My 10 Favorite Shots Of 2017

Narrowing down my favorite ten Alaska images of 2017 wasn't easy. I avoided the temptation to select what I thought were my ten "best" or "most impressive" images and instead focused on the ones that I enjoy viewing the most. As the photographer, they're more than just images to me—they're memories. So here they are, in no particular order, along with the memories they evoke. 

1. Root Glacier Ice Cave

I found an ice cave beneath Root Glacier in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park a couple years ago. It's carved out by a stream from nearby Donoho Falls, and the cave entrance directly faces the sun in the evening during mid-summer. I returned to the cave this July for a shot of the sun shining golden light inside. I found a pair of sunglasses in front of the cave, which was awesome because I had just lost mine while pack rafting Jarvis Creek a week prior. Afterwards, I camped next to a cool group of people who shared their salmon spaghetti with me. For tips on photographing ice caves, see my tutorial here.

2. Denali Winter Sunrise

Great summer shots of Denali are ubiquitous, but there are far fewer great winter shots of the mountain and even fewer that contain a real adventure aspect. I spent a cold night (-20 °F) camped out on a ridge in Denali National Park for this shot, where I also saw a great aurora show and had a close-up sheep encounter. Read more about my winter excursion to Denali National Park here.

3. Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes

I thought I stumbled onto a putting green when I found this solitary patch of green in the otherwise barren Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes in Katmai National Park. The terrain is incredibly rugged and very alien and I think this picture captures that best out of all the photos I took. Read more about my trip to Katmai here.

4. Gerstle River Bridge Aurora

This November was the first time in a very long time that I caught an impressive aurora display along the Alaska Highway. I wanted to nail a shot of the Gerstle River bridge or the Johnson River bridge for some time but the aurora just never cooperated until I got this shot. I could have taken an even better picture if I had been on the other end of the bridge when this happened. For tips on shooting the aurora, see my Aurora Photography Guide. I also offer Aurora Borealis Photography Tours.

5. Portage Lake Whiteout

I skied across Portage Lake to Portage Glacier during incredibly heavy snowfall in January. There were several other people visiting the glacier that day and they appeared like dots on an otherwise uniform background of white. I like this shot because the viewer is free to imagine the context surrounding the two people. Even though I know they were OK, it appears to me like they are lost wandering through a blizzard in the middle of nowhere. 

6. Castner Glacier

I like this shot because the glacier looks jagged and uneven yet I'm casually walking around on it without the usual ice climbing gear or outerwear you see in similar shots. It also reminds me of having the entirety of Castner Glacier to myself in perfect summer weather. Read more about my summer trip to the Thayer Hut and the upper Castner Glacier here.

7. Pioneer Ridge

This shot of Denali's Pioneer Ridge at sunset takes me back to the high point of my trip to Peters Glacier. After a miserable night of constant rain and temperatures barely above freezing, I had a full day of warm sunshine, topped off with a great sunset while standing closer to Denali than almost anyone ever ventures on foot. I enjoy pictures of striking mountain ridges, and Pioneer Ridge is probably the most photogenic of Denali's many ridges. Read more about my trek to Peters Glacier and the base of Denali here. 

8. Blue Heart Of Root Glacier

I was looking for interesting ice formations on Root Glacier when I came across this blue pool that looked like a heart from a certain perspective. It lined up perfectly with the mountains in the background and the lighting and cloud cover were just right. Hiking over glaciers in the summer is one of my favorite things to do in Alaska, mainly because of views like this.

9. Brooks Range Antler Sheds

This is the only time I've found a matching pair of shed caribou antlers. I took this some time after midnight in the Brooks Range at the top of a pass after a brief heavy rain, and it was almost like the antlers were the reward for reaching the top. I also think the shot captures the dynamic and wild nature of the Brooks Range. Read more about my hike in the Brooks Range under the midnight sun here.

