My 10 Favorite Shots of 2019

Here are my 10 favorite shots of 2019! Some I enjoy because they recorded a rare & fleeting moment, while others remind me of pleasant times spent in the mountains. They’re not in any particular order, except for number one. Enjoy!

1. Muldrow Glacier Ice Cave At Sunset

I planned to take an epic shot of Denali from a ridge across Muldrow Glacier on a backpacking trip in Denali National Park last August but I ran into trouble crossing the river on the west edge of the glacier. While hiking across the glacier, I stumbled upon this tunnel under the ice with a glowing blue ceiling. I realized the sun would shine directly through the entrance as it set, so I camped beside the tunnel and caught this shot of golden sunlight reflecting off the ice. Overnight, the ice stopped melting and the puddles inside became perfectly calm, but I was too cold and tired to emerge from my sleeping bag for a reflection shot.

2. Aurora Proposal

A client asked me to help him propose to his girlfriend under the aurora and capture her reaction in the moment. He wanted Rainbow Ridge in the background but that area was too cloudy when we arrived, so I had to find another scenic spot that wasn’t too windy. The aurora was incredibly active earlier in the night but by the time we made it to this spot the aurora was barely visible. As morning twilight was quickly approaching and time running out the aurora started to brighten enough for a picture, so I had them pose for a couple shots and gave the guy the cue to propose. As soon as he dropped to one knee, the sky instantly exploded, and she said “yes”. (Click here for aurora tour info.)

3. Delta Junction Visitor Center Rainbow

I chased this rainbow around Delta Junction for about an hour before sunset in early June, taking several shots of it over a few local landmarks. With sunset around midnight at the time and little traffic on the road I was able to stop in the middle of the Richardson Highway to line up this shot of the Visitor Center, which marks the end of the Alaska Highway. A few images of this rainbow are available in my online print store.

4. Harding Icefield Sunrise

I first hiked the Harding Icefield Trail in 2013 when I wasn’t as strong of a hiker or photographer. Last September I carried a big backpack full of gear up the trail and camped overnight at the top to catch the early morning light over the Harding Icefield and Exit Glacier. After a summer full of rugged off-trail hikes with high elevation gains, the trail seemed like an easy walk. Watching the sunrise from this spot was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve witnessed in Alaska, and it was difficult to pick a spot to photograph because there were so many options. If you enjoy hiking, I highly recommend this trail.

5. MacKeith Hut

A low snow year and warm summer temperatures exposed the ice on the upper Canwell Glacier by early July. I took advantage of the conditions and paid my first visit to the MacKeith Hut, which sits in an exposed location on the hillside above Canwell Glacier across from the pass to Gulkana Glacier. The hut is incredibly comfortable and the views are amazing in every direction. If I could figure out how to stock enough food here I’d never leave. See my MacKeith Hut post for more.

5. Canwell Glacier Snowshoer

Canwell Glacier is also one of my favorite places to visit in the winter. I took this shot in January on a snowshoe trek to the glacier with some friends, and I like how the blue ice and my friend’s red jacket stick out against the white snow. I also like how my friend’s tracks are the only marks in the snow, which is otherwise untouched. I hiked up a steep, snow-covered ridge of ice so I could get this aerial feel and capture the size of the ice cliff. (For tour info, click here.)

7. Eastern Alaska Range Vista

I visualized this 300mm selfie shot with me in front of McGinnis Peak (left) and Mount Moffit (right) in Google Earth before I took it, and I used a tripod with my camera set on an interval timer to take it. This shot wasn’t my main goal on this hike, but I thought I would try it out on my way down from Boulder Peak after catching the sunset and sunrise from high in the eastern Alaska Range. I ended up liking it quite a bit and wish I had chosen this spot for the sunrise instead. (Boulder Peak is one of my guided summer hiking routes.)

8. Caribou Gang

While backpacking near McGinnis Glacier I encountered a gang of five caribou high on the alpine tundra. They were quite curious and approached me a few times to check me out while I photographed them. I like this shot because it captures their curiosity and and also the rugged environment where these animals roam. They don’t look like the stereotypical majestic caribou I see in most professional images because their antlers are just starting to grow and their winter coats are being shed, but this is more representative of the caribou encounters I have in the backcountry during the summer.

9. Mount Moffit Sunrise

I love telephoto shots of striking mountain faces, and the SE face of Mount Moffit (seen here) is one I’ve stared at quite a bit since moving to Alaska. I shot this at sunrise on the same day I saw the caribou in the previous image, and the clouds and mountain ridges combined to create an interesting stripe of light over the face. I really wanted to get closer to Mount Moffit this summer but the weather didn’t hold on this trip and wildfire smoke ruined most of the weather windows I had later in the summer. See my McGinnis Glacier post for more.

10. McCallum Creek Aurora Portrait

I shot this aurora portrait for some friends of mine before they moved out of Alaska. We were searching for a good mountain background on this night where the aurora was dancing wildly but the Alaska Range was mostly clouded over. We finally found a gap in the clouds over McCallum Creek and waited for the right moment. When the aurora came alive again it lined up perfectly over the mountains and their (adorable) baby cooperated better than I could have hoped. I miss nights like this where photographing the aurora didn’t freeze my fingertips, as well as clients like these who bring me Snickers and Mountain Dew :)

McGinnis Glacier June 2019

Sunrise on Mount Moffit’s southeast face, viewed from a pass near McGinnis Glacier.

