here! Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska

June 9th, 2008 by Carl D
Great Horned Owl Chick, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.
A young Great-Horned Owl perched in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

hey Folks,

Just a quick post before I disappear for a couple of weeks. The blog will slow down even more the next few months, as I’m too busy hiking and photographing to get much posting done, but I’ll try to update it from time to time.

Anyway, here’s a photo I took a few days ago, when I was lucky enough to find a few Great Horned Owl fledglings, just learning to fly, and not far from their nest. The light wasn’t so great, but these little guys were SO cute! I’ll probably not run into them again as they’ve gained their wings and are heading off on their own before too long. I’m about to head off for a trip for 2 weeks, then heading up to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for 2 weeks, which I can’t WAIT to do, so in the meantime, have fun, stay safe, and enjoy the mountains.

Cheers

Carl

First Aid in the Backcountry

May 7th, 2008 by Carl D
A wilderness First Responder course simulation has this rescuer stabilizing a patient

Hey Folks,

Introduction to Backcountry First Aid

  • Brief overview of the importance of first aid in the wilderness.

With the summer season just around the corner, a few tips on some basic First Aid might be helpful. In this simulation, you can see my friend and Wilderness First Responder, Lisa, stabilizing the patient’s (Jason) neck.

Spine Stabilization in Critical Care

Stabilizing a patients spine is super-important in critical care for all patients who have suffered major trauma, or where the mechanism of injury is unknown. In other words, when the rescuer doesn’t know what happened, and why the patient is suffering.

The best position for a patient whose may have a spine injury is flat on their back, with a rescuer holding their head in what’s called ‘anatomical position’ – basically, as straight as possible. Moving the head, or allowing the spine to flop around, can easily cause the spinal cord to be ruptured, or severed, causing permanent disabilities to the patient.

Continue reading…

Bear Spray Effectiveness – How Effective is Bear Spray?

March 27th, 2008 by Carl D
Grizzly bear cub photo, Katmai National Park, Alaska.
Would you spray this little guy? What about if his mom was running at you?

Introduction

Update: With the escalating proliferance of bear tours and bear viewing as an industry, I thought I’d post a comprehensive guide to Alaska bear viewing and bear tours.

A lot of people ask about bears and bear spray and guns and what we do for safety.

We don’t carry guns on our bear trips, and nor would I be comfortable with someone on the trip carrying a firearms, unless there were some very extenuating circumstances. I do carry bear spray, and we usually take 2 or 3 cans per trip, depending on the size of the group.

Bear Spray vs Firearms – What the Research Says

A recent Canadian study showed bear spray to be quite a bit more effective than firearms might be. The study looked at data from the last 20 years, and concluded bear spray is generally a safer option than firearms. “Despite persistent doubts among hikers and campers venturing into bear country, you’re better off with an eight-ounce can of bear spray than a gun, according to an analysis of 20 years of data.

Canadian and U.S. researchers announced that they found

  • Bear spray stopped aggressive bear behavior in 92% of cases.
  • Firearms were effective about 67% of the time.

Whether that behavior was an attack or merely rummaging for food the spray worked with nearly 100% efficacy. Guns were noticeably less effective.

Continue reading…

Winter Outdoor Gear for Alaska?

March 23rd, 2008 by Carl D
The Kennecott Glacier and moraine covered in snow one early winter morning and Chugach Mountains in Winter, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Common Questions About Winter Gear

I hear most frequently; what do you do in the winter?

Well, as winter just wound to a close, I thought I’d post a short note about winter outdoor gear.

Alaska Guide’s Winter Outdoor Gear

All in all, what’s the best outdoor hiking and backpacking gear I bought this winter? What piece of gear really rocked my world?

Down Booties

A $40.00 pair of Sierra Designs Down Booties! These things rock! Kept my feet warm and happy during the coldest of days – not quite 50 below zero! I was really impressed with them. Sierra Designs make some good gear, but these are the best buy of the season. Comfortable, light, durable, cheaply priced and stylish! Other candidates for good buys or just good winter gear were:

Insulated Hat

* My Lowe Alpine Mountain Cap. I don’t even know if this is still made – I’ve had mine for over 10 years, and it’s still good as new. It now officially counts as my oldest piece of 1st-tier gear.