10. Augustana Glacier Cave

My adventure buddy Forrest and I skied 7 miles to the base of Augustana Glacier in February. I originally planned to take aurora shots from a neighboring ridge, but the aurora was a dud that night and we spent our time exploring several cool ice caves instead. This cave had a very majestic opening and the blue color of the ice mixed well with the reflection of sunrise colors off the nearby mountaintops and sky. No doubt this cave looks entirely different now after the summer melting season. Read more about my Augustana Glacier adventure here.

Early Winter

Aurora borealis over Granite Mountain.

My photographic output tends to shrink during early winter in Interior Alaska. After the fall colors disappear, it's a waiting game until enough snow falls to cover up the brown landscape and provide a good enough base for me to start using my snowshoes and splitboard again. The rivers and creeks are still flowing, but the colder air temperatures make crossings more uncomfortable and dangerous. Snow conditions at higher elevations can be unpredictable. The aurora borealis returns but the nights tend to be cloudy until the really cold temperatures start showing up. Still, it's possible to get out this time of year and take some good shots.

Fall colors on an unmarked trail above Bear Creek in the Alaska Range, near Black Rapids.

One of the latest salmon runs in Alaska occurs in Delta Junction where I live. Salmon travel over 1,000 miles up the Yukon River and Tanana River and spawn in the Delta River and Clearwater River in town. It's an odd sight to see salmon swimming upstream with snow on the banks, and some of them even accumulate ice on their body before they die. 

Dead chum salmon near the confluence of the Delta River and Tanana River.

Caribou and moose shed the velvet off their antlers by early September, and they're one of the best subjects to photograph until November. I just passed a large group of bull caribou a couple days ago (mid-November) and I only counted one antler among them. The females keep their antlers much later into winter but they aren't as impressive as male caribou antlers. The bull moose may keep their antlers into December but I haven't had much luck this year bumping into any big bulls at close range.

Bull caribou foraging after the first significant snowfall in the Donnelly Flats.

I saw the aurora on several occasions in August, September, and October, but never at the right time to snap any pictures. I finally caught a good show on November 7 after a heavy snowfall. It was my first time photographing in subzero temperatures this winter and the Richardson Highway was completely frosted over. The moon was nearly full but the aurora still shined brightly in the night sky, dancing over Donnelly Dome and the Alaska Range to the south. (Check out my guide for tips on shooting the aurora.)

Aurora borealis over Donnelly Dome.

Frequent high winds tend to blow the snow away in Delta Junction, so after it snowed heavily a week ago I made a point to photograph around town before the winds arrived. I caught a nice sunrise at the Tanana River bridge in Big Delta, where ice was flowing in the river and bald eagles were flying back and forth over the pipeline. 

Sunrise at the Tanana River bridge in Big Delta.

In June, I passed by a new ice cave entrance at the terminus of Castner Glacier. The bulk of Castner Creek used to bubble up from underneath the glacier at this point, but the water has since carved a large tunnel beneath the ice. I visited the tunnel in October but there was too much water flowing through it to get very far inside. I returned to it a few days ago and the floor has now frozen solid. Oddly enough, it has snowed more in Delta Junction than in the mountains, so my friends and I were able to hike to the glacier without snowshoes.  

Hiking through snow to Castner Glacier.

Walking on the ice floor was a little unnerving since we could see silty water flowing beneath the ice. My friends opted to climb onto an "ice bench" and followed it until it ended, while I continued along the floor in crampons. The tunnel darkened as it curved around a corner, and the ice started becoming too thin for me to continue. We heard rushing water echoing somewhere ahead, but couldn't tell how much farther the tunnel extended. I'll be back later this winter after the ice on the floor thickens. (If you're planning to photograph this or another ice cave, check out my blog post How To Photograph An Ice Cave.)

Exploring a tunnel beneath the ice of Castner Glacier.

I'm looking forward to exploring many more ice caves this winter and hopefully many sleepless nights shooting the aurora as well. 

Interested in photographing the aurora or an ice cave? I offer guided tours.