Sunny in Wilderness

Denali (Mt. McKinley) from Cook Inlet, Anchorage

2011-10-18T22:28:00.000-07:00

Itwas in early October, the weather was perfect for the weekend inAnchorage. The sky was clear and the airwas crispy clean. I was waiting for aperfect sunset to dip behind the mountains across the Cook Inlet. The rugged snow capped mountains: Mt.Susitna, Mt. Spurr, Mt. Redoubt, and Mt. Hayes were in outstanding backdrop!

Located350 miles south of Fairbanks, Anchorage was 2-3 weeks behind, still inAutumn. Fall leaves were still hangingon the birch trees, and the temperature was 10 degrees warmer than the interiorof Alaska near Fairbanks, where I currently live.

Theorange sun was slowly moving to the tips of the volcanic mountains. Bright orange glare reflected on the calmwater. I was focusing on the dynamic landscapespread in front of me. It took me awhile to notice the high distinctively shaped snow covered mountain standingout in the northwestern horizon. To mysurprise, I realized it was the highest peak in North America, Mount McKinley(Denali)! When it's clear enough, Mt.McKinley can be seen from 300 miles south in Anchorage!

Thewarm light from the setting sun glowed on the south side of Denali for a longwhile. The colors were slowly changingto soft pink, and then fading out. Thewestern sky and the inlet were bright orange for awhile afterward. Viewing Denali from the city was a surprisingbonus for the day!

Autumn Aurora

2011-09-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

September has been a great month for the northern lightsdisplay. Soon after darkness fell backin the northern sky, the aurora began appearing in the Interior of Alaska. I've already seen the great aurora severalnights in last few weeks. As Iunderstand it, when the sun's activity is high, it releases solar flares thatimpact with the atmosphere. During thosetimes, magnificent northern lights dance across the sky.

The best part of viewing the northern lights at this time ofthe year is the weather is still mild. It has been in the 30s - 50s; warm enough to be outdoors. I dress with a light jacket and regularhiking boots unlike wearing a big heavy coat with layers inside, ski pants, andbunny boots at -20 degrees. Waiting tosee the aurora outside is much easier and more fun before serious winter arrives.

It was the night before the Harvest Moon, I was heading to asmall lake where I planned to set up my camera. The northern lights were already stretched across the zenith. A nearly full moon lit up the trail all wayto the lake. The moonlight wasincredibly bright; I didn't even need to use my flashlight on the trail througha birch forest! Those autumn birch wereglowing in orange- gold under the moonlight.

It was about 30 degrees, a bit of cold in the air.Mist drifted on the surface of the lake.The lake was still like a mirror, reflecting the autumn colored hill and stars.The whole surrounding was silent in this remote landscape.

I set up my camera and waited for awhile... the faint aurorawas in the sky over the millions of stars... After a while, more aurora showed up on the other side of the sky. It was a faint white line in the beginning,then slowly brightened to neon green... then moving and waving into thehorizon. At one point, the pink/purplelights were blinking along with the main stream of neon green. After the moving lights came down, faintgreen bands of lights appeared and stayed for a long time. The fall-colored hillside was glowing underthe bright moon.

It was peaceful...
surrounded by wooded hillsides
only the sounds of a creek...
under a clear sky with countless stars...
The aurora was appearing and disappearing...
I was alone in this silent dream. Thatwas one of the moments, I've felt closest to mother nature.

Autumn Falls on the Interior Alaska

2011-09-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

In the 3rd week of August, some of the Birch leaves (Birch looks just like aspen) began turning yellow. Within a few days, the yellow color was spreading everywhere. In the interior Alaska, the seasonal change comes very quickly! It was only 3 months ago when fresh green over took the hillside; and while I was neglecting to upload new posts, the summer is already over!

In early September, we are already in Autumn. The surrounding mountains are covered with golden yellow leaves, and some of the small plants on the ground are turning to bright red. Berries are ripe, the air is crisp, and there are many beautiful days in row! Fall is another delightful season in Alaska.

The long daylight during summer gradually shortens... Sunset is around 9pm at this time of the year; We no longer have a "midnight sun." The Northern lights have started dancing in the dark sky again... Animals are urge to prepare for the coming winter... Summer's ending is always sad. At the same time, I'm excited as another Aurora season begins.

Here are some more fall colors images...

Michio Hoshino's Memorial Totem Pole

2011-06-25T02:21:00.000-07:00

"Are you Japanese? Do you know Michio Hoshino?" A native man came up to me at the place I was staying in Sitka. His name was Bob, he was a friend of the famous Japanese photographer Michio Hoshino. Bob has appeared in Michio's books several times. He told me that he had just come back from Japan after six months of working for Japanese indigenous rights in a small community of Japanese Natives on the North Island of Japan. He was in Tokyo when the massive earthquake hit the northern part of Japan in March. Michio and Bob shared many adventures together... Bob's eyes were looking at the past - memories of Michio.

Michio Hoshino is a well known nature photographer who lived in Alaska for many years. He traveled in the remote wilderness for extensive periods of time capturing amazing images, until he was killed by a bear in Russia. Along with his photography, his beautiful writings were appeared on many magazines and books in Japan. Since I first came to Alaska about 10 years ago, I have been reading his books. As a nature photographer, I respect his works.

It was a heavy overcast day when I visited Michio's totem pole. Walking through old growth rainforest, the trees opened up to the shore. Following the trail along the rocky beach, I spotted the pole. Michio's totem pole faces the Pacific Ocean, the small island floating across the shore, the snow capped Mount Edgecumbe, reminds me Mount Fuji, rises on the far island... it was a beautiful location.

The pole is a story of Michio's life - A glacier bear (blue bear, rare kind of gray colored black bear, Michio searched for years) sits on top, followed by a Caribou and a Whale (Michio's life work of subjects), a Raven (Michio followed the Native legend of the ravens the last few years of his life), and carved Michio holding a camera on the bottom. Sitting on the shore for a while, I thought about his essays and photographs... it was a spiritual moment to me. The pole was only 3 years old but it was already weathered and well matched with this old growth landscape.

The sun came out for a bit that afternoon. I was photographing one of the historic buildings... when an old truck pulled over. "Hey, did you go see the Michio's pole?" It was Tommy Joseph, the master carver, who carved Michio's pole. He also came and talked to me at the visitor center at Sitka Historical National Park the day before I visited Michio's pole. It was strange that Michio's friend Bob, and now the carver Tommy Joseph, seemed to somehow know that I was there to visit Michio Hoshino's totem pole.

Sitka National Historic Park, Alaska

2011-05-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

It was raining when I spent a whole day exploring Sitka National Historical Park. As the park is located at sea level, it was a bit greener than the mountain trail I hiked the day before. When it's wet, the green is brighter than ever. It was still early spring; the red alder trees were still naked without leaves.

Walking in the rainforest, I often hear the raven's song echoing from somewhere deep in the woods. Weathered totem poles stood along the trail, which perfectly blended in the old growth woods. Walking in this rainforest was a spiritual... it somewhat reminds me of an old shrine in the deep forests in Japan.

The trail opened up to the coast. Numerous small islands covered with trees are scattered around the Sitka Sounds... nobody around in this quiet little cove.

Sitka National Historic Park celebrated its 100th year anniversary in 2010. It's the oldest National Park in Alaska. Celebrating the Centennial Year, National Park Service commissioned the special totem pole with the master carver Tommy Joseph. The totem pole represents Sitka and the surrounding area and the National Park Service. It contains a buffalo (a symbol of the National Park Services), an old Russian marker plate, the native plants (skunk cabbage and devil's club), two salmons, and a spiritual woman's face. Its light green and yellow colors are non-traditional for the totem pole. The pole, almost finished, lays at the Park Visitor Center for the raising ceremony on May 15. Too bad I missed the pole raising by a week!

On my next posting, I'll write about Michio Hoshino's totem pole, which is the memory of the famous Japanese photographer killed by a bear in 1996.

Sitka: "The Most Beautiful Southeast Alaskan Town"

2011-05-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

The misty rain enveloped the passage between forest covered islands... It's typical weather in Southeast Alaska region: one of my most favorites area. The Alaska Marine Highway ferry from Juneau arrived to Sitka in the afternoon when my adventure began.

Sitka is located on Baranof Island, about 150 miles south from Juneau. Like other Southeast Alaskan towns, Sitka is surrounded with green moss covered rainforest, glacier carved waterways, and snow capped mountains in the back drop. "Alaska's the most beautiful town" how many times I heard about this... so I'm here to see.

Sitka also has the rich history. It was an old capital for Russian Alaska, and the capital of the territory of Alaska after the United States bought Alaska from Russia, until Juneau became the state capital in 1906. There are some old Russian buildings remains throughout the town. Tlingit Native cultures are still deeply rooted in Sitka: totem poles and Tlingit carvings are scattered over the town.

I was hiking through the rainforest to the alpine ridge, through the wet meadow to the rocky coast, all under the overcast sky and in a misty rain. It was early in the season, the greens starting to appear among the brown grass. There was still snow high up on the mountain trail.

After half a year of living in the interior Alaska, I'm back in the rainforest in Southeast Alaska...for a short while. Surrounded with moss drenched tall trees, the smell of the ocean, and the sound of raven songs... plus hilly old towns... I love the Southeast Alaska!

Here is the Sitka's natural landmark, Mount Edgecumbe; it reminds me Mount Fuji in Japan.

(This story continued to next posting...)

Blaze in the Zenith: The Northern Lights

2011-04-23T00:58:00.000-07:00

Spectacular Northern Lights occur at the time of magnetic storms, and when the sun's activity releases solar flares.

