Root Glacier (Alaska)

Less than an hour before this photo taken, I came face to face with a bear on the trail to this glacier. Unlike other bears I have met in the wild, this one didn’t run the other way. Instead, it started up the trail toward me. I know, you’re supposed to “get big” when you are in a bear staredown, but my natural instinct was to back up. The dog in this photo was 50-100 feet behind me on the trail and decided to get between me and the bear. That scared the bear off, and so I’m still here to tell the story.

Posted on September 16th, 2023 under Alaska. Tags: hiking, NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens, Nikon Z 50 Z50, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve. Comments Off on The dog that saved me

Mossy trees on the South Sister/Moraine Lake Trail (Oregon – September 2023)

Posted on September 14th, 2023 under Oregon. Tags: bend, Central Oregon, hiking, moss, Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens, Nikon Z 50 Z50. Comments Off on Tree sweaters

Crow Creek Trail (Girdwood, Alaska)

Posted on August 23rd, 2023 under Alaska. Tags: Girdwood, hiking, landscape, Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens, Nikon Z 50 Z50. Comments Off on Alaskan Spirea

We attempted what AllTrails calls the “Crow Pass, Crystal Lake and Barnes Mountain Trail”. The weather wasn’t great, but the views were still spectacular. We didn’t make it to Crystal Lake for a couple of reasons. One was that the clouds were low enough that we wouldn’t have been able to see the lake or any of the views from up there. The other is that you had to fjord a couple of minor waterfalls to continue on the trail, and we didn’t have waterproof shoes or poles. I would love to do this one again someday in a more prepared state.

We didn’t see any bears, but we did see some mountain goats and arctic ground squirrels.

The elevation gain at the outset and near these waterfalls was killer.

Posted on August 11th, 2023 under Alaska. Tags: Girdwood, hiking, landscape, Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens, photomerge, waterfalls. Comments Off on Waterfalls near Girdwood

12-photo photomerge from The Edge Nature Trail including Matanuska Glacier on the left

The trail itself, without the view, was a spectacular grove of mostly quaking aspen which I imagine are even more beautiful in September when the leaves change color.

The Edge Nature Trail sign on The Glenn Highway

Posted on August 9th, 2023 under Alaska. Tags: hiking, landscape, NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens, Nikon Z 50 Z50, panorama, photomerge, The Glenn Highway. Comments Off on The Edge Nature Trail