Waterfalls along a cliffside looking up at the Worthington Glacier
Autumn in Denali National Park
Mountains south of the Park Road in Denali National Park and Preserve. "Rivers" of yellow wind through the red foliage and "lakes" of green spruce dot the hillsides. I have yet to find a place that I would prefer to be in autumn, even though the season here is incredibly short. The splendid colors only hang around for about a week before the deciduous leaves fall, followed shortly by the snow.
Sea otters relaxing on an iceberg in Columbia Bay.
The northern lights just a few yards away from our cabin.
At the Solomon Gulch Hatchery in Valdez, Alaska.
Over one of the Miller Creek drainages.
Mid-afternoon light hits the treetops in Fairbanks, Alaska.
On the Black Rapids Glacier in the Eastern Alaska Range. Eventually the slushy blue streaks in the snow from a few days before this gave way to water channels in the ice beneath the surface. Sometimes they find old channels from previous years, sometimes they don't. In the summer of 2014 we spent two weeks camped on the glacier and had to cross many of these streams. It was still early in the melt season which meant that there weren't any moulins yet to drain the water for the surface. This meant that to get across the glacier we had to jump over many of these streams, a handful of which were quite wide. My knees would often be swollen and sore at the end of the day. I was always more comfortable jumping to my dominant, right leg, but when I didn't mix it up I paid for it later. I started jumping all the small streams to my left leg, and only to my right if there were consequences for missing a jump.
Columbia Bay
Gorgeous red landscapes over the Thorofare River and yellow vegetation-covered Muldrow Glacier. And of course Denali, the tallest Mountain in North America at 20,310' above sea level.
Rocks on the surface of College Glacier.
Great sky over one of the smaller, mostly dry drainages in the Miller Creek basin in the Alaska Range. Mt. Shand can be seen in the distance.
The higher you go on the Harding Icefield Trail, the better the views seem to get. It's a long way down to the crevassed Exit Glacier. Kenai Fjords National Park.
Northern lights over boreal forest in Fairbanks, Alaska
Young Dall sheep with grass in mouth climbing to a ridge at Polychrome Pass.
Sky view from the Equinox Marathon Trail on Ester Dome
Harbor Seal on an iceberg in Columbia Bay.
Grizzly Bear - Denali National Park
The brown bear paused from eating soapberries to look around before returning to the river. I can't believe how beautiful, almost human, it's eyes were. This really wrapped up a fantastic bus trip into Denali National Park.
Steller sea lions in Port Valdez near the Solomon Gulch Hatchery.
Near the Primrose region in Denali National Park.
Iceberg from the Columbia Glacier in Prince William Sound near Glacier Island.
Great detail in ice near the Sanctuary River in Denali National Park & Preserve.
Sitting in the brush under some willows at Polychrome Pass.
Ice wall in a small tunnel on the Gulkana Glacier
Along the lower portion of the Granite Tors trail. Fall colors were just starting to set in.
There were quite a few large streams to cross on the Black Rapids Glacier this year with absolutely no englacial drainage to help reduce the water at the surface. At least they are pretty to look at. The channel here was quite a bit deeper and wider than it looked and this little island of ice with the precariously balanced boulder proved to be a useful crossing point.
An early snowfall fell in September of 2013 in Fairbanks. The foliage was just coming into peak and the oranges and yellows were beautifully covered in a bit of white. I would not mind if snow fell every year on autumn leaves.
On Mt. Margaret near the Savage River.
Aurora borealis over the Chena hills from the Angel Rocks Trail. Chena River Recreation Area, Alaska
Looking straight down into a deep crevasse on the Worthington Glacier.
A stand of spruce trees on Murphy Dome
Castner Glacier in the Eastern Alaska Range
A hanging glacier on Peak 8100 and a few icefalls leading up toward Icefall Peak.
The old ammonia leaching plant at the Kennecott copper mine. To the left is the largely debris covered Kennicott Glacier (yes, the spelling is different) and the flanks of Mt. Blackburn (16,390 ft - 4,996 m) hiding behind the clouds. (In my opinion, it's worth a trip to Alaska just to go here!)
Northwestern Glacier, a tidewater glacier near Seward, Alaska. Kenai Fjords National Park.
Two bull caribou resting in the Toklat riverbed in Denali National Park.
Snowshoe hare in Denali National Park & Preserve
Paddle-tailed darner (Aeshna palmata) on bird vetch (Vicia cracca). Vetch is an incredibly invasive plant species in the Alaska Interior. It's kind of pretty, but it chokes all native plants, including tree saplings and spreads like crazy. The dragonfly is just pretty, enjoy it!
Denali National Park Landscape
Winter view from the Alpine Trail in Denali National Park.
Blue Skies in the Alaska Range
Peak near the head of a large tributary to the Black Rapids Glacier in the Eastern Alaska Range.
Dall Ram on Mt. Margaret in Denali National Park
The aurora borealis dances over a boreal forest in Fairbanks, Alaska. Blog: http://lwpetersen.com/photo-blog/week-northern-lights-wouldnt-quit/