In early March, another amazing Aurora was displayed for two nights! The lights were very bright; clear and vivid even in the southern parts of Alaska!

Here in the interior Alaska, right below the Arctic Circle, the brilliant neon green was a waving tapestry of light draped across a nearly full moon.

The huge zenithal fires blazed the entire sky with the edges displaying a rarely seen purple color! The amazing Northern lights show went on and on... At its zenith, the Aurora corona appeared like fireworks!

In older times, Alaskan Natives believed countless myths about the Northern Lights. Many of them feared the active display of the Aurora. Some believed that the Aurora were the spirits of dead ancestors playing a ball game with a walrus skull. Interesting, isn't it?

My short photography excursion will be coming soon. I'll take another Alaska Marine Highway ferry from Whittier to Juneau at the end of April offering many opportunities for dramatic landscapes. I will then explore Sitka, an historic southeast Alaska town, for a week in early May. I'll keep updating new photos and stories in this blog. Please check back soon.

Sunset Flight - Denali View!

2011-04-13T23:54:00.000-07:00

One winter evening, I was on a small airplane flying outside of Fairbanks. Fairbanks is the second largest city in Alaska, but the city is surrounded with a vast wilderness.

The plane was following along the winding Chena River; frozen and snow covered... the whole area is wild backcountry; hard to see any human imprint. Mountain after mountain spread on all sides.

The sun was about to set on the horizon, lighting up the rugged Alaska Range... The silhouette of Denali (Mount McKinley - the highest peak in the North America) appeared beyond the mountains in the dreamy orange light! It was a gift for the day!

Northern Lights, Show Time!

2011-03-12T22:34:00.000-08:00

Photographing the Northern Lights is a challenging commitment. While sunrise and sunset is predictable, the Northern Lights may appear any time during a long dark night, normally late night to early morning. Sometimes, even when the sky is clear and the "Aurora Forecast" says "Active" the lights still don't appear... I continued checking the north sky during the long cold, sub zero, nights without success. I began to wonder if I really would see the spectacular Aurora show this winter?

In early February, the amazing Auroras were on display for 2 nights. It began in the early evening on Feb 4th. A green arch appeared in the north sky over a mountain. The arched lights moved very slowly and stayed for a long while. Suddenly the left end of the arch curled into a small circle! Then a White green flame of lights appeared from behind the mountain at the right end of the arch, amazing!!

The "show" continued all night... At its peak, a wide neon green ribbon of light moved through the zenith while another wide green line moved in the northern side of the sky... and large white, milky way like, lights filled the southern the sky! What a spectacular light show, illuminating the entire sky!

On Feb 5th I went up the mountain. I was rewarded with an arch in the northern sky early in the night. Then large flames of bright lights appeared from the horizon to the west ... the lights moved like a big fire reaching up to the zenith.

The tip of the lights were swirling fast over my head! Next a light, resembling the head of a snake, emerged from the large swirl and raced across the sky! It all happened unbelievably fast!

Soon, another curtain of fast waving lights came out of the northern sky. In this appearance the lights were literally "Dancing Lights." Active Auroras coming and going, like a huge fire in the sky, waving and dancing, curtain call, after curtain call, entertaining, amusing and amazing their audience for hours.

Slowly, the dancing lights disappeared leaving faint sheets of light spread out all over the sky, Lighting up even the southern sky, allowing me the rare opportunity to see the Aurora with Orion.

Ice "Hotel" Museum

2011-02-17T21:05:00.000-08:00

I've been focusing on the natural beauties in Alaska, but there is amazing ice art created from the mother nature.

Aurora Ice Museum is located about 60 miles north of Fairbanks, at Chena Hot Springs. The indoor museum is decorated with gothic architecture, chandeliers, and more than 80 sculptures all created in amazing detail, with ice!

There are four hotel rooms within the museum. Each room with a different theme: Polar Bear, Christmas, Turret, and the Queen. One of the rooms even has an ice outhouse! Ice Museum was originally called "Ice Hotel," however, the building doesn't meet the fire code - no sprinklers - so they were forced to rename it "Ice Museum." Fire sprinklers in a Ice Hotel? Sounds like a joke! Anyway, guests can still stay at an ice room if they are willing to pay the $575 per night fee. It comes with a regular hotel room (just in case), warm sleeping bags, and the whole ice museum to themselves all night! Note: the ice outhouse is a part of art, guests have to use a real bathroom in their regular hotel room.

The “Ice Bar” at the center of the Ice Museum is very popular. The counter and bar stools are all carved from Ice. They even serve "Appletini" in a ice carved martini glass!

In addition to the ice rooms and bar, there are about 80 ice sculptures in the “Ice museum”. Large knights the horseback, a two-story ice castle tower, an ice chess set and more... all calved using the natural ice from a pond nearby. The Ice Sculptures were carved by World Champion Ice Carvers: Steve & Heather Brice with amazing details. Visiting the Ice Museum always brightens my days during the long days of the cold dark winter.

Rose Color Moments in Arctic North

2011-01-20T20:51:00.000-08:00

Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) are special in winter in the north. Winter alpenglow is another special lights in Alaska. During a long winter, day lights are short in Arctic North. On December 21, the winter solstice, we only see 3.5 hours of the day light plus a few hours of dim light in Fairbanks area in Alaska. The days are gradually getting longer in January... sunrise is 10:30am and sunset is 3:30pm in the mid January. There has not been any direct sun lights since mid November.

In this northern latitude, sun only stays right above the horizon for a few hours, moves only a short distance, and then set under the earth... The low angle sun lights up the snowy mountain peaks and paints to rose pink. In the most part of world, alpenglow last only for a several minutes; in the north, alpenglow last for a long hours! The bright pink lights slowly shifts to northwestern peaks to northeastern peaks for 3-4 hours until it disappears! A Photographers' dream moment lasts a few hours.

Photographing in sub zero climate is a challenging... Layers of clothing and face mask would reduces ones mobility... and tripods are icy cold. Setting up the camera with grabs is a bit of frustrating work... Then, standing one place for a while, toes and finger tips start feeling pain from the cold. Eye lashes start frosting... after 10 min, the camera and tripod are frost covered! Holding a filter by hand is a painful work in -20 degree... Soon, time to pack up and move on.

Despite of the cold weather, I feel privileged to explore the vast wilderness under the low angle lights. The frosted trees are the art of mother nature.

Northern Lights!

2010-12-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

Since I arrived in Fairbanks, Alaska, I've been waiting for Aurora Borealis photo opportunities... In order to see the Northern Lights, the sky has to be clear. If it's overcast, we won't be able to see it. We had many snowy days and some rainy days (rain is unusual for Fairbanks in late November!) Appearance of the northern lights are hard to predict... It may show up anytime during the long night especially between midnight and early morning. It may last only a few minutes or hours.... Aurora photography requires a lot of "patience" and coffee.

My first Northern Lights sight was a thin white line... It looked like a wide airplane cloud in the sky among the bright stars. The white light got a bit brighter and stayed for about 10 min and faded out. It wasn't an impressive display but I was excited to see my first Northern Lights!

The next night, a little better northern lights came out. I was up until 1am, waiting for the lights in the dark... The faint green light band appeared over the mountain.... I hurried to set my camera up... it disappeared really quick... I barley captured a slight green light... That was my first aurora shot.

It was snowing for a week after those 2 nights... Finally the sky cleared again. I was on the snow coach to climb up the hill. Snow was deeper on top of the hill, and thin spruce trees were coated with snow. It was so pure and quiet. I felt a sense of pristine Alaskan wilderness. As soon as I got up on the hill, the Northern Lights appeared! A faint green arch stayed on the northern sky for a long while. Then, it slowly faded.

The Aurora was come and go until late that night. The shape was slowly changing... 3 green light bands with a faint red color...

The finale was a wide light curtains in the sky!

It was an amazing show of mother earth. I can't wait to see the next one! However, it was very cold.

Fairweather Mountains

2010-11-11T15:41:00.000-08:00

It has been over 2 months since I left Glacier Bay... I was fortunate to see the beauty of the remote park in Southeast Alaska. Now I'm here in the Anchorage area and processing thousands of photos from Glacier Bay. I've neglected to update my blog for the past couple of months... Here is a final posting from Glacier Bay: Fairweather Mountains.

Fairweather Mountain Range, includes Mount Fairweather at 15,300 ft and other majestic high peaks in Southeast Alaska. The mountain range stretches 70 miles long across Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve. Hundreds of major glaciers starts from these mountains.

In typical Southeast Alaska weather, overcast and rain, the entire Fairweather Range can be hidden under gray clouds. It is a rare and exciting occasion when the sky is clear and the mountains show off their beauty.

It was one of those evenings, I was photographing the mountains during sunset. After long hours of day light, the sun slowly shifted to the peaks. The mountains were in warm orange light. Then, when the sun dipped behind the mountains, the thin clouds above the peaks painted them in crimson. The water in front reflected the colors of sunset; vivid red. Fortunately, sunset takes longer in the northern latitude. It was the most amazing sunset since my arrival in Glacier Bay. I heard howling of wolves all night under the Milky Way.

The sky was still clear the next morning. Unlike typical foggy mornings here, the entire Fairweather Mountain range in front of my camp slowly turned the twilight sky rosy pink in all directions. Then, as the first sun peaked through, the tip of Mt. Fairweather lit up in magenta. The light slowly shifted down, then lit the second highest summit in view, Mt. Crillon. Slowly and surely, the entire Fairweather Range was glowing. Thanks to the longer sunrise in Alaska, I had enough time to capture each mountain and the entire range close up.

Here are the sunset images from other days.

Mount Fariweather from sky...