Sleeping Bag

My North Face Firefox sleeping bag, which is no longer made, is just as old, but I don’t use it most of the time, after buying the Western Mountaineering Ultralite 18 months ago. Regarding the cap, I have the Triple Point Fabric version and they also have a Gore-Tex version. This hat is awesome, fleece-lined, and toasty! And it looks cool as well!

Cold Hands?

* A surprise contender, for me, is the REI fleece gloves I have .. they’re fingerless, but with a little extra fold-over mitten .. these are great, I can fold the mitten cover back, exposing my fingers for operating a camera, and quickly cover them back up as it gets cold. Unless it got REALLY cold, these gloves we re just fine this winter. Well-priced, and warmer than I thought they might be.

Snowshoes

* Atlas 1030 Snowshoes. Excellent shoes for getting around in the powdery snow in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, good traction cleats, lightweight rugged construction, and easy to fix buckles. Great snowshoes for just about any snowshoeing trip, though not cheap either.

If you’re looking for something to spend your tax refund on, you won’t go wrong with any of the above gear, and it’s probably all marked down for end of season sales.

Cheers

Carl

Book Lists

March 21st, 2008 by Carl D
Sunset over Skolai pass, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Anyone out there looking for some good reading material? I thought I’d make a post that lists some books I’ve really enjoyed – I’ll add to it as I go, and would appreciate any visitors adding their favorites to the list. I’ll start with some great nature books:

  • Thoreau (of course): My favorite is “Walking”
  • Jack Turner: “The Abstract Wild”
  • Derrick Jensen: “Listening to the Land”
  • Paul Shepard: “Coming Home to the Pleistocene”
  • Jack London: “Call of the Wild” (I know, I know, it’s fiction, but wow, what great fiction!!!!)
  • Wendell Berry: “Another Turn of the Crank”
  • Doug Peacock: “The Grizzly Years”
  • Aldo Leopold: “A Sand County Almanac”
  • Bill McKibben: “The End of Nature”

That’s enough for starters – I’ll add more as they come to me!

Cheers

Carl

Canning River Rafting Trip, ANWR, Alaska

March 10th, 2008 by Carl D
Rafting float trip, Canning River, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Rafting Trip Announcement

The Canning River, ANWR

I’m super excited to announce our Canning River Rafting trip in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR.

We’ll be leaving Fairbanks, and return to Fairbanks after the trip is complete. That’s 2 solid weeks of exploring and traveling in the arctic is hard to beat. Room is a premium on this trip, so it’s wise to get in early. People tend to book early, so reach out to us sooner rather than later!

ANWR

The trip will include flying into ANWR, to the headwaters of the Marsh Fork, in the heart of the Brooks Range, just on the north side of the Continental Divide.

Marsh Fork & Canning River

The Upper Marsh Fork is pristine mountain terrain, and we’ll spend some time exploring and hiking the peaks and valleys to see more of this region as we make our way north. After a couple of days we join up with the Canning River, continuing through the Brooks Mountains – spectacular country.

We go through 2 very cool canyons; they’re short but really neat little canyons. Sometimes Dall sheep are in the area, and caribou, grizzly bear, wolves and wolverines too!

The Coastal Plain

Gradually, as we wind our way north, we reach the coastal plain, which is seemingly endless. The Canning and the Staine Rivers (pronounced Steen) lead us toward the coast.

We explore the coastal plain and look for caribou. Hopefully get some great opportunities at photographing migratory birds that visit the area, including tundra swan, shorebirds, sea ducks, loons, and maybe even snowy owls. Arctic foxes and red foxes are in the area, and we’ll also see arctic terns as well. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is famous for 2 herds of caribou, the Porcupine Caribou Herd and the Central Arctic Herd, and we have a good chance of seeing either as they make their way along their migratory routes.

Trip Plan

We’re allowing plenty of time for this trip. We won’t be pushed for time, we’ll have lots of free time for hiking and photographing and exploring along the way. We’ll try to get around in the best hours for wildlife viewing and landscape photography, as the midnight sun allows 24 hour travel. A trip to ANWR is always a treat, and I can’t way for summer to roll around and to get back up to this incredible place.

