Talkeetna and Denali Summit Flight

Talkeetna, AK is a small town at the confluence of three rivers the Susitna, Chulitna and Talkeetna. These rivers are mainly fed by melting glaciers and snow from the Alaskan range. The rivers look brackish gray and sandy most of the time.

The town is very small, with a population of less than 1000 people. All summit attempts to Mt Denali start here. Most of the summit tours and glacier landings start from the Talkeetna Airport. Talkeetna was our second stop in Alaska. We had spent the night in a cabin in Talkeetna, the cabins here are really cosy and I mean extremely small. On a cloudy and overcast morning we set out from our cabin the the Talkeetna Aero Services office, fully expecting our summit flight to be cancelled. There was a steady drizzle that morning. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that the weather was just fine and dandy above 12000 feet. While most other fleets were sitting grounded, Talkeetna Aero Services were running full steam ahead. This was probably because their planes are equipped with VFR and can fly through thick clouds. Not going with K2 Aviation had paid off, although I assume their summit tours were flying too?

Tip- if you decide to do the flight tour, pick the more expensive summit tour as you there are lesser chances of this flight being cancelled. The summit flights are equipped with VFR. Also, check the Alaska Tour Saver for buy one get one coupons.

We were seated in a 10 seater aircraft and took off on time. I had rented the Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 APO DG for Canon and I was excited as this would be my first experience with this lens. It weighed what seemed like a ton and I had no tripod to mount this monster. As we took off we were greeted by views of the Susitna, Chulitna and Talkeetna rivers and the Denali wilderness as far as the eye could see.

Susitna, Chulitna and Talkeetna rivers near Talkeetna

After a brief passage through clouds, we were treated to our first view of the majestic Denali Peak. This photo below is from somewhere around 12000-14000 feet and about 15-20 miles away. Denali is the highest peak in the United States and in North America, with a summit elevation of 20,320 feet (6,194 m) above sea level. Measured base-to-peak, it is the tallest mountain on land. Measured by topographic prominence, it is the third most prominent peak in the world after Mount Everest and Aconcagua. Denali means "The High One" in the native Athabascan language. (Source- Wiki)

First Look: Denali Summit

As we continued to get closer, I was excited about the fact that it was a great summit day. There were no clouds in sight at 20,000 feet. The photograph below is the West face (I think) of the summit.

Denali West Face

We were to do two runs of the south side of the summit. We were here on the 4th of July which officially marks the end of the climbing season. Only 40% of the hikers make the summit every year. It takes around 3 weeks to make the ascent from the Kahlitna glacier.

Denali, coming around to the west face from the south face

In the next set of photographs, Im going to walk you through something amazing! Credit to the 50-500 lens- I was operating this lens at its far end and without a tripod. What do you see below-- Snowy valley? Not just that, look closer and you will see people.

Snowy valley in Denali? Look closer.....do you see people?

Ok, how about now? Those little specs you see are campsites. This is the 14000 feet camp- also called Advanced Base Camp on the West Buttress route. Notice the three tiny specs on the left of the photograph- three hikers walking out.

Advanced Base Camp, West Buttress route, shot from 21000 feet

Still dont believe me? The photos below are digitally zoomed in, in the first one you can see colorful tents surrounded by snow walls.

ABC, 14000 feet, photographed with Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 APO DG for Canon

You can see people standing by their tents. (Digitally zoomed in)

After an exciting view of base camp, which lasted about a minute before the plane turned around, we were headed back from west to east to get another view of the summit. Excuse the poor photo, but it was shot from the plane.

Denali, North Summit and South Summit

I snapped some pictures of Kahlitna glacier which was partially visible through the clouds. I accidentally captured some one elses lens but it made for a nice effect.

Kahlitna Glacier

The next picture is not a great picture- a picture of high camp at 17500 feet. The captain uses his wing tip to point out these locations and it is hard to immediately see and locate what he is pointing at. This is the last camp before the summit attempt. I could have taken better shots if I knew exactly where this camp was. I was only able to locate the camp site on a computer while viewing these pictures. From the plane, this camp looks like some rocks. Here is a beautiful image of this campsite.