Kayak Camping Trip in Glacier Bay #3

2010-09-12T22:57:00.000-07:00

After exploring McBride Glacier and the iceberg filled lagoon, four of us paddled hard to the south. Our kayak was gliding smooth in the calm fjord ocean under the beautiful blue sky.

Our second night was on the beach of Goose Cove with a view of Mt. Wright.

We were shocked to discover two good sized holes surrounded by bear prints...the holes were bear's day beds! Wherever we stayed, there were signs of bears in this remote Alaskan wilderness.

The bugs in Alaska were worse than bears. During the sunset, clouds of mosquitoes and flies attacked us... There is a joke that the "Alaskan state bird is a mosquito." (The true Alaskan state bird is the Ptarmigan.)

It was misty the next morning...heavy clouds covered up the entire bay and Mt. Wright as well as the mountains on the other side of the fjord hid under the gray clouds. The misty rain quietly fell all day while we were paddling. We were soaking wet.

The final night of camping was on a small island. It wasn't fun to set up a tent in the rain...this is part of the Southeast Alaskan experience.

It was raining hard the next morning too... We waited for the boat to pick us up in Sebree Island. The boat arrived on time. It was great to sit in the dry warm cabin and use a "real" bathroom. However, I already miss the wilderness experience I just had.

Kayak Camping in Glacier Bay #2 - Riggs Glacier and McBride Glacier

2010-09-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

It was a mysteriously foggy morning at Riggs Glacier... The white air covered up the canyon in Muir Inlet. What a change from the beautiful sunset!

Slowly that morning, the fog lifted... The white icefall of Riggs Glacier began to show in a white veil. This was the time when mother nature showed me a special moment!

Several streams from the melting water that ran through the mud flat, created abstract natural art.

The fog dissipated under the blue sky. Another clear day in Southeast Alaska.

Paddling south to McBride Glacier. McBride Glacier has been retreating in past decades but it is still actively calving chunks of icebergs into the sea. The lagoon was full of large icebergs that are the size of cars and homes. The white icebergs drifted onto the shore. The landscape was like another planet.

Kayak Camping in Glacier Bay #1

2010-08-28T23:57:00.000-07:00

Glacier Bay is known as a "marine park." The main part of Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve is ocean. Only 200 years ago, the majestic Grand Pacific Glacier covered the entirety of modern day Glacier Bay. The glacier retreated rapidly and left a deep water way called a fjord. There are 16 glaciers, numerous inlets and countless islands in Glacier Bay, however, this spectacular landscape is only accessed via the water ways.
I have been exploring the natural environment in Glacier Bay for 2 months. I have been photographing the moss drenched rainforest, wild coastline, and bald eagles from the land, and additionally some glaciers and humpback whales from boats. Glacier Bay is a "Y" shaped bay; only the left side of the Y, west arm, can be accessed by power boats. Kayaking is the only way to explore the east arm, which includes Muir Inlet.

In early August, myself and three friends headed to the east arm paddling two double kayaks. White fog enveloped the bay and the surrounding mountains... even the green water of the bay was milky white in the fog. It was a mysterious morning for our adventure. I felt like I was in old Chinese paintings.

The mist burned out in the afternoon... the blue sky showed up above us. The wild mountains on both sides of the bay were majestic. White and blue glaciers capped some of the high peaks! The water that we were paddling in was emerald green like a tropical ocean. Paddling all day, many coves and beaches were passing behind. The water of the fjord was slowly narrowed as we progressed northward. After passing the first glacier in the east arm of Glacier Bay, we kept paddling to the north. I was excited to see an iceberg on the shore! Riggs Glacier where we would camp our first night was far away it seemed.

More icebergs were drifting in the water... but we kept paddling . It took us more than 3 hours to get there after seeing the glacier. When we passed McBride Glacier, which was giving birth of many icebergs, the surrounding terrain was dramatically changed! Fewer trees were on the shore now, and the canyon cliffs were lofty on both sides of the water.

After 27 miles of paddling, we arrived at Riggs Glacier. Riggs Glacier was calving icebergs into the water 50 years ago...however, it has been receding and no longer sends ice into the bay. Several melting streams run through large mud flats in front of the glacier. Two bald eagles were sitting on the rock to welcoming our arrival. Our view of the Riggs Glacier from the camp was unforgettable.

However, there were gigantic bear prints near our camp... I have never seen such huge prints!

Unlike Southeast Alaska where usually clouded, the sunset was gorgeous that evening...

Bald Eagle

2010-08-16T22:14:00.000-07:00

Large numbers of Bald Eagles live in Southeast Alaska. Bald Eagles are often seen here in Glacier Bay National Park in Southeast Alaska. With a body length of upwards of 30 inches and a wingspan of 90 inches, it has been an impressive sight to see these large birds fly right above my head.

When the tide is low on Alaskan beaches, eagles can be seen scavenging. One particular bird I recently saw was feeding on a fish for a long time... Several others were looking at him and trying to steal the food in his claws. They often fight for the food.

Adult Bald Eagles have black bodies with a white head and tail with a yellow beak and legs as everyone knows them as the American symbol. Immature eagles are mixed colors with brown and white until 5 year old. When they reach maturity, their heads turn to "bald" just like some humans. I think whoever named "bald eagle" did a good job.

Humpback Whale

2010-07-27T14:08:00.000-07:00

Thousands of humpback whales spend their time in Southeast Alaska during the short summer. They give birth in the South Pacific includes of Hawaii and also travel through Mexico during winter, and then migrate 2,800 miles north for feeding in Southeast Alaska.

I've been seeing many humpback whales since I arrived in Glacier Bay. I was paddling a kayak in a cove one afternoon and I saw a mother whale and a calf sleeping on the surface. Slowly, I was paddling toward the whale but they never moved. The huge smooth bodies were floating on the water...I could almost touch them! They were much larger than the double kayak which I was in! It was a peaceful moment for a while. Then, mother whale suddenly blew water, and the calf slowly woke up too. They gradually swam in the other direction... Then, the calf showed it's fluke and disappeared into the deep.

On another day, when I was on a small boat, a humpback whale came close to the boat. Suddenly, it breached in front of me! The whale's whole body leaped above the water with a roaring splash! It was only a short second, but a magical moment. I couldn't believe what I saw, but I caught the moment in my camera. Breaching can be for communication amongst the whales, but the true reason is still a mystery.

Humpback Whales often feed in groups in Southeast Alaska. When they swim together, it is like watching "synchronized swimming."

Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Alaska

2010-07-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Glacier Bay, Alaska! After 3 weeks of traveling in Southeast Alaska, finally I arrived at my destination Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve at the end of May.

I've been staying in Bartlett Cove which is located near the entrance of Glacier Bay for this summer in order to follow the short season in this spectacular wilderness. Typical to Southeast Alaska, it rains a lot! Because of the moisture the whole area is covered with thick vegetation like moss covered Sitka Spruce trees, ferns, and thick moss carpeted on the forest floor. During the Ice Age, Southeastern Alaska was covered with ice. The ice sheet was slowly melted and broke into thousands of glaciers, and those glaciers have been receding.

To observe and photograph these magnificent glaciers, I have to go on a boat for 25 miles. One beautiful day, I explored the West Arm of Glacier Bay from the boat. The Fairweather Mountain Range was clear under the blue sky, highlighted by Mt. Fairweather at over 15,000'.

Glacier Bay is rich in marine wildlife and seabirds. Seabirds were following along the boat.

At the end of the West Arm, the Margerie Glacier flows down to the ocean from Mt. Fairweather. The white ice wall is towering!

The Grand Pacific Glacier, which has taken up the entire Glacier Bay historically has retreated fast, and now it is covered with the dark colored terminal moraine of rocks and sediment.

John Hopkins Glacier is still actively calving ice bergs...

A dead humpback whale was beached on the remote shore... bears and wolves were feeding on it for a long while.

Mt. Fairweather from the Bartlett Cove.

It was a good introduction into Glacier Bay... I would like to spend more time at those glaciers.

Gold-Rush Town: Skagway, Alaska

2010-07-08T16:17:00.000-07:00

Sailing north from Petersburg on the Alaskan Marine Highway, the ferry entered the most spectacular fjord: Lynn Canal. The glaciered mountains rise from both sides of the channel under the bright sunshine. After a full day of sailing, the ferry stopped at Haines, AK, and the ferry arrived in Skagway late in the night. Skagway is the north end of the Inside Passage.

With a population of 900, Skagway has a rich history from the gold-rush. Surrounded by the high peaks, the town was built in the small valley. There is a part of the town that is designated as the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park, and those gold-rush era buildings are stabilized and preserved in the downtown. Like Juneau and Ketchikan, Skagway is one of the main cruise ship destinations. During the busy summer months, the small town is as crowded as Disneyland.

During the Klondike gold-rush period, over 30,000 prospectors arrived via steamship boats from the lower 48 as well as overseas to Skagway. The prospectors marched down to Dawson City, Canada, through one of two trails: Whitehorse Pass and Chilkoot in the harsh winter. Both trails were extremely hazardous.

In the Summer of 1900, the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway was completed. However, the gold-rush had already subsided at that time.

The White Pass & Yukon Route train rides over the scenic mountains are very popular tourist attractions in our modern times. I was on the train on my recent travels while it was full of Canadians on Victoria Day. The train left downtown Skagway at sea level and was soon surrounded by spring greens, and slowly climbed up the pass while I saw snow on the ground.

The train went through the tunnels, and I looked down the deep canyon. We soon crossed the U.S - Canadian border and entered the Yukon Territory in Canada. It was still winter at White Pass...snow still dominated the ground, and numerous alpine lakes were still frozen.

