Mt. Juneau, Juneau, July 2012

Posted on July 7, 2012 by admin

A break in the seemingly constant summer rain here in Juneau meant it was time to ditch work and head up a mountain.

The mountain of choice was Mt. Juneau, topping out at 3,576 feet. I learned a bit of Mt. Juneau trivia from its Wikipedia page, like that it’s been known as Gold Mountain and Bald Mountain in the past and that it receives 300% more rain than downtown Juneau. Crazy.

Not too many photos to share this time, as it was cold, windy, and the next wave of rain was quickly heading in, but snapped a few good ones nonetheless!

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Alaska's State Bird, the Willow Ptarmigan

A Flock of Mountain Goats

Juneau from 3,576 Feet

Juneau International Airport and Chilkats

Mountaintop Snacks

Summit Construction

Mt. Juneau Shack

Exhibit: December 2, 2011 @ 2nd Street Heritage Coffee Company

Posted on November 28, 2011 by admin

It’s been a long, long time since my last photo exhibit, but I’m proud and very excited to announce that I will have a collection of glacier cave photos on display at the Heritage Coffee Company’s location at 216 2nd Street in downtown Juneau.

The exhibit will open for Gallery Walk, this Friday, December 2nd, and will remain up for the remainder of the month.

If you are interested in purchasing a print you see on the wall, the large rectangular (16×20) and large panoramic (10×30) prints are $60/ea, and the square (12×12) and small panoramic (10×20) prints are $40/ea.

Here’s the official show blurb:

“Beneath the Mendenhall”

Glacier caves are formed when water runs through or under a glacier, the warmth of which melts the glacial ice to form an air-filled cavity. Having the Mendenhall Glacier right in our backyard provides a unique opportunity to discover and explore these deep-blue voids, provided you are willing to take the risks associated with wandering around underneath a massive, constantly shifting slab of ice and snow. This show presents photos taken over two trips to the same glacier cave this summer and highlights the cerulean glow and patterns that make glacier caves so mesmerizing.

So if you’re out and about in the downtown area for Gallery Walk this Friday, stop by the 2nd Street Heritage and say hi!

Mendenhall Glacier Cave, Juneau, AK, October 2011

Posted on October 3, 2011 by admin

A crisp, clear October morning turned into another hike out West Glacier Trail to the face of the Mendenhall Glacier, then on and under the glacier for a repeat visit to a glacier cave I was last at this past July. The interior of the cave has opened up and is much wider and taller at points, while the arch at the entrance looks significantly less substantial than it did – I have a feeling that this winter’s snow will be too much weight and it may collapse at some point. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see!

In any case, the cave was just as exhilarating as it was three months ago: the colors, the sound of the water echoing off the walls, the temperature, everything. I definitely noticed that upon exiting the cave, my heart rate was up and I had a bit of an adrenaline rush going! All in all, this was an awesome way to spend a sunny October Sunday.

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Hard to stay inside on a Juneau day like this.

Closing in on the Mendenhall Glacier.

Iceberg viking ships!

Standing where the glacier one was.

Looks like fun!

Sunny valley behind Mt. Bullard.

Nondescript ice cave entrance.

Looking into the depths.

The ceiling can be very aurora-like.

Some idea of perspective here. The ceiling was anywhere from 20 feet high at the entrance to less than 4 feet as it got deeper. About 9 or 10 feet here.

Frozen water and rushing water. Oh the juxtaposition.

Ice cave waterfalls.

Ice cave abstraction.

And more abstraction...

Got the blues.

Going towards the light.

End of the tunnel.

Let there be light!

On the glacier looking back towards the valley. Not a usual view.

Flooding @ Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, AK, July 2011

Posted on July 21, 2011 by admin

Strange happenings at the Mendenhall Glacier! Apparently a lake in/on the glacier burst and released a lot of water into the lake and caused a lot of flooding. Read more here.

Enjoy the photos!

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Mendenhall River rushing fast and high!

