Creeping Denali Fog

Creeping Denali Fog

ALAK08D-404

August 1, 2008

Hiking up the Mt. Healy Overlook Trail at Denali National Park, you go through some vast changes.  You begin in the forest that hangs around the entrance to the park, but soon (climbing 1,700 feet in 2.25 miles) you're emerging into the alpine/tundra environment, and you can turn back to view the valley from which you've climbed.  But on this morning, the sun was barely up, and the fog was still enshrouding the lower forest of Denali.  It made an eerie scene, watching the wind gently blow the fog through the gap and into the valley, waiting for the sun to chase it all away.  Enjoy.
 

Technical notes:

Camera: NIkon D80

Lens:Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6

Focal length: 24mm

Exposure: 1/200   f/5   ISO 200

Post-processing: Toning and curves adjustment in PS4

Vastness of the Tundra

Vastness of the Tundra

ALAK08D-480

August 2, 2008

Denali National Park is full of wonderful places to visit, and yet it has a sameness that is familiar.  The tundra stretches out until it slams against the Alaska Range, culminating in the majesty of Denali/Mt. McKinley (which is hidden behind those clouds at the moment of capture).  This image hints at that vastness, that unending space of tundra and vegetation that is indicative of Denali, made even more remarkable by the trees ringing the foreground.  Enjoy.
 

Technical notes:

Camera: NIkon D80

Lens:Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6

Focal length: 40mm

Exposure: 1/80   f/8   ISO 400

Post-processing: Toning and curves adjustment in PS4

Polychrome Tundra

Polychrome Tundra

ALAK08D-500

August 2, 2008

The tundra of Alaska is a strange place.  Hiking along the landscape is akin to hiking on a lumpy, wet mattress.  It feels odd.  But it is beautiful, and the lack of trees amongst most of Denali National Park allows you to go off-trail (indeed, most of the backcountry has no trails defined at all) and hike to your heart's content.  Then flag down a bus for your way back to the station. 
The Polychrome is a small valley in Denali, and has these beautiful hues for the backdrop while hiking.  You head through the tundra on your way, and it is quiet, no cars or people to speak of.  While out there, in a 6-hour dayhike I saw zero humans, two bears (mom and cub), and some deer.  It was perfect. Enjoy.
 

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens:Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5-5.6

Focal length: 10mm

Exposure: 1/80  f/16  ISO 100

Post-processing: Toning and curves adjustment in PS4

Dawn Breaks Along the Nenana

Dawn Breaks Along the Nenana

ALAK08D-413

August 1, 2008

This early morning hike led me up from the Visitor's Center of Denali National Park along the Mt. Healy Trail.  The few trails which do exist in the park are concentrated near the entrance area. Most of them are mild hikes, wandering through the taiga forest. Mt. Healy Overlook is an exception. This hike runs a seemingly short 2.3 miles one-way... until you realize that during those miles you also climb nearly 1,700 feet in elevation. It can be steep sometimes, as much as a 25% grade at some points. It can be quite a haul, moving up the trail. But the views are well worth it.

From the trail, and the outlook, you can see far into the valley, even to the Nenana river. It is breathtaking, looking over the taiga forest below.  As it was early morning, the sun was coming up over the eastern ridge, and was breaking up the clouds that had plagued us the day before.  It was a breathtaking scene, well worth the trudge up the slopes.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  112 mm

Exposure: 1/10 sec @ f/25, ISO 100

Post-processing: Desaturation, minor curves adjustment in PS4

Summer over the Alaska Range

Summer over the Alaska Range 

ALAK11D-43_pan

July 19, 2011

This panoramic was taken along the George Parks highway, en route from Anchorage to Fairbanks.  As we drove along, the peak of Denali finally came into view, as some last clouds streaked past the top.  Her summit had been hidden the entire time, keeping us guessing whether we'd even get a chance to witness the tallest mountain in North America.  But all of the pieces came together in the end, and we were rewarded with this quintessential view of the Alaska Range in the summertime, with blue skies and streaky, puffy clouds, with those glacier-capped mountains in the background.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-125 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length: 105mm

Exposure: 1/320 sec. @ f/16, ISO 400

Post-processing: Stitch of 2 images in PS4, light WB correction and color adjustment, final sharpening in LR1.4