Arrived in Frazer Lake, and after a very short break, the train headed back to Skagway.

Hiking up the steep trail from the downtown, the forest opened up to the Lynn Canal view. The snow covered Chilkat Mountains were painted as soft magenta at sunset. Those large cruise ships were leaving at the time.

Finally, I was heading to Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve via Juneau, AK. Glacier Bay will be my home for this summer.

Petersburg, Alaska

2010-06-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

Sailing north from Ketchikan on the Alaskan Marine Highway ferry for 10 hours, I arrived at the Southeast Alaskan town of Petersburg. Unlike Ketchikan or Juneau, the large cruise ships do not stop at Petersburg. Because of this there are no fancy gift shops or restaurants for tourists.

This quiet town's main industry is commercial fishing. Various fishing boats call this place home. They often will tie up at the cannery buildings that are lined up on the waterfront to receive the fish.

This quiet town was originally settled by Norwegian fishermen. The Nordic style buildings still remain throughout the town today as the descendants of the Norse people fish in the nearby icy waters. Petersburg was a very different experience for me than Ketchikan.

When I arrived to Petersburg, the sun was setting behind an island...unlike typical Southeast Alaskan weather, the sky was clear in the evening. The distinctive peak of Devils Thumb on the United States and Canadian border was showing itself. The mountain peaks were glowing in shades of purple!

Petersburg is also surrounded by the Tongass National Forest. This temperate rainforest is highlighted by many bogs.

I spotted the small blue flower: "Forget-Me-Not" along the road.

When I was photographing the flowers, a river otter popped out from a stream! He was obviously surprised and ran away...hiding in a hole under a tree root. Surprised myself, and curious, I waited for him to come out of his home in the tree. After watching me from the hiding spot for a while, the otter quickly jumped out and ran away.

Another beautiful day, I was on a small boat and crossed Frederick Sound. The boat took me into a quite narrow cove. The low tide exposed the beautiful tidal lines on the shore. I loved the patterns of the natural world on the shore and the reflections on the water.

Icebergs drifting from LeConte Glacier. They reflected the aquamarine blue on the ice.

After returning to the port dock, I was busy capturing the beautiful painted Nordic style buildings while the sun bathed the environment. The sunset wasn't as crimson as the first day but it was still a beautiful evening.

My next destination is Skagway, the gold rush town with an interesting history.

Ketchikan, Alaska

2010-06-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

My first stop in Southeast Alaska was Ketchikan. This beautiful place is known for native Alaskan totem poles, and its rainy weather. Ketchikan is also the wettest town in the United States and one of the cruise ship ports of call. While I saw these monstrous ships tied to the dock, the town was a full of tourists with shopping bags.

Escaping the crowds, I hiked up Deer Mountain. The trail began in deep old growth forest. It was spring in Southeast Alaska, different hues and shades of green were vivid in my eyes. The thick moss that carpeted the ground was also fresh green! It was the time for Skunk Cabbage blooming. The trumpet like bright yellow flowers were everywhere on the woods floor. These sure had a unique smell.

I loved the mossy rock with streams!

For the next few days, I explored Alaskan Native culture in Ketchikan. I spent a few hours alone at Totem Bight State Historic Park in the rain. Walking among the totem poles and the Cran House surrounded by the dark rain forest, I felt like I was connected with their native spirits. When I was ready to leave the park, a big coach full of colorful clothed tourists from the cruise ships came in. I was so glad to experience the quiet moment in the park.

I had another beautiful hike at Settlers Cove, at the north end of the Tongass Highway. This mossy rain forest is indicative of larges parts of Southeast Alaska...I just love it!

Beautiful waterfalls in the woods.

The wild coastline full of seaweeds!

Sunset behind Betton Island...

It was a low tide in a morning. Numerous sea creatures were exposed on the shore! Hundreds of Sea Stars...so many Sunflower Sea Stars came out!

Ketchikan was an attractive little town with interesting culture and beautiful natural surroundings. My next stop is Petersburg, about 100 miles north of Ketchikan on a ferry.

Lake Tahoe - still in Winter

2010-04-30T22:13:00.000-07:00

Leaving Wyoming, I stopped by Lake Tahoe for a week in early April. In addition to take care of several business/personal agenda, I was hoping to photograph some sunrise/sunset in the beautiful Lake Tahoe area... However, a storm was approaching when I arrived there... it began snowing hard that night, and continuously snowing for a whole week! Lake Tahoe was still winter... more than in Jackson Hole.

Only one partly sunny day for entire week! Didn't want to miss the opportunity, I was heading to Sand Harbor; one of my favorite spots in Tahoe, to shoot sunset. It was the late afternoon, golden sunshine came through the thin clouds. The lake was glimmering in gold! The round rocks on the shore was blanketed with snow. I just love the winter scene in Tahoe. There wasn't spectacular sunset but I was happy to see beautiful light in Tahoe.

I had stopped by Black Pearl Gallery, which has been representing my fine art photo prints since 2008.

It was a short trip, and back to Seattle where already spring and green. I've been working on several hundreds of photos from Wyoming and getting ready for new adventure in Alaska for coming summer.

Early Spring in Grand Teton

2010-04-14T23:55:00.000-07:00

In mid March, it is already spring in Grand Teton National Park this year. Snow began melting in the valley, and water began running down creeks… There is plenty sunshine everywhere!

The large Jackson Lake in the Park is still solid frozen at this time of the year. Snowshoeing cross the lake and exploring coves and islands are the only experiences left of this winter.

Many other smaller lakes along the valley can be explored with snowshoeing or cross country skiing. Taggard Lake and Bradley Lake are right under the base of the Tetons. These lakes would have perfect reflections of the Tetons during summer.

Creeks connecting the lakes were slowly melting… and bears already woke up at this time. One of my favorite spots; Tetons and Snake River.

Mormon Row and Grand Teton

2010-03-26T15:10:00.001-07:00

This old barn and the rugged Teton Peaks are well known photo locations in Grand Teton National Park. You may have seen this iconic scenery in a poster or postcard before. I always wanted to photograph this scenic view at sunrise, especially during a winter in snow.

Normally, snow in the area is very deep, at least several feet, and the road is closed. However, this winter is mild in the Grand Teton area, 40 percent less snow fall than average winters. Snow is melting fast in March; the road is open earlier this year but still enough snow for “winter scene” images.

One morning in mid March, I was setting my camera before sunrise. I was hoping for a beautiful alpenglow on the Teton Peaks. The sky was clear, around 7:30 (thanks for the spring time forward), the east horizon was becoming slight orange and the whole area turned to pale blue. Then, the tips of the Tetons lit up magenta. The light was gradually shifted to lower peaks and the mountains were colored salmon pink!

The alpenglow was fading in a few minutes, and warm light enveloped the whole area. I was moving up to other historic buildings and took some shots. This historic homestead, called “Mormon Row,” was originally built in 1910s by early settlers.

I liked this historic outhouse!

Someday in summer, I’d like to go back there for another sunrise shot with green grass and meandering river foreground.

Bighorn Sheep

2010-03-13T10:22:00.000-08:00

Whisky Mountain in Wind River Range (about 55 miles east of Jackson, outside of Dubois, Wyoming) is famous as a bighorn sheep habitat. Over 1,450 sheep live in the area.

Searching for herd of sheep to photograph one day in March, my friend and I drove over the Continental Divide to Dubois. Although Togwotee Pass and Jackson were in still in the midst of snowy winter, it was already spring in Dubois. Rather than white, the desert valley showed bare brown ground. Flowing water surged through the creeks.

Last time I was in Whisky Mountain Basin, I only spotted two rams on a mountain ridge, way beyond the reach of my telephoto lens. I was so disappointed as there were hundreds of deer all over the place. I was eager to capture images of bighorn sheep before I leave this area at the end of March. The weather was nice with streams of bright blue sunshine.

After passing the town of Dubois, we drove over the dirt road that leads to Whisky Mountain Basin, adjacent to a meandering creek framed in willows. There was thin layer of fresh snow over the desert ground. I was eagerly searching for a glimpse of sheep on the rocky cliff along the dirt road. I couldn’t spot a single sheep or deer, not even on the farthest mountains. In the warm weather, wildlife moves up higher elevations.

So, we decided to hike up Whisky Mountain for a while.

A few hours later, we came back to the car and drove all way back on the dirt road. I didn’t even look for sheep anymore. Suddenly, I spotted a group of animals sitting on a large flat rock. Hallelujah, sheep! A herd of bighorn sheep were resting and chewing grass only 30 feet from the road! We parked the car, approached, but they didn’t seem to care. All of them had a pair of small horns on their forehead, but I didn’t see any ram with big curly horns. I slowly open the door and walked out… click went my shutter. Slowly I moved around them to compose more shots. They were still chewing grass in a relaxed manner. After awhile, a few of them cautiously stood up and began walking. Several followed. There were a few lambs in the herd. They found another patch of grass to chew only several feet away from their original place. It was magnificent scene, all those sheep just quietly pursuing their peaceful life.

Sunset from Angle Mountain

2010-02-14T14:41:00.000-08:00

I’ve been snowshoeing a lot this winter. Snowshoeing is the best way to explore winter photo opportunities in deep snow at Togwotee Pass.
I climbed Angle Mountain (a 1,600-foot ascension from the trailhead, 10,300 feet) with skier friends one afternoon. It was very steep… I’ve been snowshoeing a lot, but it was my first time climbing at that steep an angle in the snow! My two friends were climbing with skies!

