Backpacking in Wrangell St. Elias late in the season has its risks: you are likely to be at the whim of the Pacific storms which can dump a lot of moisture. And the short summer here means that you are going to be cold, damp and miserable if you are not moving. And if you are really lucky, you are going to be frozen in the icy north too. My sojourn in the Park had all of these, and more. But it was still an amazing experience.
Waking up in the morning after a day of hiking in the cold miserable rain, I was treated to a landscape blanketed in snow, with the morning light slowly peering through. The warming sunlight led to fog forming and drifting over the rolling hills and snow-capped peaks all around. And for a while, the landscape glowed with alternating pastels of yellow and blue. This magical landscape was the only factor that helped me brave the freezing cold that morning.
Here I tried to capture one such scene from that delightful morning walk.
Wrangell St Elias National Park
AK USA
Moonrise over the Mediterranean
Moving from the stark peaks of the Dolomiti to the azure blues of the Mediterranean was a jump in landscape, light and lifestyle. Here in Sicily, the pace was slower but richer. Every breath brought in a fresh and different aroma, and every sight was of a new vista of a village hugging a rocky coastline. The town of Taormina settles for the evening under a vibrant sunset and bright moonrise.
Taormina
Sicily, Italy
Scenes from Wrangell
After a week long backpack that traversed 27 miles of vertiginous terrain in Wrangell St Elias, I was stunned by the breathtaking scenery in just one small portion of this vast park. I have many more stories to share, but here is a quick preview of the beautiful landscape hidden in the largest National Park of the country.
Wrangell St. Elias National Park
AK USA
Colors of the sky
The Eastern Sierras is not just a desert landscape with dry granite peaks, but is a land of glistening lakes and towering mountains where mountain weather comes alive. The first one captures the reflection of the rainbow after a late afternoon thunderstorm, while the next frames the clear reflections of the mountain landscape typical of the Eastern Sierras.
Inyo National Forest
CA USA
Morning Reflections
In an alpine landscape, I normally strive to shoot reflections of the mountains catching the first light of the day. But sometimes, it pays to look in the opposite direction as well.
These were taken minutes apart at the same lake in the pre-dawn light.
Inyo National Forest
CA USA
Silhouettes at sunrise and sunset
The jagged peaks of the Vancouver Island Range and the North Cascades for spiky silhouettes on what proved to be exceptional clear sunsets and sunrises from the Olympics.
Olympic National Forest
WA USA
Shadows and light in the Palouse
The warm yellow hues of the late afternoon light, juxtaposed against the gentle shadows on the rolling terrain of the region, add the right bit of drama and depth to a scene that would been boring under the mid-day sun.
Here is one such composition where the light highlights the undulating terrain.
Palouse
WA USA
Rainier Hues
As the sun slowly made its way to the horizon after a long summer day, I was enthralled by the kaleidoscope of colors that evening, including the deep blue shadows on the Puget sound, the pink belt of venus, the orange glow atop Mt Rainier, the deep red alpenglow of the Olympics and the azure blue above. On the western horizon, I witnessed the transition between shadow and light as the line between dark and light slowly crept along the horizon towards Tahoma.
Olympic National Forest
WA USA
Colors of Palouse Falls
A lovely side-trip from the Palouse region is Palouse Falls. Set within the rolling terrain created in the aftermath of the cataclysmic Missoula Floods, the falls appears out of nowhere. The falls takes the Palouse river from a narrow rocky escarpment down to a wider shallow basin leading to the Snake River.
Capturing the falls in all its glory is challenging endeavor, even with the widest of lens, as you can see above. It also requires the sky to cooperate, which it only partially did on this day.
Palouse Falls State Park
WA USA
Aftermath of a thunderstorm
The thunderstorm reason usually passes by the Palouse region a bit before the summer seasons. During the summer, one is typically greeted by bluebird skies over the rolling green fields. However, that is not particularly conducive to photography.
I wasn't hoping to get great weather in a trip earlier this year, but I was a bit more lucky with the weather patterns. Even though it was late June, cumulus clouds continued to roll over the region, an aftermath of a wet weather pattern. That lead to a nice pattern of shadow and light over lush wheat fields.
Palouse
WA USA