I returned to McGinnis Glacier in early June to photograph the big mountains of the eastern Alaska Range from close distance. McGinnis Glacier is easily reachable in a day, but the Delta River crossing adds extra complexity to the trek and a bit of danger — especially for my camera gear. As I hiked to the edge of the river carrying my pack raft, I spotted bison resting on the far side of the river next to McGinnis Creek. After I floated across, the bison eventually noticed me and moved away toward the brush. I followed the ATV trail on the north side of the creek above tree line, then veered off toward the glacier.

The first time I hiked up McGinnis Creek, I didn’t know the ATV trail existed so I fought through 1000 vertical feet of steep, dense forest.

View of the Delta River looking upstream at the McGinnis Creek crossing point.

I ditched the tent on this trip to save weight. I brought my rain gear and made note of a few places I could shelter along my route just in case, but the weather forecast was good and I planned to hike overnight and sleep during the day, so I wasn’t worried about staying warm. If the mountain weather stayed nice on Day 2, I was considering heading to Trident Glacier as well. If not, I would just head home.

The mosquitoes harassed me constantly as I plodded across the wet tundra. Clouds rolled over the summits of McGinnis Peak and Mount Moffit in the distance, but I expected them to clear later.

Hiking over tundra toward McGinnis Glacier with McGinnis Peak (left), an unnamed 10K+ foot mountain (center), and Mt. Moffit (right) looming in the distance.

As I gained elevation after sunset I noticed ice forming on the surface of the small tundra puddles. I threw on a pair of light gloves to keep my hands warm, but I stuck with shorts until I reached a pass near the glacier where I put on my heavy layers. Sunrise was still an hour away, but the sun began lighting up the clouds over the horizon well beforehand.

View of Granite Mountain at sunrise. Granite Mountain dominates the southeast horizon from Delta Junction and Fort Greely, sitting across the Richardson Highway from Donnelly Dome.

The clouds over McGinnis Peak, Mount Moffit and Mount Hayes cleared overnight but just before sunrise new clouds appeared in the sky, interfering with the mountain alpenglow. I caught a few good sunrise shots but not exactly what I desired. All the smaller peaks of “the Deltas” were visible (Silvertip, Institute Peak, White Princess, etc.) as well as Donnelly Dome and Granite Mountain across the river, and I even spotted Mount Sanford glowing over 110 miles away to the southeast.

Crisscrossing ridges at sunrise. Mount Moffit is at upper right.

The thick slabs of ice hanging above the steep east wall of McGinnis Peak are quite intimidating when viewed from near McGinnis Glacier. The same goes for Mount Moffit’s massive southeast face. The level of detail visible on these mountains from the Richardson Highway just doesn’t compare.

McGinnis Peak’s summit glows at sunrise.

Patchy clouds moved in and blocked the rest of the early morning light on the mountains. The sun would briefly light up small pieces of the landscape for the next several hours, but the clear, sunny morning I expected didn’t happen. I hiked to the edge of a steep scree slope overlooking above McGinnis Glacier to rest for awhile, hoping the clouds would clear by the afternoon so I could catch some more shots I had in mind.

Pausing for a selfie.

McGinnis Glacier is almost entirely covered by rock debris. I crossed it last summer and it’s one of the most rugged glaciers I’ve traversed.

View of McGinnis Glacier.

I spied about a dozen Dall sheep grazing on the slope a couple hundred feet below me. I watched them cross the scree and play around on a steep rock outcropping, then descend out of view toward the glacier. I began descending toward the rock outcropping when I spotted a ram resting just a couple dozen feet below me near some rocks. He heard me and disappeared quickly down the slope, only to emerge a short time later accompanied by several more rams. They ambled away over the scree and parked themselves on an alpine meadow above the glacier, far out of reach.

Dall sheep ram sporting a full curl.

From my mountain perch I could see the Delta River was bathed in sunshine, but dark clouds were drifting over my location. Soon, light hail started falling and I decided to retreat to the other side of the pass where the sun was still shining. I spotted some caribou on a snow patch about a half-mile away, but they disappeared while I took shelter under some rocks until the hail passed. When I neared the snow patch the caribou suddenly appeared out of nowhere again and they approached me. They passed back and forth closely several times while checking me out, giving me plenty of time to take pictures. They eventually walked away over the pass and I didn’t see them again.

Curious caribou.

The clouds had grown very dark in the direction of Trident Glacier so I nixed the idea of hiking there. I had brought enough food for a few nights but the mountain weather apparently wasn’t going to cooperate with my photography plans, so I decided to hike back to the Delta River. As I hiked down a ridge from the pass the hail resumed, dropping enough pea-sized stones to coat the ground in white. The hail mostly bounced off me so I stayed relatively dry, though it did sting my hands a bit. The sun was still shining on the tundra below and when I made it there I took a nap in some dry grass while the dark clouds continued swirling over the mountains where I had just been. I awoke a few hours later and the weather over the tundra had deteriorated, so I continued to the river and floated back to my car.

Hail on Alaska poppies.

I’m looking forward to floating across the Delta River at least a couple more times this summer.