It was snowing hard almost all day… The sunlight broke through sometimes and pieces of blue sky were visible. The trail was snow covered, of course, so we made our own trail and did a number of switchbacks across the side of the steep mountain. We climbed through the trees, and then onto the open ridge… The trees were snow coated on the ridge. I love those “white trees!”

Recently, I’ve been working on outdoor adventure images. My two skier friends were good model for the day! When they skied off the summit, they created a trail of beautiful powder!
I followed them by climbing down the steep trail… it was still snowing. The sun peaked through a hole of heavy clouds, and beamed down to the distance hill. It was a breathtaking view…Then, as we approached sunset, the hole between clouds widened, and a perfectly west horizon appeared… The last sunlight brightened up the fog underneath. The whole sky turned bright orange! And that orange color reflected on the snowy meadow and the road below… Amazing! The magic of the last sun on a snowy day. I was in a right place at the right time!

Sunrise at the Tetons

2010-01-24T14:51:00.000-08:00

Alpenglow on the Tetons is one of the most beautiful scenes you can imagine. When it’s clear (preferably a few clouds around the peaks), the first pink light hits the tips of the peaks… then gradually widens across the whole mountain range. As the morning progresses, the rose color began to fade, and the sun’s rays light up the whole mountain.

One of my favorite views is the Tetons from the pass where I live at this moment. One cold morning before sunrise, 20 degrees below zero, I set up my camera at my favorite spot, and waited until the sun came out… it took for 20 min, My fingers began to stiffen despite my warm gloves; my toes began to tingle with pain despite my heavy boots, and my cheeks lost sensation… Finally, the sun came out and lit up the distant peaks.

As the sun rose, warm golden lights brighten the aspens on the hill. The Tetons were already in full of sun. The snow crystals sparkled on the intricate grasses!

Another day, I was setting up at the famous “Snake River Overlook;” the eastern sky was turning vivid red right before sunrise! I turned around, and shot the most amazing colors in the sky. Then, I turned to face the Tetons again… The glow on the mountains was stunning, but merely ordinarily beautiful compared with the other side of the sky. Sometimes, we find something better than what we looked for.

On the way back, a bull moose cross the road right behind me.

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-24T09:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from Jackson, Wyoming!

I wish Happy New Year 2010 for all of you.

Wildlife in Wrangell - St. Elias Park

2009-12-08T18:08:00.000-08:00

I haven’t updated my blog for a while… This will be the last posting from my Wrangell – St. Elias National Park project.

While I stayed in Wrangell – St. Elias National Park for 4 months, I saw a lot of wildlife and photographed as many animals as possible. Although there were many black bear sites in the area, and I personally saw some of them, I couldn’t get any good shots.

It’s the “year of rabbits” in the Kennicott and McCarthy area. I’ve saw multitudes of Snowshoe Hare every day. Some of them hung out right in front of my door. Hundreds of them were just sitting on the five-mile dirt road between Kennicott and McCarthy.

Porcupines are also very common in the area… Be careful, don’t be too close.

The Alaskan state bird, the Ptarmigan, changes its color from winter to summer. In spring, their feathers are half white and a half brown. There are Dall Sheep and grizzly bears in Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Dall Sheep live in high elevation and grizzlies haven’t been sighted in Kennicott during the past 10+ years.

The wildlife there was shy. Unlike in Denali or Yellowstone, animals haven’t gotten used to the presence of tourists. It requires a lot more effort and patience to photograph wildlife in Wrangell – St. Elias.

Thank you for reading my stories from Alaska. I’m in Jackson, Wyoming for next 4 months. I’ll update this pages as often as I can. Please check back!

Flying over Wrangell - St. Elias National Park

2009-09-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

Wrangell – St. Elias National Park is the largest National Park in the United States, and it contains spectacular mountain ranges and massive glacier system in the vast wilderness.
The best way to experience this largest park is take a flight over the mountain ranges and glaciers in a small bush plane. I’ve been on the planes a quite a few times since mid May.
I was flying among the high peaks of St. Elias Mountains in late May. I was thrilled to flying very closed to glacier covered rugged peaks.Also, there are so many glaciers between the mountains. Several smaller glaciers merge into a huge glacier! It was truly magnificent place.

I also flew over some major rivers in the park. The rivers start from the massive glaciers, and they get wider and braided as they go downstream. The braided river reflects sunlight through the thin clouds and it shining like silver.Here is the famous Mt. Blackburn and Root Glacier merges into Kennicott Glacier. I've lived this area for 4 months.

Kennecott Mill Town

2009-09-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

One of the big attractions in Wrangell – S. Elias National Park is the Kennecott Mill Town. (The mining company was named after the Kennicott Glacier. However, when they registered the name, they misspelled as Kennecott.)

Soon after the richest copper was discovered in this remote part of Alaska, the mill and the railroad to transport copper ore were built in this area supporting town of Kennicott in early 1900s. That was before Wrangell – St. Elias National Park was established (in 1980).

While the mill was operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (except July 4th and Christmas Day), the mining employees and support employees lived Kennecott. Since the Kennecott mines closed in 1938, it quickly became a ghost town until the ruins were rediscovered for tourism. The old mill buildings are registered as a National Historic Landmark, and they are being stabilized and restored.

I’ve been photographing these picturesque buildings in the different times of the days. My favorite time is during sunset. The red buildings glow under the warm sunset light.

More information about Historic Kennecott is:
http://www.nps.gov/wrst/historyculture/kennecott.htm

Mt. Blackburn and Root Glacier

2009-08-21T18:21:00.000-07:00

I’ve been living right at the point where the Root Glacier merges into the Kennicott Glacier, in Wrangell – St. Elias National Park (Alaska), since mid May. I’ve been exploring and photographing this massive glacier and its moraines for a while.
Walking on a glacier is a special experience, kind of like walking on another planet! The ice crystals shine from all directions. The melting water creates narrow streams, as they find a way out toward the glacial surface. There are numerous waterfalls on the glacier. The pools reflect some of the most beautiful colors on earth. I love to find the aquamarine blue colored pools on the glacier.
This peak is Mt. Blackburn and its highest point is 16,390 ft. When it’s clear out, I can see this white peak from my window. My favorite view is that of Mt. Blackburn, as it rises high above the glaciers.

Wrangell - St. Elias National Park, Alaska

2009-08-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Wrangell – St. Elias National Park, Alaska!

I’ve been living, exploring, and photographing in this pristine Alaskan wilderness since mid-May. I’m amazed by the massive glacier, the high mountain ranges, and the wildlife in this area.

Finally, I am able to access the online and update my news. I’ll post some articles from my notes with new images since I arrived here. Here is a note from the day when I first arrived at this park.

Note from 5-17-09

After a whole day of driving, I finally arrived to Wrangell – St. Elias National Park, my home for four months.
Wrangell – St. Elias National Park is the largest National Park in North America, six times as large as Yellowstone Park. However, this park is minimally developed for tourism (at least not yet…). Most of the parts of the park still remain wilderness. The park includes ten of the fifteen highest peaks in North America, with four major mountain ranges- Wrangell, St. Elias, Chugach and Alaska- and the largest glacier system.
I left Anchorage in the morning, drove through Glen Highway to Glennallen. Passing Glennallen, I began seeing the Wrangell Mountains. It was a perfectly clear day… the mountains were shiny under the vivid blue sky. (From left: Mt. Sanford, 16,237 ft, Mt. Drum, 12,010 ft, Mt. Wrangell, 14,163 ft, Mt. Blackburn, 16,390 ft)
I saw total of six moose around the area! This is a mom and her young teenage moose near Chitina. Leaving the last of civilization, the small town of Chitina, we followed the dirt McCarthy Road sixty miles deep into the park.
I arrived at the historic mining town, Kennicott, in the evening. The two glaciers, Kennicott Glacier and Root Glacier, stretch out in my backyard. This beautiful backcountry will be my home for the summer. These are the old buildings of the historic Kennecott Copper Mine Mills.
Please visit my blog again. Thank you for stopping by.

Black Bear

2009-05-16T12:26:00.001-07:00

Mendenhall Glacier at dusk, TJ and I were photographing the glacier. I heard there were bears in that area the past a few days. I was hoping to see a bear but I didn’t actually expect to see one since 2 coaches full of tourists just left.

When TJ said, “Bear…,” I thought he was joking. I responded, “Yeah, you have to find one for me.” “It’s right there.”

I turned back, there was a bear! A young black bear was 30 yards behind of me.
Then, he was walking away from us…

He was playing with the flowers on the tree. He stood up with his hind legs and eating the flowers for a while at warm sunset light.
Then, he slowly walked away and left the bush.
The presence of a bear made my day.

Sunset in Juneau

2009-05-15T13:14:00.000-07:00

Again, Juneau is a famous for its rain… Fortunately, I had some opportunities to photograph sunset in Juneau while I was there.

I love the scenery in Juneau where the mountains meet the ocean.

The 1st sunset was when it was a perfectly clear day… I was enjoying photographing all day outside. I was at Douglas Island and observed many fishing boats. After long sunny afternoon, the sun setting behind the small island in the channel was beautiful.
A couple came back from kayaking at dusk. The 2nd sunset was spectacular! It was raining all day until the evening. I was still heading to the location and hoping to see the sunset. A little sun light came through a hole in the heavy cloud. Then, a rainbow showed up! The sky got dark again, and it was raining when I arrived at the location. A few beams came from the holes, and spot lights lit the channel. The only a small part of the heavy clouds turned to a rose color. Then reddish sun rays lit up the ocean. It was an unexpected nature show after a long rainy day. The 3rd sunset was also after a long cloudy day. The 4th, last sunset was at another clear day in Juneau… the sun was setting behind downtown Juneau. The bright orange light lit the cruise ships, and painted the channel as a sunset color.

Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska

2009-05-14T10:09:00.000-07:00

Juneau is famous for rain…
Fortunately, I had 2 perfectly clear days during the 7 days I spent in Juneau.

Mendenhall Glacier is located only 20 minutes from downtown Juneau and is one of the most visited glaciers in Alaska.
It is still spring in Juneau. The glacial lake surrounded Mendenhall Glacier reflecting the glacier like a mirror, but is slowly melting during the spring thaw. That afternoon, I was at Douglas Island, located across the Gastineau Channel from downtown Juneau. Mendenhall Glacier was right above the ocean! It was a stunning view.

Alaskan Marine Highway - Bellingham, WA to Juneau, AK

2009-05-06T21:51:00.000-07:00

On the afternoon of May 1, Bellingham, Washington it was a beautiful clear day.

I was getting on the ferry to Juneau, Alaska. My “home” for 3 nights is a little corner on the deck, nicely covered by the glass ceiling and windows. I hauled a huge duffle bag and an equally heavy weighted small suitcase filled with photography gear, plus a heavy camera backpack. I set up my sleeping bag on a deck chair by the window. That’s the best view for Alaska’s Inside Passage.

Soon after the ferry departed Bellingham, the snow capped Mt. Baker showed up behind the town to see us off.

The water was very calm. The ferry barely shook.

The day light was already long at the north… the sunset was after 8pm! The northwest sky turned to vivid orange, and sun was slowly setting into the ocean. Another ferry was almost heading to the setting sun. I was holding my camera facing to the blowing wind. Seagulls flew across the ocean when the sunset. Nest morning, I was awakening by bright orange light… It was 5:30 in the morning. The first light painted the eastern sky. I jumped out my sleeping bag and grabbed my camera. I barely made it before fading out.
However, soon after sunrise, the sun hid under the heavy clouds. It was overcast throughout the day and raining the following day. The ferry was slowly cruising via the Canadian Coast, and stopped in Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, and then finally arrived to Juneau on May 4.

Last Winter Storm

2009-04-12T23:31:00.000-07:00

Spring has come in Tahoe, finally... Almost all the snow on the ground is gone.

During the past winter, we didn't receive very much snow compared to normal winters.

We had one last storm in late March. Typically, in Tahoe, the sun comes out right after a storm. Photographing after a snow storm is very special. I like the white snow and blue sky contrast!

These are the beaches on the South shore of Lake Tahoe.
Here is Tahoe's famous peak, Mt. Tallac, photographed from the beach.

End of Summer

2008-10-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

It’s getting pretty cold in the Lake Tahoe area. We already had the first snow shower in early October!
These photos were taken last month when the weather was still nice. It could be my last camp out for this year.

Cascade Lake is located only a half mile south from Lake Tahoe. It’s one of the thousands of lakes from the last glacial age in this area. I hiked up Cascade Falls Trail before sunrise. The waterfalls were completely dry at that time of the year.

I was setting up my camera and waiting for the sun to come over the lake. The sun first lit Lake Tahoe (top) and then gradually brightens up Cascade Lake. I love the warm lights of the sun.

Here are some more photos from Lake Tahoe.

Black Bears

2008-09-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

After trying many times, finally, I captured black bears!!

It was yesterday morning, my friend called me because a bear family was hanging out on the tree in front of her house!

When I arrived at her house, 2 cubs were still high up in the tree. One cub was dark black, and another cub was dark brown. The big mom, also dark brown, was waiting for them down under the tree. The cubs slowly came down, and landed on the neighbor’s porch. They seemed to be confused on the fence. The mom was walking around. Her body language was telling the cubs, “Come on kids, let’s go.” The cubs seemed to be stuck on the fence. They were nervous to jump down.

I wish I could have observed a little longer, but the neighbor insisted me to leave… Anyway, it was exciting to see my first Tahoe bear! There are large numbers of black bears living in the Lake Tahoe area. Many of them do live around the residential areas. I heard about so many bear sightings in the backyards since I moved here. Sadly, not all people here don’t manage their waste for bear proofing containers, so bears here habituated with trash. Many people have seen bears the neighborhood on the night before the garbage collecting days. Bear management (=waste management) is a common topic on the local newspaper in here.

Sunrise at Emerald Bay

2008-08-27T21:26:00.000-07:00

A month after I lost in the woods, I was back to the campground near Emerald Bay.

It was overcast and drizzling when I arrived there unlike Tahoe’s typical summer weather. It was refreshing for summer. Even the plants looked renewed.

I got up at 5 am before dawn; of course it’s still dark, and walked on the highway about a mile to the overlook of Emerald bay. The east sky began turning to rose colors when I got there. I quickly set up my camera. Then, it faded to gray before the sun actually came out over the Sierra range.

The sun rose above the peaks and painted the lake and the bay as a bright orange. Then, it hid behind strips of thin clouds. The rays came through the clouds like an old religious painting. It was breathtaking! It was one of the best sunrise I have ever seen!

One boat had just took off and drawing beautiful lines toward the sun.

I moved to another location over eagle falls. The sun moved into another cloud and beams came through again! I love the spectacular sunrise.

Lost in Desolation Wilderness

2008-07-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

I have just had a “once in a life time” experience. I was lost on a hike after sunset in the middle of the wilderness!

It was a warm afternoon in Lake Tahoe. The air was smoky from the wildfire in the northern California valley. I was planning to do a sunset and sunrise photo shoot during that smoky condition for a different color effect. I set up my new tent at a National Forest campground near the famous Emerald Bay – the most scenic part of Lake Tahoe. My original plan was to walk 1mile on the highway to Emerald Bay for sunset and sunrise.

I arrived at the campground in the early afternoon and the sunset would be around 8:30 pm… plenty of time before sunset. So, I decided to take a scenic route – about 6 miles of trail climbing up and down in the mountain.

The trail starts at the far end of the campground, and there’s a steep climb up into the pine forest. After about 1 mile of uphill trail, the forest opened up and looked out over Emerald Bay. Unfortunately, the visibility was bad due to the smoke… I decided I would save the view for a clear day.

The trail lead on to a small alpine lake through granite, rocky ridge, and the dynamic Sierra ranges were in the back drop. A group of backpackers came across from the other way. It was true wilderness in the Sierra Nevada, and I love the solitude. I took several rest breaks to just enjoy the scenery.

Finally, I thought, I reached “Eagle Lake” which is about 1 mile above Emerald Bay. I still had an enough time to hike down to Emerald Bay before sunset. I was relaxed and photographed the reflections on “Eagle Lake.”

Then, I followed the unclear trail along the creek. The trail was longer than I expected, and the sun was lower already at the moment. The setting sun painted the stream as orange. It was a nice warm color, so I set up my camera there. At that point, I already gave up trying to reach Emerald Bay before sunset. I found another great photo opportunity on the way, so it was OK to change the plan as long as I made to the highway before getting dark. I kept walking along the creek.

Unexpectedly, the trail ended at another lake. The lake was much larger than the last one, and it wasn’t on the map! Something was wrong… I must have been on the wrong trail. As I carefully reviewed the map, it seemed I had missed a turn off to Emerald Bay via Eagle Lake, and then I ended up a few miles north, at Velma Lakes area… far into the wilderness! I must turn back and retrace the trail to the campground before it gets dark. I was running back along the unclear trail under the setting sun. I knew I was going in the right direction from the landmarks I remembered, but I lost the actual trail. I passed the familiar rocks and ponds… but I still couldn’t find the trail… the sunset color in the sky gradually faded and the darkness began enveloping the wilderness. Some bright stars showed up in the sky… but I still couldn’t find the trail… I began to panic when I realized that I was lost in the middle of nowhere in the dark without shelter, food or water! I kept walking down to the direction of the campground in the last bit of remaining light, but then it turned completely dark.

I tried calling to my local friend. Oh, my goodness, my cell phone was working there! After my friend called around for information, I learned that it wasn’t going to be too cold for the night. I lay down in the hollow of a rock and tried making myself comfortable. The stars were very bright up above me even though the air wasn’t clear. I was amazed to see so many stars in the dome of the sky. I was somehow relaxed. The problem was, I only had on a thin fleece jacket. I used a tripod bag for keeping myself warm. I opened up the long padded bag and covered my body, curling up under the bag, and put plastic bags over my knees to block the cold air. In the mean time, my friend called to a local sheriff about me missing.

It was cold during the night, and lying on the granite rock bed wasn’t so comfortable… I switched my body positions every 5 minutes or so. A bright moon rose from down below. I only got a little sleep during the night, but I wasn’t scared of being alone in wilderness. I would have been much more scared of being alone at night in the middle of a big city.

After the long dark night, the sky finally shifted gradually lighter with the cold morning air. I began to see the terrain around me better. I studied the map and compared the mountain peaks above me. I was very thirsty… According to the topomap, the trail should be close to here, just a bit east fom where I stayed. I began searching the trail at dawn.

As I climbed up to the east, the first sunlight lit up the mountain range as a beautiful salmon pink, but I just didn’t have any energy to set up my camera.

The same kind of terrain: exposed granite rock beds, snow melting ponds, and pine trees, kept going on for a while. I was desperately looking for the trail to “civilization,” and kept climbing up as I followed my memory of the trail I was on the day before.

Finally, I found the familiar trail! It was clearly mark with rocks and some footsteps. I was happy to retrace the trail to the northwest where it would end up at the campground. I felt secure following the trail and seeing the landmarks I walked by the day before.

