There are some photos which require a lot of planning just to get every aspect of the composition, lighting and timing just right. And then there are others which are a consequence of the circumstance of being at the right place at the right time. While on a drive in the Matanuska-Susitna Valluy (the Mat-Su as the locals call it), I spied this amazing landscape of a vast glacier descending behind a colorful meadow sporting fall foliage. I pulled over the next turnout at the right moment just before the view disappeared. The contrast between the vast greys of the glacier juxtaposed by the vibrant reds look far better in print. And you can experience it for yourself in my 2023 calendar, available for purchase at this link.
Mat-Su valley
AK USA
A National Parks Journey - Glacier Bay National Park
Theodore Roosevelt National Park was my 49th National Park that I had visited on my journey to the 63 parks. And my 50th had to be special. When I raised it to my partner, she recommended that we visit the spectacular Glacier Bay National Park. At first glance, the name just brought up imagery of vast mountain ranges getting slowly carved by glaciers, and long fjords bristling with tidewater glaciers descending down from the peaks. But after visiting there, I realized that it was so much more than that.
The park isn't easy to access - but it certainly isn't the hardest one to access in the 49th state. It required two flights to get to the lightly populated island of Gustavus, and the Park itself featured only one hotel and one campground, despite encapsulating a substantial area in Alaska. But it was its remoteness and lack of accessibility that made the experience so much better. Compared to the crowds in parks of Utah, this felt completely isolated. And yet, the Park had so much to offer, featuring rich history and culture that felt alive, and, of course, bountiful nature.
Colorful displays in the visitor center tell the story that led to the creation of the park, starting with the rapid advance of the Grand Pacific Glacier in the 18th century that pushed away the Tlingit settlements who had lived there for hundreds of years. In addition, tastefully done ranger programs tell the narrative of the lives of the Tlingit disrupted by the advance of the glacier, the creation of the Park and the subsequent conflict with the Tlingit, as well as the efforts taken now by the Park system to preserve, protect and enrich this rich cultural heritage. And finally, the day cruise into the tidewater basin, which I highly recommended, showcases the complex ecosystem in the nutrient rich waters of Glacier Bay which served as home for humpbacks which rear their calves, seals and sea lions who are year-round denizens, plethora of migratory seabird species, and the iconic grizzlies fishing along the undulating shoreline.
And to frame all this is the vast glacial landscape where tidewater glaciers descend down from the snow-capped peaks to meet the freezing waters of the Pacific. It is a landscape so challenging to explore except by water. And I hope to return one day to explore its rugged backcountry.
Glacier Bay National Park
AK USA
Getting High in Canada
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds…
Edward Abbey
O Canada
Why is one part of your country nothing but magnificent snow-capped peaks, glacier carved valleys and glistening blue lakes?
Why do you make it so photogenic and expansive?
Why do you make it so easy to immerse oneself in nature?
A weeklong trip to the heart of the Canadian Rockies near Banff yielded these and many more questions as I worked my way from one scenic location to another. I wish I could go back and check out these rocky monoliths one more time.
Canadian Rockies
The Paths We Follow
If the path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads...
- Anatole France
For me, nothing excites me more than packing on a backpack and camera gear, and taking my first step on a path that leads into the mountains. Around every corner is a new surprise, a new sensation, and a new vista. And in the mountains of the French Alps, every turn brought about a new scenery, whether it be snow-capped peaks trailing into the horizon, the bountiful growth of colorful wildflowers or the sound of the cheerful cowbells of the local herd.
And on glorious mountain days like this, I cared not where the path took me, but where I currently was.
Tour du Mont Blanc
Europe
After the Storm
I was not expecting to see this that day. I was not even expecting to make it out alive .
.
.
It was barely an hour earlier when I left the safety of the rifugio in the French alps under moody skies. The wind was picking up, but nothing to deter from hiking. A couple of far-away lightning strikes signaled an approaching storm. A light drizzle started, that turned to a torrential downpour in a matter of minutes. And the strikes came nearer and more frequent, the accompanying thunder reverberating across the entire valley.
I passed a couple of hikers coming the other way, and they urged me to turn around. I wish I had heeded their advice. For what lay ahead of me was a vast open stretch of trail in rocky terrain with nary a protective zone. And I was in the heart of the storm.
