Grizzly Bears in the Fall

October 14th, 2009 by Carl D
Grizzly bear chasing sockeye salmon in stream, Katmai National Park, Alaska fall photography
A grizzly bear chases Sockeye Salmon through a stream, Katmai National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

[UPDATED: This is the Fat Bears in the Fall Photo Tour. Running 15 years now and we CRUSH IT, every season.]

Well, the Alaska summer season has wound down, and I’m slowly getting back in to ‘office-mode‘ for the winter. I’ll try to write a ‘summer backpacking wrap‘ before too long, with some notes from the various trips we had this year.

In the meantime, I’d like to mention a trip I’m planning for next year, 2010, that I’m WAAAAYYYYY excited about. I’ll be leading a photo tour to Katmai National Park in the fall, after the backpacking season. We’ll basecamp in Katmai National Park for a week, and photograph grizzly bears, also called brown bears in coastal Alaska, all day long.

Fall Grizzly Bear Photography Tour in Katmai National Park

For those of you unfamiliar with Katmai National Park, the region is home to the greatest population density of grizzly bears anywhere, and also some of the largest bears in the world.

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Ready For Summer; Backpacking Season is here

March 2nd, 2009 by Carl D
Caribou herd migrate across the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR, Alaska.
Caribou herd migrate across the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

I hope this finds you all well and gearing up for a great summer. It seems like winter solstice has only just been and gone, and its already march. Spring’s right around the corner, and then summer will be underway! I’m enjoying the winter, but am ready for summer – warmer weather, sunshine, longer days, and flowers and green vegetation is always welcome! And, best of all, more backpacking!

Preparing for the Alaska Backpacking Season

One of the questions I receive most, especially this time of year, is how best to prepare for the coming Alaska backpacking season. The short answer is, it doesn’t matter – just do something – the fitter you are, the safer your trip is! However, I think a few specific things can help:

Make Training a Regular Habit

a) make it regular. Whatever your exercise regime, try hard to make it happen every day – not every second day, or 3 days a week

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Bull and cow moose, Denali National Park, Alaska

October 12th, 2008 by Carl D
Bull and cow moose in Denali National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

So, I’m back to the ‘photos from the past’ section. I’ll post a few more from my recent stay in the park, but wanted to post this, a favorite of mine, from Denali National Park a few years.

This was probably one of the greatest days I ever had photographing. I hiked my tail off all morning after this bull moose – I was just finishing breakfast on what was to the be the last day of a 2 day stay in Denali Park, and I really wanted to get something worthwhile.

The weather was pretty gnarly, but it was my last day, and I hadn’t much to show for 12 days of staying hunkered down in my little 1 person tent in wind, rain, sleet, snow and cold.

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Grizzly bears on caribou carcass, Denali National Park, Alaska

October 12th, 2008 by Carl D
Grizzly bear family, sow and 2 cubs, feeding on a caribou carcass in Denali National Park, Alaska.
An oldie but a goodie. A favorite photo of mine from a decade or so ago in Denali National Park.

Hey Folks,

The Unexpected Bus Ride

So here’s the reason why the bus that I thought would take me to the park entrance (see this post). I got on the bus and heard the driver talking about ‘wonder if the wolves would still be there’.

Immediately perked up. The “wolves”???

I leaned forward, and eavesdropped my a** off.

The Wolf Pack Discovery

Turns out a pack of wolves had killed a caribou bull not far off the road, and the whole pack had been feeding all morning whilst I was walking around the backcountry chasing some stupid moose.

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2008 Trips, and thanks folks!

September 15th, 2008 by Carl D
Hiker in Icy Bay, looking at Mt. St. Elias, sunset, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Hey Folks,

Someone told me summer’s been and gone already for 2008 here in Alaska. I missed it, somehow, apparently. What a crazy year it was, weather-wise. Thunderstorms and lightning in the arctic, rain and clouds, snow and clouds, sunshine, wind, cool weather, hot weather, a mixed bag for sure. What was super, super appreciated, was the great spirits everyone brought along on the trips this summer – I couldn’t be more appreciative, and the groups couldn’t have better. Thanks.

