Tag Archives: Alaska

June 4, 2021 · 4:11 am

Fun Fact Friday – June 4th, 2021

*Denali Mountain And Landscape, Denali National Park and Preserve (Alaska)*

It’s Fun Fact Friday! So, here are a few facts about Denali Mountain and Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Did you know that only about 30 percent of people visiting the park ever get a glimpse of the mountain? Like Mount Rainier, Denali Mountain makes its own weather and these conditions can hide the 20,310-foot tall mountain behind a wreath of clouds and fog most of the time. The first climb to the top of this tallest peak in North America was done in 1913, and a member of the climbing party – Harry Karstens – would later become Denali’s first superintendent.

There’s an interesting article in today’s edition of the National Parks Traveler about Denali Mountain. Climbing rangers out there are voicing concerns about inexperienced climbers trying to summit the mountain, and after reading the article, I see there is very good reason for them to be concerned. To read that article, click on the image above.

I visited Denali National Park and Preserve for five days several years ago, and was lucky to have been able to see Denali every single day I was there. This image is the result of one such day of clear viewing.

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Tagged as Alaska, Denali, Denali National Park and Preserve, Fun Fact Friday, mountain, National Park, National Parks Traveler, photography, travel, where the trails take you

April 30, 2021 · 5:51 am

Fun Fact Friday, April 30th, 2021

Here’s something interesting you might or might not have known about life in Denali National Park and Preserve, in Alaska. There are 39 species of mammals in the park, including the Big 5 (moose, caribou, Dall sheep, wolves, grizzly bears), and 139 species of birds. But, only one amphibian has managed to adapt to life under the harsh conditions of the park’s landscape. The wood frog can actually freeze itself solid during the winter! It’s heart stops, it doesn’t breathe, but there are cryptoprotectant chemicles that keep the frog’s cells alive, and when spring arrives, the frog thaws out and starts searching for a pond and a mate. Pretty cool, huh? (pun intended).

As for this image, it was captured during my 5-day stay at Camp Denali, located near the end of the one and only road through the park. There’s a little pond right outside of the main camp building called Nugget Pond, and on this particular day, I captured three different shots of it as the morning lightened up. The first shot you can see if you look at a previous post. This is the second shot, captured a little later during sunrise, and I’ll post the final shot later on.

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Tagged as Alaska, August, Denali, Denali National Park, Fun Fact Friday, mountain, mountains, National Park, photography, summer, where the trails take you

April 22, 2021 · 4:42 am

Happy Earth Day 2021!

Today marks the 51st anniversary of Earth Day, a celebration every April 22nd of Earth and the wondrous things we see in nature. I thought I’d mark this day by posting an image I captured while spending five days at Camp Denali in Denali National Park (Alaska).

Every morning, I’d get up, dress, leave my little cabin, and walk up the gravel road to this little pond right outside of the main camp building. It’s called Nugget Pond and it has an awesome view of Denali Mountain and the Alaska Range, towering in the background over the mirror-smooth water of this little pond, with a hint of mist rising from the water.

How will I celebrate Earth Day? By pulling weeds out in the flower beds to make more room for the tulips and iris that are in bloom – nothing very glamorous.

How will you celebrate Earth Day? At least, take a moment to appreciate nature in all of its forms. If you go hiking today, remember to pack out what you pack in and follow the Leave No Trace principles.

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Tagged as Alaska, April 22, Denali National Park, Earth Day, National Park, national parks, nature, photography, where the trails take you

February 23, 2021 · 6:12 am

National Parks Photography And The Art Of Patience

The National Parks Traveler has published my latest photography article. This month’s column is about photography and the art of patience. If you are interested in reading the article, then click on the image above.

As for this particular image, this was the reward for me and the rest of the crew on a photo tour of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, in Alaska. If it wasn’t for this mother bear and her cubs appearing throughout our stay there, we would not have seen much in the way of Alaskan brown bear action, at all, during our stay. Having the privilege of watching her nurse her cubs was the reward for sticking around with the three of them instead of moving on to someplace new to look for other bear action.