The gale-force winds gripped my tangled poncho, eager to yank away my only barrier to the rain. I held on, fighting the wind and the rain, slowly trudging forward. I had given up all hope of seeing the light after a storm; my only focus was on taking the next step.
And without warning, the clouds parted, the sun shone, and I was treated to dramatic view of the glacier-capped slopes of Mont Blanc.
Courmayeur
Italy
Labor of Love
Sometimes, a long and steep climb can have it's own payoff.
I spied a tall peak nearby as I was resting in the refugio halfway through my Mont Black Circuit. It looked promising, and from a glance at the map, it seemed a hop, skip and a jump away. But was I proved wrong.
After an hour of climbing 1600ft (500m), I finally arrived at a saddle at the base of the peak, which was 1200ft up. I was almost out of breath, and just as I was about to give up and turn back, I looked around, and I knew what I would see up at the summit would be even more stunning than the amazing scenery I was feasting on at this saddle. I started climbing the grassy 40 degree slope in earnest, praying for an easier way down. And slowly but surely, by just focusing on the next step, I made the painstaking climb to the summit.
And there, the reward for this long and arduous climb redeemed all the labor that went into reaching this summit. The shrouded summit of Mt Blanc stood in all its glory, along with the rugged Val Ferret, with hanging glaciers descending down every valley.
Tour du Mont Blanc
Italy
Glacial Designs
“Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life—and travel—leaves marks on you.”
- Anthony Bourdain
Iceland certainly left its mark on me. Witnessing the raw power of earth's forces transform the landscape before my very eyes, from glaciers gouging vast canyons, waterfalls cutting through the soft earth, laval flows creating new land, and rivers, lakes and oceans shaping the harsh terrain all around, was an indelible experience.
I hope to see this magic once again
Skaftafell National Park
Iceland
Regrowth
The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month. And up here, high in the alpine terrain of the Canadian Rockies, where large icefields give birth to glaciers, spring starts in July, and summer only lasts a month. Yet, plants thrive in this harsh environment, albeit barely. And reward us with beautiful pastel colors on a soft green carpet.
Canadian Rockies
AB Canada
Ice Age Remnants
There was a remarkable change in terrain. Gone were the thick conifers on rocky slopes with gurgling creeks carrying fresh snowmelt. The slippery scree of the glacial moraine was unmistakable, and up the U-shaped valley, I could spot the tail of the Victoria Glacier and the thin icefield it originated from.
Time and climate change had definitely taken its toll at the Valley of the Six Glaciers in the heart of Banff National Park. Where the six glaciers used to converge was now a vast debris field left behind by the glacier as it had retreated. Barren hillslopes sans vegetation were evidence of where the glaciers had originally risen up to.
While it is unfortunate that this glacial terminus won't revert back to its glorious self in my lifetime, I do hope that other glaciers around the world won't reach this same fate.
Banff National Park
AB Cananda
Lost in the Rockies
The trail was long and hard. It wound its way through the dense coniferous forest, rising with slow certainty towards an as of yet unseen vista. I was laboring heaving with the weight of my camera gear, wondering how much further the destination was. And after more than an hour of uphill slow, the vegetation thinned out, and the views expanded. I turned around, and the entire vista of Maligne Lake expanded in front of me.
There is perhaps nothing more exhilerating that seeing the endless cascades of the snow-capped mountains rising up from a velvety green forest floor. And I have been fortunate in being able to visit and pay homage to the grandeur of the Canadian Rockies, perhaps the most beautiful of them all.
It was as though the stereotypical mountain landscapes that we drew as a kid came to life, except it was far more majestic and awe-inspiring. Bare sedimentary rock faces were alternately in light and shadow as the clouds cast dappled light on the rugged landscape, while towering peaks with glacial remnants shone in pearly white. Maligne Lake slowly tapered off in the distance towards its source, lost in the multitude of canyons.
As I watched this scene slowly transpiring, an old quote from John Muir popped in my head: "We are now in the mountains and they are in us, kindling enthusiasm, making every nerve quiver, filling every pore and cell of us."
Maligne Lake
AB Canada
You can find more of my photography in my 2018 calendar, available here: https://goo.gl/Nd7p9G. All proceeds go to NRDC and WildAid, two non-profits whose missions I wholly support.