17500 feet, High Camp

As we descended down and around the Alaskan range we were treated to beautiful sights. The photo below is of a formation called "chutes"

Snow Chutes - photographed with Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 APO DG for Canon

Here is another picture of the chutes but with the entire ridge in focus. This is quite a breathtaking sight!

Snow chutes with the entire ridge in focus

We flew around the Alaskan range for a few more minutes- Here is a another peak. I dont remember the name of the peak, although I think this is Mt Foraker

Mt Foraker

One thing you are constantly reminded of while you are in Alaska is how fast the glaciers are receding. Here is a glacier exiting, you can see the rocks around it carved by the glacier. Apparently the glacier extended all the way to the bottom of this range in the 1950s.

Glacier exit

After the summit itself, the most amazing views are offered by Ruth Glacier. The colors and formations on Ruth glacier can only be best experienced with your eyes.

Ruth Glacier

Ruth Glacier with medial moraine

Close up of glacier formation on Ruth Glacier

Ruth Glacier with lateral moraines in view

Ruth Glacier

Here is a super zoom shot taken to show the glue patches in the above pictures. These small blue lakes if you can call them that. The glacier reflects only the blue color and hence the water in these pockets take on a deep blue color. These pockets could be many hundred feet deep.

Ruth Glacier blue lakes

As we exited the glacier, we could see the change in topology. The formation below was much more densely packed and seemed deeper at the start of the glacier and tapered out as we exited.

Ruth Glacier snowfield formation

Just before the exit, the 50-100 feet cliffs of snow were all flattened out into almost plain fields of compacted snow.

Ruth Glacier exit

Ruth glacier exits into the northern end of Denali Wilderness. The contrast from dirty white to solid green is evident.

Denali National Forest

After a mind blowing tour of Denali Summit and the glaciers, we were back in the beautiful town of Talkeetna. America's beauty lies in it small towns. We were in Talkeetna town just after the 4th of July parade and the town center was crowded and colorful.

Talkeetna town, 4th of July parade

This oversized car participated in the parade

And of course, what small town is complete without its cafes and restaurants. This small cafe in Talkeetna had a nice outdoor seating with many local beers on the tap. Hint: the Alaskan  White is very good!

Local brews on tap/

As we strolled through the town center, we came across a small park with a Moose auction. These moosi were handcrafted and were being sold in the auction.

Moosi auction

All in all, Talkeetna offers a nice glimpse of a small Alaskan town. It is a nice mix of civilization and roads and rugged back country.

Next Blog - Denali National park
PS: The photos in this blog were taken from inside a plane looking out through a glass window. So please excuse any dirt or reflections.

Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park and Deadhorse Point State Park, Utah

About an hours drive from Moab are two fantastic National Parks. Canyonlands and Arches NP. Both National Parks are a must see. If you have to make a choice- go to Arches only because it has the state symbol for Utah. Also, Landscape arch may not last very long. 

Our first stop was Canyonlands NP. After catching early morning sunrise at Mesa Arch we drove out to other view points. The sunrise at Mesa is worth every bit of effort you put in to wake up at that unearthly hour. Island in the Sky district offers one of the most popular views in this park. There is a vast expanse of canyons carved out by what seems like a small river. The Grand Canyon seems to hog all the attention and there is much less publicity about these endless canyons of Utah. After taking in the sights on a cold December morning with temperatures in the low teens, we headed further out.

Green River from Island in the Sky

Along the drive in to the National Park there are some beautiful views and sheer cliffs if you are willing to walk the untrodden path. There are no trails to this location- it was just a few hundred feet off the road.

LaSal Mountains in the backdrop

Canyonlands NP is so huge, it may take more than a week to explore all corners. There are extensive backcountry 4wd trails. You can also take Jeep tours from nearby Moab. The park is divided into multiple districts- Needles, Island in the Sky, Horseshoe Canyon and the Maze among others. Island in the Sky is the most easily accessible area from Moab. White Rim road provides a 100 mile dirt road for bikers.