After the long descent into the woods, finally, I came back to the campground, and arrived at my comfortable tent, which I never even got to use! Soon after I came back, 3 men rescue team arrived in bright orange vests! A local sheriff also arrived and interviewed me for this incident. I was embarrassed to have made a scene. It was an unexpected adventure and learning experience.

Loop Around Lake Tahoe

2008-06-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

Summer is approaching to Lake Tahoe. Since a few weeks ago, the days have been beautiful. Flowers are blooming in the meadows, and the grounds are covered up with fresh greens. Time to explore the lake!

Lake Tahoe is 22 miles long, north to south, 12 miles wide, and it’s 72 miles around the shoreline. It’s a large lake; I can’t see the entire lake from the shore.

My photographer friend Sand visited from San Diego, and we were driving around the lake clockwise for one beautiful afternoon. We drove trough the famous Emerald Bay, stopped by several scenic points, and drove along Truckee River to the town of Truckee. The colors of the lake were amazing under the sun! It’s deep blue, and there are also many shade of emerald green – some parts of the shore are like tropical beaches.

I like the boulders along the northeast shore. It’s a typical Lake Tahoe image whish you’ll see on brochure or postcards.

We chose Zephyr Cove for a sunset photo location. We arrived there a couple of hours early, still sun bursting at the time; we picked a spot, and set up a camera… and waited for a sunset that was supposed be beautiful.

I shot a nice silhouette of 2 young men on the boulder in the lake, talking to a family on the beach, and of course having a nice conversation with Sand… and more waiting.

Finally, after 8 pm, the sun almost touching the mountain ranges over the lake. I was ready for the perfect shot. However, the sun was setting under the clouds just above the mountain peaks. It painted a little bit orange but most of the sky was gray. After waiting for a few hours, I was disappointed of the sunset. We can’t control Mother Nature; we just have to see what nature offers each day. This is a most challenging part of nature photography.
In a cold winter, I was waiting for a spectacular sunrise in a snow shower 3 mornings in a row, but the sun had never come out those mornings!

Another time, I was waiting for a sunrise in the mist; I thought the sun would never come out and almost gave up. Then, there was the sun through the fog, and it lit up the cliff. The shot was on of my best works. You never know until the moment.

Just Moved to Lake Tahoe

2008-05-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

Greeting from Lake Tahoe in Sierra Nevada!

Time for a big change...

I just moved to South Lake Tahoe in early May. Lake Tahoe is located on the border of northeast California and Nevada, 6000 feet high in the heart of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. There are several small towns located around the huge Lake Tahoe and the surrounding mountains are famous for world-class ski resorts.

Lake Tahoe, in summer season, is also popular for outdoor activities and boating. This entire area is a paradise for nature photography! I'm excited in exploring this beautiful wilderness.

These photos were taken in the during past Christmas time. I t was the winter wonderland I had always dreamed of. Now, snow on the ground is gone, and fresh greens are growing all over the area. I'll the current photos soon.

Winter Landscape in San Diego Area (Cuyamaca Rancho State Park)

2008-03-06T18:09:00.000-08:00

I'm fascinated photographing winter natural landscape. Since I'm living in warm Southern California, I normally have to drive several hours to see snowy mountains.

Luckily, there was a snow storm in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park in San Diego County; about 1 hour from San Diego. When I got there, it was still snowing. The snow brought a fantastic winter atmosphere in the high desert country. The wildfire burned a large part of its forest in 2003. The survived trees and snow creates an interesting contrast.
Cuyamaca Mountain isn't as high as Sierras, so snow would last only a few days. I enjoyed unexpexted snow near home.

Moon Eclipse - February 20, 2008

2008-02-24T17:16:00.000-08:00

It was exciting seeing the full moon eclipse! These images were taken on the roof top of my apartment in downtown San Diego.

Unfortunately, they didn't come out as sharp as I wanted... I forgot to bring the cable shutter release.

Olympic Coast - Olympic National Park

2007-09-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

After photographing the moss covered trees in the Hoh Rainforest, Kimberly and I headed to the coastal area of Olympic National Park. I was hoping to photograph a sunset in the Pacific Ocean.

However, the weather didn't seem to be very corporative when we arrived to the coast. It was misty. The Pacific Northwest Coast was very different from the Southern Californian Coast where I live; so many washed out logs were piled up on the beach, huge rocks are sticking up where the waves crash, and some trees were growing on those rocks! I know there is scenery like that in the north coast of Japan, but not in Southern California.

The scenery was mysteriously beautiful with a misty rain. There were tide pools around the rock tower; full of starfish and other sea life in the area. I was amazed that the beach was well protected from development. The wilderness beaches went on for miles and miles. Kimberly used to backpack along this coastline for 3 days before. I was seeing several backpackers at the day.

Deep woods were growing right by the beach. A whole area was covered up the fog, which I found very photogenic.

Olympic National Park is very diverse. We also visited another beach and alpine ridge, drove by a large glacial lake, Puget Sounds and more. I could spend a month or more for photographing this rich natural area.

Hoh Rainforest - Olympic National Park

2007-09-11T16:45:00.000-07:00

After backpacking at Seven Lakes Basin, we drove to the famous moss covered rain forest "Hoh" area. Driving in to the Hoh was amazing... the road was cut through deep woods - tall tree tunnels all covered with green moss drapes.

Two short hiking loops started from the visitor center. We were walking into deep mossy woods; Hall of Mosses and Spruce Nature Trail.

The forest floor was carpeted with fresh green ferns and mosses - so many different shades of greens!

When the light broke through the clouds, it created a fantasy world! I just loved being there.
We stayed in the campground in the area. I returned to these loops 2 more times.

Great wildlife viewing in the campground, too. Two huge bull elks feeding at a site when we drove in. Several deer families (mother and baby) walked through the campground. How lucky I was seeing all of those in a short period of the time.

Next Day, we headed to the Olympic Coast.

Backpacking in Olympic National Park, Washington

2007-09-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

In early August, about a month after Alaska, I had another photography trip to Olympic National Park, Washington. I always wanted to photograph the mossy forests in the Pacific Northwest, and my good friend Kimberly lives there, so why don't I visit there?

I jumped on a train from San Diego to Tacoma, took about 40 hours one way. That was a pre-adventure! I was excited about having adventures with Kimberly; she is a very active outdoor girl, who used to be my co-worker in Alaska.

Olympic NP is a large diverse park located on the Olympic Peninsula right below the Canadian border. In the large park, there are 3 distinct regions; the Pacific Coastline, the glacial-capped peaks, and moss covered rain forest. In early August, wildflowers carpeted all the alpine meadows.

Our adventures began with the mountain part: 18 miles loop of backpacking in Seven Lakes Basin. The trail started from the beautiful mossy rain forest. The mosses draped down from tall trees, ferns carpeted the floor, and streams ran among mossy rocks... very green! I instantly loved the scenery. The trail slowly climbed up through the woods, and contained through sub-alpine area with small lakes. When I climbed up to the ridge, there were wildflower gardens! Yellow, orange, pink, violet, white.., I especially loved the patches of white lilies. (Avalanche lily) The rugged peaks rose om my right. There are so many places I loved to photograph!

We hiked up for a while, maybe 7 or 8 miles all up hill; it was time to find a camp site. The trail kept going on the ridge; it was hard to find an ideal flat area. Anyhow, we found a site and set up our camp. One thing I didn't like was that there was a pile of bear poop at the area. There wasn't any other options at the ridge, so we stayed there anyway. We tried to cook dinner, but the cooking stove fuel that Kimberly brought was broken... the liquid fuel kept leaking out... so, we could only eat dry food. Clouds moved over the ridge before sunset; the ridge was surrounded in thick fog. This meant there wasn't any sunset photo opportunities.

Luckily, the next morning was beautiful, the sky was clear! The first sunlight lit the peak of Mt. Olympus and turned its glacier to pink. Even the steam from the snow was pink. Before we left camp, we tried to pump water from snow melt. After we filled one bottle, Kimberly's water filter broke! what was happening!? It wasn't a hot day, so we weren't going to need as much water.

We had a wonderful view for the all-morning walk along the ridge; Mt. Olympus was on the right, Seven Lakes Basin was on the left, and colorful flowers were everywhere. I was happily walking the trail. On top of these views, 2 marmots were on the rock near trail!! What a bonus! One of them were posed for me.

The trail went down slowly but it was long... we began seeing several hikers coming up. We hiked down through the sub-alpine area and into deep mossy woods again. It was nice and shady. I began feeling tired a bit. we hiked through the woods for a while and crossed a "scary" foot bridge; at that point my body began aching. I was shocked finding out there was still a 5 mile long stretch left. There wasn't any short cut, I had to hike back. Kimberly seemed to still be energetic, but I was being a walking machine without thinking. My backpack got heavier than ever. She helped carry my tripod, which was nice. I needed to take breaks every mile or so... After the long 5 miles, we finally reached the trail head.

It was challenging, but the dramatic scenery was worth traveling 18 miles with pack.

More Olympic NP photos are coming soon!

Camping in Denali National Park, Alaska

2007-08-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

Early July.

After photographing bears along the Katmai Coast, my next destination was Denali National Park, located in the interior of Alaska. Denali NP is famous for the highest peak in North America - Mount McKinley ("Denali" in the native language), and its abundance of wildlife: grizzly, caribou, moose, Dall's sheep, lynx and many small animals.

After 6 years, I was back in Denali again. During the summer of 2001, I worked at a hotel at the entrance area of the park. Since then, I have been in love with Alaskan wilderness. My main purpose for going back to Denali was photographing Mt. McKinley and its reflection on Wonder Lake during sunset and sunrise time with "magic purple light." So we stayed at the deep end of the Parkroad at Wonder Lake Campground.