Rafting is the way to travel in ANWR, we’ll cover lots of ground with little effort, there are very few rapids at all, it’s a great float down the river. We will do some hiking on both the coastal plain and in the mountains, but with the raft we can get ourselves and all our gear over 100 miles northward with far less effort than a regular backpacking trip would require. Campsites abound along the way, and we’re sure to have a blast. The weather in the high arctic is typically dry during the summer, so it’s a trip that’s hard to beat. Contact me at Expeditions Alaska for more information.

We also have an exceptional ANWR Backpacking trip you should check out.

Cheers

Carl

Skolai to Wolverine – The Goat Trail

December 28th, 2007 by Carl D
A female hiker rests on a boulder in the Chittistone Valley, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.
Happy April

Trip Overview and Route Highlights

Hey Folks,

Here’s a short trip review of a trip we did this previous summer.

Skolai to Wolverine, also known as the Goat Trail, a favorite route for just about everyone who’s done it. We did this trip again in 2007 in late July, early August, and had a blast. Allowing extra days to spend on route gave us the leeway to make some shorter days, with less time carrying heavy packs, and more time eating good food, enjoying the lingering sunsets, and dayhiking and exploring the region.

We hiked up to Hole in the Wall on our first afternoon, where we saw and photographed a family of White-tailed ptarmigans, along with some Dall sheep. Hole in the Wall is one of the first places most visitors get to be up close with a glacier, so it’s always a treat.

Exploring Chitistone Pass and Russell Glacier

We had a late lunch up in the hanging valley, and moseyed back down to camp in the early evening. The following day we hiked over to Chitistone Pass, where we set up and camp and did a short walk around that area.

Continue reading…

Happy Holidays

December 24th, 2007 by Carl D
Happyl Holidays and Happy New Year!
Happy Holidays from Alaska

Hey Folks,

Just a quick note to anyone out there to say we wish you all the Happiest of Holidays, and all the best to you and yours for the coming year.

Warmest Regards

Carl and Expeditions Alaska

Website updates

December 21st, 2007 by Carl D
Kayaker surfing a wave on the Baker River, Patagonia, Chile.
Whitewater Kayaker on the Baker River, Patagonia, Chile.

Hey Folks,

I just thought I’d post a quick note here and let you know of the updates recently done to the website. We’ve made a few aesthetic additions to the site, hopefully making a little more enjoyable for you to browse around. The first thing you might like to see is the automated slide show I did from the Images of the Month for 2007. Also, the Eye of the Beholder gallery in finished.

I put a small slide show on the home page, and added a slide show of images from part of the Bremner to Tebay trip. Check that out for sure!

We also made a few minor changes here and there, and will be finishing up some of the other odds and ends while we’re at it. If you see any glaring errors, feel free to drop us a line and we’ll get on it.

Also, you might want to look over at Skolai Images and look at some of the updates there. And if you really want to look at a lot of photos from the park, check out the Wrangell-St. Elias Stock Photos page.

Well, that’s about it for now. I hope you enjoy the new stuff on the site. Oh, and the picture here is my friend Santiago Ibanez, from Peru, smokin’ on a surf wave on the Baker River, or Rio Baker, in Patagonia, Chile. The Baker River is an incredible river, and we had a fantastic trip there in April 2007.

Thanks, and all the best.

Cheers

Carl

Photography and Backpacking

December 19th, 2007 by Carl D
Photography and backpacking, ANWR, Alaska.
Photography and backpacking, ANWR, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Editor’s Note (2025): This article was originally written in 2007 and reflects the photography technology of that era. While the core principles about protecting gear, reducing weight, and capturing shots remain timeless, modern photographers now benefit from mirrorless cameras, high-capacity SD cards, and lightweight carbon fiber gear. The fundamental advice about accessibility and deliberate shooting still applies.

As I’m updating the website, I’m redoing some old blog pages, and won’t be writing content on the old (now deleted) pages – so I’m going to transfer some of the past notes I’ve written on the image of the month pages to the blog. That way it’s all in one place. It’s searchable, and much better organized.

Backpacking & Photography; A How To

Here’s another piece I wrote a while back about backpacking and photography. Some of the issues are how to pack camera gear, how to keep camera gear weight down, the hassles of digital cameras, and how to ‘get your shots’.

Continue reading…
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