One of the most common questions we get, every trip, every year, every month, is “What to pack?”
We provide all guests with a ton of info on packing. People often look for a shortcut and then want to “hope for the best”. “Will I be OK with … “ is usually really a question of “I don’t want to bring xyzzy”.
And, of course, you MIGHT be ok without all that gear. You might just nail the weather and enjoy shorts and t-shirt weather the entire time.
Heart of the Park Backpacking trip, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.
It’s sad that opening up the book on the history of guiding opens up the book on the history of colonization. It definitely does.
That being said, there were early frontier guides that were closer to native life, and some that wanted to destroy it.
Kit Carson and the Frontier Guides
Kit Carson (1809-1868) was in the camp of the former.
In the frontier era, many guides roamed the wilderness, yet none garnered as much admiration as Kit Carson. He never made it to Alaska, but he made it everywhere else. Renowned for his pivotal role in the USA absorbing California and New Mexico, in his later career Carson led the defense against Confederate attempts to seize the nascent American West. To delve deeper into these captivating stories of how our country relied on this man to create a bi-coastal nation, I recommend losing yourself in Hampton Side’s Blood and Thunder. Carson forged close bonds with numerous tribes, fully immersing himself in their languages and lifestyles.
The Wrangell Ramble, out newest backpacking trip. Join us this summer.
Hey Folks,
As most of you folks know, we try to add something new to our little list of Alaska backpacking trips each year. This year, we have one we’re super stoked to announce.
Ten Years in the Making. This little jaunt combines a few trips we’ve run over the years (and still do) with an Exploratory backpacking trip we crushed in 2022, and did not crush in 2021.
The Wrangell Ramble traverses a short section of the northern and north eastern Wrangell Mountain Range. And it holds something for everyone.
Mountain Views? Maybe the best.
High alpine tundra walking? Higher ASL as any trip we run.
After too many years and way too many footsteps across the tundra, I finally happened to be in the right place at the right time. Previous trips had me wet, cold, hungry, and wondering where this infamous mountain actually was (hidden, veiled behind the infernal clouds).
Mt. Sanford, Mt. Drum, the Copper River and the Night Sky. The moon rise to my left threw a nice soft light on the fog over the Copper River Basin. Click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.
Hey Folks,
With a host of people heading north this winter/spring to photograph the aurora, I thought it might be of some interest to talk a little about the process of shooting photography at night. I know a lot of people have little experience with that, and it really can be a challenge at times. Particularly on a cold frozen night in Alaska when the northern lights start going crazy overhead. We run a couple of Photo Tours for the northern lights, you can check them out here.
So, the first thing I’d suggest, if you haven’t already, is read over my 3 part article on shooting the northern lights. There’s a downloadable PDF at the end of that article you can keep for future reference.
Why Test Shots Matter for Alaska Night Photography
It’s dark. You have a headlamp on, and that gives you a little bit of vision out to maybe 30-50 yards or so. After that, you can’t see too much at all.
The aurora starts to fire up, and you want to shoot it.
You can’t see your foreground and composition. It’s dark. You don’t even know if the foreground is worth shooting. It’s dark. You can’t walk around all over and use your headlamp to see, because (a) there isn’t time, (b) there are other people trying to shoot, (c) you don’t want to track up all the snow by stomping around in it.
So setup your test shots. This is probably the most important part of the process.
Backpacking the 7 Pass Route Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
Hey Folks,
A favorite topic of mine.
The Impossible Question
Where Do I Want to Backpack Most?
It’s impossible to say. In some ways, I’d simply suggest (and often do) “wherever you happen to have good weather”.
And I’ve done more than a small share of backpacking in Alaska. I’ve backpacked in the arctic, walked the shores of the Arctic Ocean, and I’ve backpacked in temperate rain forests of SE Alaska. I’ve also traversed many, many points in between.
I enjoy them all. Really. I can’t think of any place I don’t enjoy backpacking the wilderness in Alaska. I’ve had some trips that were harder than others, I’ve had some trips with less than favorable weather, I’ve had some trips that I’d love to have another jaunt at and do a “take two”. But I’ve certainly found positive experiences on all of them.
My Top Alaska Backpacking Destinations
Backpacking in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
There’s something about Wrangell-St. Elias National Park that just holds me. That could be the alder of the Chugach mtns, LOL.
Seriously, backpacking in Alaska is just a unique experience every time. I’ve backpacked the Goat Trail many times, and it’s different every time. The Southern Traverse is a gem, and our newer backpacking route, The Wrangell Ramble, is a really cool hike.
A bull moose and fall colors, Denali National Park.
Pick a subject, and work it. A shotgun approach to a trip of trying to shoot lots of different subjects is more likely to just yield a bunch of mediocre images.
Spend time with your subject. The best images typically will take time. Give yourself that opportunity to really make something special happen.
It’s nice to come home with lots of different images of lots of different things, but it’s really nice to come home with really strong images. In my experience that works better when we focus on a subject and work it. Work it some more. And continue to narrow that idea down.
Less really is more.
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS – LESS IS MORE
Camera gear isn’t always your friend
Polar Bear Portrait
We all know this saying, but most of us rarely apply it.
When it comes to camera gear, most of us have WAY too much. I know I do. But I’m trying to shoot with less gear and more consideration to what I want the image to be.
Often I’ll bring one lens on an outing and shoot with that. Or not shoot and simply observe.
I’ll have my gear in the bag at camp, or back at the hotel, for sure. But when I saddle up and walk out looking to shoot? I want to spend less energy (mental and physical) worrying about gear choices and more focus on putting an image together. The fewer things I have to concern myself with the freer my mind is to be creative.
I so often see people on various Alaska photo tours spending so much of their mental energy on what gear to bring, how to pack it, what goes with what, etc, etc it is staggering. And not surprising when their photography doesn’t reflect their aspiration.