A huge cow moose greeted us before getting on the camper shuttle bus by the Visitor Center. Everyone grabbed cameras! She likes to hang out in the area because the predators will most likely stay away from busy tourist areas. Since she came too close to people, the park management put a collar on her in order to track her.

It was lightly raining when we got on the shuttle. I was hoping it would clear up later. The mountain was hiding behind the clouds most of the time; only 1/3 of visitor ever get to see part of the mountain during their trip! Only lucky visitors ever seen a whole mountain. The French photographers in Katmai told us that they couldn't see the mountain at all for 3 days.

Unlike my expectations, I didn't see so much wildlife from the bus on the way. I only saw several white dots (supposed to be Dall's sheep) and a few gray dots supposed to be caribou. and one more, a moose far behind of bushes. Where were the bears? At that point, my closest wildlife sighting was the collared moose at the Visitor Center. After a quiet 6 hours, the shuttle arrived to Mile 85, Wonder Lake Campground.

The rain stopped, but the mountain was far behind heavy clouds. The campground was luxurious for that remote wilderness area. We picked a nice site where there is supposed to be a Mt. McKinley view. There was a food cache house with covered cooking/ eating area nearby, and flush toilets and running water. The whole area was an open view with alpine tundra - vivid green! It was also peak season for the wildflowers blooming! Only problem was mosquitoes... a lot! There were crowds of them following whenever I go. We had to wear head nets!

Although it was overcast, the sun didn't set until 2 a.m or so, and without getting real dark, the sun rose again a few hours later. Denali NP is located in the far north.

Next morning, the mountain only showed its middle part - a long strip line between the clouds - then, it hid behind of the clouds again, all day.

The clouds got lighter at night, I was hoping it would clear up in the middle of the night, so I set the alarm clock every one hour and checked if the mountain was showing up. It would be my last opportunity to photograph the mountain with purple light. I periodically checked outside every one hour until 5 a.m when finally the bottom part of the mountain was visible.

Around 6 a.m, most of the mountain was shown up! It had already passed the magic hour time, but I was very excited to see the entire mountain. The sky cleared up while we were having breakfast. I photographed the mountain and reflection on the pond. However, when I was rush walking to the point where I can look down Wonder Lake, small clouds forming around the mountain. The clouds grew so fast! when I finally got to the hill, most of the mountain was hidden behind clouds even though other parts of the sky were still clear! I was glad to see the entire mountain for a while. We packed our camp down, and rode an afternoon shuttle out the park.

Bear Photography in Katmai Coast 3

2007-08-13T16:21:00.000-07:00

The afternoon of the 2nd day in Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park, 3 new people arrived with tons of camera equipment. Two of them were photographers from France; they paid extra money to have their own guide. They were on a 6 week project in Alaska. Another man was a retired bio chemist; now he is a bear enthusiast. He has been staying in Hallo Bay about a month every year for many years! Wow, it is very expensive to stay there for 3 nights, but a month, I have no idea how much it cost! He brought a high-end camera, a bazooka looking telephoto lens, and HDR video camera.

Between morning and evening excursions, we had a few hours of relaxing time. However, we weren't allow to leave the Camp area by our self, so I just took a shower and hung out at the main galley. The main galley is a big canvas room with kitchen and dining area with cozy tables. I liked to hang out there and chat with other guests in the galley.

Hallo Bay Wilderness is an environmental friendly operation with only 5 guest cabins. The guest cabins are also made of canvas with simple bedding, sink with a container of water, table and heater. The showers and bathroom are a separate building. The windmill generates all electricity for the camp. We were only allowed to eco-friendly soap and shampoos. i am amazed with their environmental policies for the entire camp. In the remote wilderness, it was still luxurious. Since there were only 10 guests per night, everybody got know each other and become friends. i had a good conversation with a couple from Ireland.

After early dinner, our evening bear viewing session began. we walked through the same way as the morning; along the beach, went through the woods, and tidal cove; it was a high tide at the evening, so no bears hanging around the area. we passed the cove, and then walked up to the meadow. Another 2 groups were already sitting the edge. 2 bear families (each had 2 cubs) were grazing fresh green grass under the sun. The cubs rolled over the grass, and their mom kept eating...

A boar showed up from the woods, far right. One of the bear families got nervous. The mother stopped eating, rose her head up and started huffing. She slowly moved away from the boar, toward to another family in front of us. Boars sometimes kill cubs so that he will be able to mate with the sow. Isn't it terrible? Anyway, the family moved close to another family. Another mother got very nervous for the family moving to them, and began huffing loudly. Then, she walking toward to us with her 2 cubs! They stopped 20 feet away from us, but still looked nervous at other family approaching. The boar came very close to the area where the French photographers were at. Their guide successfully shooed the boar away. However, the nervous bear family moved closer to the family that was 20 feet away from us. The family closer to us got very nervous and started moving closer toward us. They seemed to be coming straight toward us... Our guide Herb stood up and showed a flare, and told them, "no, no," but they were coming to us. I was frozen and hiding behind of Herb and my husband. Someone in our group; German guy, kept taking photos of the approaching bear family. I could only shoot one - a cub's face with bad exposure. The family was stopping and huffing for a while in front of us, and then finally passed about 5 feet away from us. it was too close! I was sweating! The guide, Herb joked, "Sorry guys, we can't get any closer than this." It was after 9 p.m and the bright sun was still above us.
We repeated these kind of bear viewings the next day. Then, the following morning, the small plane picked us up on time and took us back to Homer. Viewing and photographing huge bears close by without fence was an exciting experience. I felt very special feeling toward those magnificent animals.

Bear Photography in Katmai Coast 2

2007-07-31T12:36:00.000-07:00

The 2nd day in Hallo Bay was a beautiful sunny day. After having breakfast with the other guests, we were divided into two groups. Each group had its own guide. Following our guide, we walked along the beach, and then entered the dense woods. We walked on the trail, but there are some bear trails that cross the human trail. Bears can pop out behind the trees at any moment.

The view was opened up in front of us; The scenery was breath-taking - tidal coves and snow covered mountains were the backdrop. And, there were bears down below!! Two bear families - each had 2 cubs! They were digging clams on the beach. We were looking at them from the hill at the edge of the woods for a while. One mother bear laid down on her back and began nursing! Her 2 cubs nursed on her for a while. That was a beautiful moment. We walked down to the tidal flat and enjoyed seeing those 2 bear families from a far. They were digging clams for a while, and the 2 cubs began play fighting... I still couldn't that it was a real experience out in the wilderness - it was like a being in a nature show.
Then, the mother bear walked toward us gradually - followed by her 2 cubs. Looking with my telephoto lens, they got closer and closer... Actually, they were coming close to us. They were only 20 feet away; the mother bear stopped and sniffed the air. according to our guide, bears can recognize an individual by the smells like dogs can. Oh, my goodness, she was very close! I was about to back off, but the guide told me not to move. Bears may think I'm prey if I move quickly. The bear family walked by 10 feet in front of us. One cub curiously approached within 5 feet of us. Even a cub, he is bigger than me! The guide showed him a flare and calmly told the cub, "no, no..." My heart was beating hard, fortunately, the cub turned to the mom and passed in front of us.
The mother bear stopped at a rock very close by, and licked at the little shells covering the rock. One of the cubs copied her. My finger was on the shutter button. She climbed on top of the rock, and sniffing the air for a while as she paused for the camera! It was a perfect shot!

After the bear family left, a fox showed up on the beach. He was also digging clams just like a scene in the movie: "Grizzly Man."

We already saw a lot in morning, but there were more bears at the meadow near the tidal flat. We explored the meadow at the evening.

This story will continue...

Bear Photography in Katmai Coast 1

2007-07-19T11:06:00.000-07:00

I went back to Alaska again... Photographing bears is one of my passions now.

At this time, I stayed in Hallo Bay, located on the remote coast of Katmai National Park, on the Shelikof Strait. Getting to Hallo Bay was an adventure... I flew in a small old Cessna from Homer that was delayed for many hours by the weather. The plane took off late in the afternoon, even though it was supposed to fly in the morning. On the plane, I flew close to the mountain tops, glaciers, and volcanoes. The plane landed on a sandy beach - no runway!

The evening we arrived, there were 9 new arrivals including my husband and myself, a guide took us on an introductory walk to the beach. Since we were deep in the area with highest population of brown bears (grizzlies) in the world, we weren't allowed to wander around without a guide. Bears would even sometimes wander right by the Camp area! Bears might came out from anywhere! So, we always have to walk with a guide and stay together in a group. Bears don't attack a group of people. The Camp wants to keep the perfect safety record.

The coast was truly wilderness, Hallo Bay Bear Camp in the only bit of civilization in this remote bear habitat. If you ever heard about Timothy Treadwell (in the documentary movie "Grizzly Man"), he was camping by himself at the south of Hallo Bay for 13 summers among bears, until he and his girlfriend were killed and eaten by a bear in 2002. A woman working at the Hallo Bay Camp saw him a few times. "One day, he was wearing camouflage and had painted his face to black, then the next day, he was wearing a 3 piece suite in this wilderness, " she described.

During our first walk, we walked along the beach, crossed a little stream, and looked at shells including razor clams which the bears had dug up and eaten during the low tides.

Suddenly, a bear popped out from the bush ahead! The bear wandered along the beach, then ate the grass for a short while, and then disappeared into the bush again. That was the highlight of the short walk.

The next two days, I experienced many intimate bear encounters.

This story will continue to my next blog.

I hope you enjoyed my first blog.

- Sunny K. Awazuhara-Reed

If you haven't checked my web site, please visit: http://www.spiritofnaturephoto.com/