I’ll try to have a slideshow up the website with a little review of the summer trips, but I’m heading back over to Wrangell-St. Elias to photograph the remaining fall colors, and then come back to Anchorage early October to get website updates, etc, done. So look for a slideshow on the home page in October. Until then, thanks SO much to everyone who came out this year, for all the good times, the great company, and some killer hiking trips. Thank you.

This photo is me, staring in awe at Mt St. Elias, from Icy Bay, in mid-June. What a mountain!

Cheers

Carl

Trip Review: Bremner Mines to Tebay Lakes

September 3rd, 2008 by Carl D
Backpackers hiking through field of wildflowers in the Chugach mountains, between Bremner Mines and Tebay Lakes, along the Klu River valley, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.
Hiking up the Flu Valley.

Klu River Valley Wildflowers

Hey Folks,

I finally get a chance to catch up quickly here – it’s been one trip after another, and though the weather’s not been the best, the trips have all been a ton of fun. I’m heading out in a few days for another basecamp/photo trip, which should be great, and then the season is over – it’s gone WAY too quickly!

One of the highlights this year was our Southern Traverse Backpacking Trip – the first ever commercial trip here, and one of the first groups of people to complete the route. We had an awesome group of experienced hikers, adventurous all, and we had a blast. The route was challenging at times, but enough long mellow stretches of easy hiking that we all enjoyed it.

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Mt Drum from the Sanford Plateau

August 6th, 2008 by Carl D
Mount Drum, Sanford Plateau, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska.
Dawn on Mt. Drum.

Hey Folks,

We just got through a great trip up on the Sanford Plateau, on the north side of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The hiking was great, the views sublime, and the group awesome. This image is from our campsite on the 2nd night, where we spent 2 full days enjoying the high alpine tundra and incredible views of the massive mountains nearby – Mt Sanford (over 16 000′), Mt Wrangell (over 14 000′) and Mt Drum (over 12 000′). This image is of early morning at Mt Drum.

The weather wasn’t too bad – a mix of rain, clouds, wind, and calm sunny weather as well – a welcome respite. Much better than the weather on the previous trip to Skolai Pass, where rain, sleet and even a little snow bound us up tight for much of the trip.

I’m excited to start doing more treks on the north side of the park and exploring this area further – we’ll definitely be back on the Sanford Plateau in 2009, and hopefully be able to do a few other trips in the area as well.

I’m off tomorrow for the 2 week trek from Bremner Mines to Tebay Lakes, which I’m very excited about, and hopefully we’ll get some good weather. We’ve a great group of hikers again, and this promises to be loads of fun.

I need to get to bed and get some rest, because tomorrow evening, we’ll be in the backcountry. I’ll try to put a trip report together when I get back on the 20th. Stay tuned!

Cheers

Carl

Sea Kayaking Icy Bay, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska

June 24th, 2008 by Carl D
Sea kayaking Icy Bay with Mt. St. Elias in the background, Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Alaska.
Icy Bay and Mt. St. Elias.

Hey Folks,

I just got back from a sea kayak trip to Icy Bay, down on the southern edges of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.

This will definitely be a trip for next year. It was my first time in this amazing place, and it really is cool. There’s SO much to see and explore in the area.

It’ll be a sea kayaking/hiking trip, a little of everything. the scenery is awesome, and the geology of the place is fascinating. 100 years ago it was a wall of glacial ice, now 3 glaciers have receded, and the valleys left in their wake filled with water, creating 4 deep cold fjords. The Taan fjord is the most navigable for paddling, the Tsaa fjord is almost covered with icebergs.

Here’s a shot from a camp site along the shores of the Taan fjord, Icy Bay, looking out over the bay towards Mt. St. Elias, as it catches the last rays of the sun for the day. Pretty sweet view, eh?

Continue reading…

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…
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