UPDATE: Images from this entire shoot are now on my website: Arrigetch Peaks photos.
When it comes to words, Alaska gets slammed with superlatives. This is true probably because it is a big space with big views, and it’s tough to translate into little black letters. So when I attempt to summarize my recent backpacking trip in the Arrigetch peaks, in the Gates of the Arctic National Park, I feel a bit wordless. I can say this. However, the place is off-the-charts beautiful, and dramatic. However, one has to pay their dues to taste its extravagant menu. There is a hefty bushwhacking hike uphill with a loaded pack, and while the trail improves, the higher you get, 60 pounds on your back makes it a jaunt. The art of backpacking unfolds quickly, and that art is the process of packing only what one needs or, in some cases, regret for bringing or not bringing something. Once again, my safe access and return from this beautiful place get passed on to the air service team of Dirk and Danielle Nickisch with Coyote Air. I’ll talk more about getting there and around in another post.
I went with two other non-photographer friends on this journey to break away from the solitary life of a nature photographer. I did photograph plenty but enjoyed great company with friends as well. I’ll share a few pics here, with more to follow in the upcoming weeks.
Me doing a hand stand on a river rock, which is just a slight gesture of the thrill it was to be in the Aquarius valley, a scenic wonderland in the heart of the Arrigetch peaks. Photo by Amy Johnson
Xanadu and the Arrigetch creek, looking up the Arrigetch creek valley, Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska. Canon 5D Mark II, 24-105 (75mm), 3.2 sec @ f/18, w/polarizer, ISO 50 (I forgot my neutral density filter so I used the polarizer and ISO 50 to slow down the exposure as much as possible).
My friends Brad and Amy immersed in mountain reflections in the Arrigetch peaks, Aquarius Valley, Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska. Canon 5d Mark II, 24-105 (75mm), 1/30 sec @ f/13, ISO 200