After spending most of the morning in Canyonlands, we made a short detour to visit Deadhorse Point State Park. This park offers a fantastic view point of more canyons etched by the Colorado River.  The visitor center was closed the day we visited and hence I was unable to get much more information. This view below is from the Visitor Center. The short deviation is entirely worth it.

Deadhorse Point State Park

 Late in the afternoon, we headed back to Arches NP to be able to catch sunset at the Delicate Arch. This is a 2.5 mile hike one way. The trail ends about half way into the hike and you are left climbing sandstone monoliths. There are trail markings - either with stones placed in a row or actual signs. Look out for them. The last few feet of the hike is on a ledge cut out on the side of a giant rock formation. If you are doing this hike in winter - the ice on the trail is compacted due to heavy traffic on this section. Be very careful. I would strongly recommend carrying Yaktrax for your hiking boots. Once you traverse the ledge, you are treated to wonderful views of the Delicate Arch- the state symbol of Utah. There is almost a rim like formation near this area- it is a hard spot to set your tripod. The fact that tourists hog this spot makes it very difficult to get an isolated shot like the one below. In this case, we had 10 seconds before one group left and another group came in under the arch.  La Sal mountains in the backdrop make a picture perfect setting. The sunlight highlights the arch.

Delicate Arch at Sunset

While I was walking around the Delicate Arch, I saw the suns rays make an interesting photo-op. I couldnt wait too long for the folks below to leave and clicked away regardless. The result turned out well.

Inverted Diamond Ring- Delicate Arch

 And... before you leave, what National Park visit is complete without your set of goofy pictures. (Yoga lessons not required for this pose!)

The Human Arch along with the Delicate Arch

 Below is the rim like formation that I mentioned earlier. It is a steep fall of about 50 plus feet.  You may slide down to the bottom and lose some skin but it is not too dangerous.

The rim like formation- next to the arch

Next morning, I had an early start to capture this shot below. This arch in the foreground is North Window. The arch inside in the background is Turret Arch. You need to get across North Window to a viewing platform made by rocks. It is unmarked but provides a very good spot.  I waited for about 45 minutes after sunrise for the sun to highlight this arch.

Turret Arch as seen from North Window

 As we exited North Window, I was trying to find some small brush to place in the foreground of the photograph. A friend of mine decided to pose in the arch and it made for a great picture.

Man vs Arch, Looking into North Window

 As we drove out- this landmark stood out. This photograph below is of the 3 Gossips.

3 Gossips

 Another famous arch in this National Park is that of Landscape Arch. This is the longest arch in the world and is in the Devils Garden Area in the park. The arch extends 290 feet- that's right! Three full football fields almost! At its thinnest  section, this arch is only 6 feet wide.

Landscape arch

The day we visited, it was overcast and gloomy and did not make for a great photo op. Doing a star photograph here with some light painting  may be worth investigating in.
Here is some stunning photography!
http://bretwebsterimages.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Galactic-Desert/G00003veX5HFA71E/I0000Q6Wq4..ZsOM

On June 5, 1995, a 47-foot mass of rock fell from the front of the thinnest section of the arch, followed by another 30-foot rock fall on June 21. The loop under the arch is no longer open and is considered unsafe.

Landscape Arch- 6 feet wide at its thinnest section

Delicate Arch- back side view

If you are not upto the task of hiking 2.5 miles one way to see Delicate Arch, you could take a short half mile hike from the parking lot to see Delicate Arch. You can see little specs of people lined up on the rim and one person under the arch as well. This is a beautiful sight from a distance.

Balanced rock below is probably the most visible structure from the road. This rock is about the size of a bus- and there is a an accessible trail around the rock. Sunset highlights the rock bringing out some golden colors.

Balance Rock at Sunset

As I scurried along to catch the beautiful after sunset colors, I was eagerly looking for a tree to place in the foreground. Here is the picture I took- look for the spoiler below the picture.

