While out on my latest glacier trip I found where summer was hiding in Alaska. Everyday we would walk from our base camp on the shores of iceberg filled Lake George to the Knik Glacier. Between the two Moraines is a small valley about a half-mile wide and two miles long, the entire valley was a bed of purple Eskimo Potato and other flowers. This was the grandest flower display I have ever seen in Alaska. Literally, the flowers were as far as you could see.
Of course, this would have to be one of the most windy places in Alaska also, only once during the entire trip did the wind stop blowing long enough to take an image.
So there is hope that the mountains will see summer sometime before winter returns.
So that's where summer has been hiding!!!!!!!
I've never been in that neck of the woods. Lovely picture; makes you want to hang out there for awhile.
It's a pretty good year for lupine, but so far, it's not a very good year for anything (plant or otherwise ) that likes a lot of sunshine. Never the less, summer, such as it is, is screaming by at an alarming pace!
Summer is in the Interior, where it usually is. And where the flowers are. This is along the Dalton. Vast - staggeringly huge - areas burned in the 2004 fires. The fireweed went on forever. Hard to describe or photograph.
Between 5 miles north of the Yukon Bridge to Coldfoot, more than half of the areas on both sides is cooked to both horizons.
Wow! That's alot of Fireweed!!! Yikes, it looks like it is almost fully bloomed, winter may be coming early to the interior (hasn't left the mountains of south-central).
Ron,
I don't know how long those flowers will stay in bloom. There was a nice patch next to the glacier also but it never stopped blowing long enough to photograph them. The glacier is pretty busted up, it surged this spring. No pools or caves, some awesome moulins and crevasses though. I also found a entire moose skeleton on the glacier.
There is a large pool on the Colony, but nothing that exciting (that giant one the Knik is gone).
Lake George has some massive bergs this year, largest I have ever seen in Alaska. One that was over eighty feet tall rolled over while we were in a canoe!
Carl
Posted by David Taylor on July 14, 2008 at 6:26 PM
Carl-
That's a stunning image! Great balance throughout. Perfect exposure and great colors, stunning.
dt
Posted by Skip Martin on July 15, 2008 at 11:19 PM
Jim,
That pic just makes me a little sick to my stomach. I was headed up there this weekend when my truck decided to throw a few bearings in Fairbanks on Friday evening. Good news is that is wasn't too expensive, bad news is that I lost a chance to get a shot like that one.
Posted by Ron Niebrugge on July 16, 2008 at 12:02 AM
Thanks Carl for the details, I appreciate it. Finding the entire moose skeleton, that is wild. Bummer about the lack of pools and caves, but since I haven't been there before, I won't know what I'm missing.
Discussion
8 repliesOf course, this would have to be one of the most windy places in Alaska also, only once during the entire trip did the wind stop blowing long enough to take an image.
So there is hope that the mountains will see summer sometime before winter returns.
Keep posting!
I've never been in that neck of the woods. Lovely picture; makes you want to hang out there for awhile.
It's a pretty good year for lupine, but so far, it's not a very good year for anything (plant or otherwise
Between 5 miles north of the Yukon Bridge to Coldfoot, more than half of the areas on both sides is cooked to both horizons.
Great image Carl! I had hoped to get up to the Knik before 4th of July - I hope to still get up that way, looks like it is worth it.
Ron
I don't know how long those flowers will stay in bloom. There was a nice patch next to the glacier also but it never stopped blowing long enough to photograph them. The glacier is pretty busted up, it surged this spring. No pools or caves, some awesome moulins and crevasses though. I also found a entire moose skeleton on the glacier.
There is a large pool on the Colony, but nothing that exciting (that giant one the Knik is gone).
Lake George has some massive bergs this year, largest I have ever seen in Alaska. One that was over eighty feet tall rolled over while we were in a canoe!
Carl
That's a stunning image! Great balance throughout. Perfect exposure and great colors, stunning.
dt
That pic just makes me a little sick to my stomach. I was headed up there this weekend when my truck decided to throw a few bearings in Fairbanks on Friday evening. Good news is that is wasn't too expensive, bad news is that I lost a chance to get a shot like that one.
Thanks again,
Ron