winchester : photos : Alaska 2006 : Intensive gold mining had left this hillside stripped of most vegetation. It was fitting then that we visited it on an icy overcast day. Somehow it’s still beautiful.- powered by SmugMug

Landscapes from my June / July 06 Alaska visit.

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winchester > Intensive gold mining had left this hillside stripped of most vegetation. It was fitting then that we visited it on an icy overcast day. Somehow it’s still beautiful.

winchester > Sometimes we can go slightly beyond reality in a photograph. What this does reflect accurately is the mood that evening.

winchester > McKinley base camp. We chartered a de Havilland Otter ski plane in order to get this series.

winchester > High up in the Alaskan Range near Mount McKinley lies this perpetually frozen bowl of snow and ice. It is an amazing feeling to actually see this in person - something a photograph can't replicate.

winchester > Stretching out in front of this photo is a huge panorama, many square miles. A year ago this was green – covered in wildflowers, low shrubs and scattered trees.

Today this whole area is black, consumed by forest fire. An acrid stench hangs in the cold air – this is too high to enjoy much summer warmth.

Even burned, I think it strangely beautiful.

winchester > During the evening, ponds in Alaska take on an unreal feeling of stillness. Dusk in the far north brings calm, such total tranquility. Lakes assume a full mirror surface. It must be experienced. My photos can do this no justice.

In fact, it is almost humbling trying to capture a scene like this!

winchester > A break in the clouds allowed the sun to punch up Eagle Bluff quite nicely. We were blasting down the Yukon at 30mph so this is the best I could do.

winchester > The De Havilland Otter we chartered was a beautiful machine. Every piece of hardware was freshly painted or polished. It’s hard to believe the aircraft was manufactured in 1954!

winchester > Here is the “road” which we took to access Hatcher’s Pass. To my eye this is one of the most striking locations in all of North America.

winchester > Cruising at 12k feet within spitting distance of these huge mountains is both enlivening and humbling. It forces one to realize that our aircraft and its passengers are a mere fly to this massive mountain range!

winchester > The pass clouded in by the time we were able to hike any distance. It’s a good photographic challenge to deal with clouds so I didn’t mind that much. In the foreground of this shot one can see the staining effects of the various rock deposits. I’m thinking the red is ferric oxide (rust).

Intensive gold mining had left this hillside stripped of most vegetation. It was fitting then that we visited it on an icy overcast day. Somehow it’s still beautiful.

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