Flooded Steep Creek.

Almost over the footpath.

Paddling where you normally don't paddle!

High waters.

Sunny skies at the glacier.

Bluesy.

Waterfall.

Mendenhall Glacier with a little extra water.

This squirrel loves his cottonwood all over his nose.

View from East Glacier Trail.

Fungus amongus.

Flooded trail to Nugget Falls.

Daisies.

Stairway to nowhere.

Peekingatchu.

Well hi there.

Butterfly and fireweed.

A Day Around, On, & Under the Mendenhall, Juneau, AK, July 2011

Posted on July 4, 2011 by admin

All I have to say is, “WOW.”

I’ve been to the face of the Mendenhall Glacier, but I’ve never been lucky enough to discover a glacier cave until now and I definitely understand why people get so excited about them.

It was amazingly bright no matter how far from the entrance you got. Light somehow found its way through the mass of ice above, which filtered out all but the blue light and gave an eerie glow everywhere you looked. I had a field day snapping photos and constructing makeshift camera platforms from rocks. These are the best in my opinion – enjoy!

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Glacial melt.

Rain pool.

Mountain stream.

Alternate route to the glacier.

Glacier up close.

Tip of the iceberg.

Got the blues.

Ice bridge and blue sky.

Ascending.

Glacier layers. Both layers are ice, just one is dirty and one is not.

Moonscape.

Bluesy peaks.

Trekking across the ice.

Meltwater dripping from the ceiling.

Going down.

The abyss.

Goodbye blue sky. Hello blue ice.

It does stop eventually...

Aurora borealis-like ice formations.

Blue, blue, blue.

The deepest blues are black.

Light at the end of the tunnel.

Watch for falling rocks.

Hanging on.

Not a polar bear.

Descending.

Pink!

Tricky.

A Day on the Water, Juneau, AK, June 2011

Posted on July 4, 2011 by admin

Juneau is an incredible place.

Some people can become claustrophobic given the fact that due to the mountains and water surrounding us, you can’t easily just pick up and leave. However, those same mountains and water provide such an incredible array of things to do and see, with most things being within a 20 minute drive from wherever you are.

Case in point: a halibut fishing trip. Not only did everyone come home with plenty of halibut and enough shrimp for a great dinner, but we saw whales, eagles, beautiful scenery and… a snailfish. It was a completely awesome day. Enjoy the photos!

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Chilkat peak.

ATTACK OF THE TOMCOD!

Fisheye with a fisheye.

Living the dream.

Fishing...

A snailfish. They are weird little guys.

Nice to meet you.

Future dinner date.

This octopus was a SUCKER for shrimp bait. (And the shrimp too.)

Whale tail. A real one, NOT one caused by the combo of low pants, high thong.

Aw yeah, buddy.

Shrimp basket.

Seal playing with his food. (A flounder, if you were wondering.)

On the grass, duuuuude.

Thoughtful pose.

Skinner Building Fire, Juneau, AK, August 2004

Posted on February 20, 2011 by admin

Anyone else remember where they were when the Skinner Building in downtown Juneau, Alaska, became The Pit?

I remember I’d been out on a hike to Windfall Lake – it was a hot, clear, sunny summer day, with temperatures pushing 80. It was awesome. Then I got home and had a weird message on my answering machine (who uses those anymore?) saying to come downtown. I had no idea what was going on, but as I rounded Norway Point, I noticed a strange haze and starting picking up the smell of smoke. Then I got past the high school and found out really quick what was going on. Luckily, I had my camera with me, so I parked and started taking photos.

It was a weird scene. People gathered anywhere you could see anything, passing rumors about how the entire downtown area was going to burn down because everything is connected by underground wooden pilings, etc. Luckily, that didn’t happen. The Juneau-Douglas Fire Department did a great job of preventing the fire from spreading even to the next building, which was physically connected to the Skinner Building. So while a bad deal, it could have been worse!

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