Photos
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I've often thought of making a calendar of Alaska's most beautiful peaks. Mt. Russell would certainly make the list.
36 miles west of Mt. McKinley, Mt. Russell is one of the major peaks of the Alaska Range—and one of the most dramatic. To give a sense for its size and steepness, it rises over a vertical mile above the Chedotlothna Glacier to the northwest in less than two miles. It rises two miles above the Yentna Glacier to the south in only 8 miles.
My 3-year old daughter, Alana, and I went on a Daddy-daughter adventure this weekend. We drove to Portage Lake then skiied from the Visitor's Center over to the face of Portage Glacier. (Actually, I skiied--Alana rode in the chariot.) It took less than 30 minutes to get the few miles to the glacier. I have to believe this is one of the most impressive glaciers either Big or Little Minnie Mouse has seen.
As we were returning, we saw two skiiers with large backpacks against the enormous backdrop of the surrounding mountains. I desaturated the blues in the image to give it the feel of an old Washburn black and white photo.
I flew over the Chugach Mountains and Prince William Sound today. The mountains are billowing with fresh snow from this week's storm.
But with 12 hours of daylight--and a daily gain of almost 6 minutes--it's only a matter of weeks before the valleys below will be all melted out. We're getting huge amounts of solar radiation this time of year. Read more »
Only in Alaska would a gubernatorial candidate invest precious campaign funds to sponsor an outhouse in the Fur Rondy annual Outhouse Races. That's "Bill Walker for Governor" on the side of the outhouse building in the photo on the left. If he does get elected Governor, let's hope for the sake of the Alaska electorate that this wasn't the deciding factor. The team in the photo on the right is called the "Fabulous Flying Duck Farts."
The competition was intense, with several outhouses involved in high-speed collisions. Fortunately, no one was hurt or ejected from their toilet seat. Read more »
I saw something amazing today at the Fur Rondy World Championship Dog Weight Pull. A dog named "Falcon," pictured above, is pulling over half a ton (1100 pounds to be exact). That's 15 times his body weight. Now imagine the sheer horsepower of a team of 16 of these dogs pulling a musher.
If you want to get off-the-beaten path, Yakutat is a place to seriously consider. It lies in a no man's land between Glacier Bay National Park and Prince William Sound, way off the typical tourist track. Yet,Alaska Airlines flies jets there twice daily. I took the above photo from Byron Mallott's deck overlooking the Bay. The building below is his guest house which he leases to a schoolteacher most of the year but rents out in the summer.Email me, and I can put you in touch with someone down there. Read more »
This was the scene last week as I was working on some time lapse photos of the tides coming in and out of Turnagain Arm. Not bad to be able to drive to a place this beautiful less than 15 minutes from my house in South Anchorage! Read more »