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Tagged as Alaska, brown bear, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, National Park, National Parks Traveler, patience, photography, where the trails take you

November 8, 2020 · 8:13 am

The Bald Eagle

After a presidential election, what better photo to post than the symbol of American democracy, the bald eagle. As I post this image, I am listening to National Parks Traveler podcast episode #91, about bald eagles in Chesapeake Bay and how populations in the national parks around the Bay have a bit of a better chance of survival. It’s a good podcast, if you feel like listening. It’s about 41 minutes long, and you can download it to listen to later.

To listen to the podcast, click on the image above.

This image was of a bald eagle taking off from a snag in the Brooks River in Katmai National Park, in Alaska was captured with my Canon 1DX and rented 500mm lens.

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Tagged as 1DX, 500mm, Alaska, American democracy, bald eagle, bird, Canon, eagle, Katmai National Park and Preserve, National Park, national parks, National Parks Traveler, photography, Podcast

February 1, 2020 · 9:25 am

Solitude And Tranquility

It’s the weekend, folks. Where will the trail take you? Perhaps to a quiet little pond for some solitude and thouthfulness? That’s what this image from Lake Clark National Park and Preserve brings to mind for me. It was a morning with no bears around to photograph, so we concentrated on other things during our hike out of a forest and into this misty meadow.

That’s a good lesson for you photographers out there. Often, we have high expectations of what we will see during a trip to a national park (or anywhere, for that matter). When it doesn’t pan out according to your expectations, then change those expectations and start observing what you see around you. On that morning, sans bears, I photographed a field filled with spiderwebs bejeweled with dewdrops. a downed nurselog housing a clump of tiny mushrooms, an orb weaver spider spinning a web, and this pond with it’s feathered swimmers within a golden meadow surrounded by mountains and a forest obscured by mist. It was lovely.

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Tagged as Alaska, Canon, ducks, expectations, forest, Lake Clark, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, life, meadow, mist, mountains, National Park, photography, pond, travel, where the trails take you

January 19, 2020 · 11:39 am

Must You Visit A Place In Order To Connect And Want To Protect It?

That’s a question asked in one of today’s articles in the National Parks Traveler. It uses Katmai National Park and Preserve as an example. I found it to be a very interesting, well-written read, and it not only brought back memories of my own 2013 visit to this amazing park, but it also left me feeling a little weak, as well. Personally, I don’t need to visit a place to care about it’s welfare, although having actually experienced a place does go a long way in getting a person to connect. I’ve certainly met enough people who have never ever visited a national park or national monument who could care less about its welfare, simply because they have never been able to experience what it’s like to be in that place.

To read the article for yourself, click on the image above.

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January 17, 2020 · 8:34 am

Fun Fact Friday!

It’s Fun Fact Friday, folks! Did you know that the average weight of an Alaskan brown bear in Katmai National Park (after eating lots of salmon) is 1,000 lbs (~454 kg)? That’s a bunch of bear!

It’s hard to believe 6 years have passed since my visit to this national park. That little cub you see there should be full grown (hopefully) and around to eat plenty more salmon coming through the Brooks River.

Speaking of Katmai National Park, the 2020 Brooks Camp Bear Pin Logo Contest is underway. When visitors first arrive in this national park, they must undergo a mandatory bear safety orientation. The pins are presented to the visitors after completion of this training session as a visual reminder.

If you are interested in knowing more about the contest, click on the image above. You have until February 14 to enter.

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Tagged as Alaska, baby, bear, brown bear, Canon, cute, Fun Fact Friday, Katmai, Katmai National Park, Katmai National Park and Preserve, photography, travel, where the trails take you, wildilfe

January 5, 2020 · 10:37 am

Sunday Summer Sunbeams And Shadows

I thought this was the perfect alliterative image to post on a Sunday.

When there are no bears to photograph, you aim your camera at whatever else catches your fancy.

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Filed under Alaska, Canon, Lake Clark National Park, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, National Parks, Photography, Seasons, summer, Travel

Tagged as Alaska, August, beach, Canon, god rays, Lake Clark, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, National Park, photography, summer, sun beams, sunbeams, sunlight

January 4, 2020 · 10:07 am

A Sunrise For Your Saturday Morning

Here’s a sunrise for your Saturday, courtesy of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, in Alaska. May your day be as bright and sunny as the sunrise in this photo promised.

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