Sunset from Balanced Rock

Spoiler: If you have been to this park- you probably know that there arent too many trees around here. This was a small bush by Balanced Rock. The bush was probably knee high-  I think it did the job!

After catching dinner at a restaurant in Moab, we drove back for some star photography. After a tiring day we were low on patience and we had a long drive ahead. Although there isnt too much light pollution around here, there are countless planes criss crossing the skies above. With some light painting on a long exposure I was able to capture this photo below.

Alien looking up at the Stars- Balanced Rock with lightpainting

While we were at it, there was a plane that went right in our path. The resulting photograph was not so bad. It looked like an Alien being energized by a laser beam from the sky. The light painting in this particular pattern was just a happy accident and was not intended.

Alien energized by laser beam from the sky

Here is another beautiful night sky image from the same location.
http://bretwebsterimages.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/Galactic-Desert/G00003veX5HFA71E/I0000fA8vqk40nOA

Matanuska Glacier, AK : Day with MICA Guides

Our first day in Alaska- what a way to start! We landed overnight and drove 35 miles to Palmer, AK and stayed there for the night. The next morning we drove out about 90 minutes on Glenn Highway. The scenery is pretty all along the highway. Watch out for moose- I guess that applies everywhere in AK. 

The folks at Mica are really friendly. They will suit you up with pretty much anything and everything you need. You are required to wear a helmet and crampons throughout your time on the glacier. Here is a useful tip- when it gets warm or sunny, people keep their jackets on the glacier. Folks walking around with crampons on uneven surface many a time lose their balance and step on these jackets/backpacks leaving holes in them. Watch where you keep your things! 

Get a hot chocolate (cash only) at Mica Mocha before you head out onto the glacier. The glacier is accessible to the public as well. There is a $40 access fee to enter the glacier. If you are here without guides be very careful where you tread. The glacier has lots of black ice. To compound things- the small stream you see with brackish water could be 10-20 feet deep. Do not step into any pools or streams.

This is what the glacier looks like from the Mica Guides parking lot.

Matanuska Glacier from far

About the photograph:

ISO 200, 59mm, f/5.6 1/500

Below is the view from the last point you can drive upto. After this there is no trail.

Matanuska Glacier from car parking lot

About the photograph:

ISO 200, 85mm, f/16, 1/80

After walking about quarter of a mile from the parking lot, you will reach the glacier. Crampons are recommended. Watch for black ice and quicksand. The color of the water is brackish apparently from all the minerals in the glacier.

On the glacier

About the photograph:

ISO 200, 42mm, f/16, 1/125

About half a mile inside the glacier the guides found a spot which was stable and rigged up the ropes for some early training. To get to this spot we traversed a big stream of water. The water was brackish color and was flowing at a decent pace but the depth was unpredictable.

 

The first climb as not too hard, about 20-25 feet in height.  We got comfortable with the crampons and ice axes on ice.

The climbing begins

There were these huge cracks all over the glacier. This crack was about 2 feet wide and 40 feet high. Notice the blue color- the glacier absorbs all other colors of light.

Glacier reflection

After spending almost 3+ hours in the beginner wall, we walked a mile into the glacier to find a more advanced spot. In the picture below our guide is setting up the ropes as we hiked in. Try to spot him.  I took this picture with the guide in the frame just to give an idea of the scale.

Spot the guide setting up the ropes

Zoomed in to show the scale.

More blue light being reflected off the glaciers

The ropes were all set for the advanced climb. We found this huge crevasse, I couldn't see the bottom. The climb was probably around 40 feet but the angle of the cliff was more than 90 in some sections especially at the beginning of the climb which made it very hard. The rope on the left was intermediate level.

Ropes all set for the advanced climb

That was me doing the advanced climb

 As we walked out of the glacier, I had time to change to a wide angle lens. It was about 7pm.

Glacier lake - just as we exited the glacier

As we exited the glacier, I was looking for that one shot that captured the entire day, I rearranged the ice axes to capture this shot. It summarized the day for me.

Finally.. just wanted to say-

Spiderman, Spiderman,
Does whatever a spider can.

Also check out Day 2 in Alaska