Brutal - Alaska

[IPT]

Least you all think I've been sitting around since I haven't been posting too much! Quite the contrary in-fact, I’ve been off the charts busy. Had some guests in town and did all sorts of tours, plus my annual 6 day trip into Denali NP. This weekend we were gonna lay low, recharge the batteries. However, my photographic enthusiasm got the better of me. After one of the lamest summers (weather wise – we broke a 50+ year record for consecutive days of rain!) we have been having some incredible weather! I took a bad mtn biking spill in that rainy part a while back and broke two ribs too. That slowed me down some . Well, we decided rest can come along next weekend and we headed North, again. If the weather is good you better take advantage. As the saying goes, “don’t like the weather, just wait 5 mins” … things change fast up here. We (I talked my g/f into it…and it didn’t take much, kudos to her, as you’ll see) decided to hike a ridge in Denali State park. I knew it was steep, and I also knew it would be cold this time of year. What I didn’t know was that it would be windy as heck!

movie clips...windy!:
http://s283.photobucket.com/albums/kk319/IPTalaska/?action=view&current=MVI_0170.mp4

http://s283.photobucket.com/albums/kk319/IPTalaska/?action=view&current=MVI_0167.mp4

So after a 2 and half hour drive, despite the wind we headed up. Sadly the wind kicked up a major dust storm on the valley floor and really killed the clarity for the images I was looking for in the AM. None the less we had fun... yeah, fun, I think, . Didn’t sleep much, nothing like the tent walls being slammed in on you and slapping around, and that was on the leeward side of a hill in a depression! Well, to win it, you gotta be in it! Kudos to my women, this was like her second backpack trip. It was a gnarly, steep, rooty, eroded trail and windy as heck with a windchill I am sure approaching single digits or worse! Our camel back froze, dang it. Need to get one of those insulated sleeves!

frozen waves...

Winters coming..

 

[IPT]

Plenty of Bear food around, but I didn't want to be on the menu...

I thought I found a great sheltered spot for to camp but then I saw bear scat...obviously it was a well travelled corridor and not a good place to set up camp. Timothy Treadwell might have been at peace there, but not me . Mauled by a bear or battered by wind, I am taking wind!

Dang dust....made for a nice sunset though.

Going up? ...lots of this... later she said she thought I was trying to "test" her (lol). No trick angles or weird stuff here..this is the real deal. Straight up, from my P&S! Poles really are not an option here. You need them, especially for the decent.

and down..

 

[IPT]

Got cold?! Burr, I know, she's a girl, but seriously, it was c o l d ! AMazing what a windchill can do! My girl insists on using my "car camping" therma-rest! Man, I'd sleep on rocks before I hauled that thing around. LOL, though instead I was hauling a Monster tripod, a BH-55 ballhead, 3 lenses and a stupidly heavy camera body. This hobby might literally kill me, or wear my knees out, or keep me crazy fit! Time will tell I guess.

oh, but the view! Standing at 20,320 feet it's the tallest peak in North America. The vertical elevation gain from valley floor to summit is actually more gain than Mt Everest has.

Hope you all had as adventurous of a weekend!

Cheers.

 

[torchgirl]

What beautiful pictures! I gotta get out of the house more often. Thank you for posting and sharing your adventures.

 

[nuccadoc]

Wow! Simply fantastic! Thanks for sharing. Went to grad school with a guy who was born and raised in Fairbanks and we never grew tired of listening to him tell stories of what it is like to live up there.

Scott

 

[Recty]

Pretty cool, I live here and I still enjoy seeing your pictures

Looks like you have a pretty awesome sherpa, better keep this one around a while.

How much does that 1D mkIII weigh with the lens you were using?

 

[IPT]

Thanks for looking, and the comments. Makes me happy to see people enjoy the images. Someone at my office was just looking at the stuff on the walls and asking me if I sell the prints...... I much rather share them here and see people enjoy it. I already have a job, so this is fun for me. Dealing with printers, calibrations, and proofing becomes work.


Recty - Just the body and the 70-200 (F4 version even!) are over 6 lbs! I long for the day when i can leave the cameras behind and be happy with just the P&S. Invariably then i run into something amazing and kick myself for not taking the good gear. This trip was really soley for the images. Overall I was pretty bummed at the outcome. The dust was just too much and the light this late in the year was from a less desirable angle (IMO - though I don;t know what it would have been like with a clearer sky).

Ah, yes, my new Sherpa is awesome. She is gonna be a keeper . After I broke my ribs I wanted to go look for moose but was advised by 2 Dr friends not to hike yet (sigh). She offered to carry my gear so we could get out and I could take some pictures! We were joking about the Sherpa thing. She didn't know what a Sherpa was. She does now , if I could just get her to carry the F2.8 lenses now....

 

[t5Nitro]

I haven't been on here much either. Too busy studying.

Have to say that weekend looks full of fun and adventure. Those pictures (and videos) definitely depict some of the intense conditions Alaska has.

Post more pictures. :thumbsup:

 

[Brett9917]

I haven't been on here much either. Too busy studying.

Have to say that weekend looks full of fun and adventure. Those pictures (and videos) definitely depict some of the intense conditions Alaska has.

Post more pictures. :thumbsup:

... and it's only September... sheesh haha

I will stick to IPT's and Recty's pictures from here on out. haha

 

[gnorman]

ive always wanted to go to Alaska, looks gorgeous

 

[IPT]

Alaska is an amazing place. Not really for those that like the city life and moderate temperatures...but if you love the wilds, nature, extreme conditions and breathtaking landscapes, it rocks!

A few more...

a moon rise I wish we were seeing after the campsite was found and tent pitched....not from the trail, still hiking, wondering where and how we could get away from the wind!

Grouse..saw a few of these on the way down.

Heading up...

Some alpenglow....

 

[Wolverine]

Every time my desire to make a trip to Alaska starts to wane, you go and bring it roaring back with a few pictures.

 

[Misled]

Every time my desire to make a trip to Alaska starts to wane, you go and bring it roaring back with a few pictures.

Mine doesn't get a chance to wane. As usual, very beautiful Louis!!!!

 

[IPT]

Mine doesn't get a chance to wane. As usual, very beautiful Louis!!!!

Every time my desire to make a trip to Alaska starts to wane, you go and bring it roaring back with a few pictures.

Man, that's how it started for me! I wanted to come up here, then I finally did. It was amazing, changed me forever. I came back to visit and felt the same way. Then I decided I would move up here "just for a year or two" while I was still young and not really established anywhere. Sort of just to have some good life experiences and try to get some of the adventure lust worked out of me. Well, instead of working things out of me Alaska got into me and I really have a hard time imagining any other sort of lifestyle for myself. The quality up here, for the things I enjoy is just off the charts.

Plus, Hawaii is only a direct 6 hour flight from us .