Himba village, Nambia, October 2021
"Ethereality is my reality."
Here are two more photos from Monday's ski trek in Portage Valley. I'd wanted to hike up to Byron Glacier to explore the ice caves but with the recent snow slides on either side of the valley and all the wind-packed snow, avalanche danger was too high to risk going up there. Better to be safe than sorry, as they say, and live to create another day!
Colin
Happy Vernal Equinox! Today marks the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and we just passed 12 hours of daylight here in South Central Alaska. I decided to leave my home turf yesterday and explore Portage Valley, south of Girdwood. A friend and I skied up toward Byron Glacier. The skies were clear and the wind was ripping, which made for some interesting scenic images with my telephoto lens. At 400mm, I could isolate the top of Bard Peak and focus on the lines & textures. Black & white always brings an ethereal mood to a wind-blown landscape.
It was a long day but we made it over the Crow Pass Trail, down to Eagle River and to the Yukla Yurt in about 16 hours (21 miles with a 2,000' ascent followed by a 4,000' descent and numerous water crossings to boot). We started off a bit later than planned and, as a result, finished the final 8 miles in the dark. Many thanks to the crew - Tyler, Jennifer, Amanda, and of course, our fearless canine leader, Freija. We were dragging by the end but everyone arrived intact. I'd been saving this bottle of pinot noir that I brought back from Aurum Wines in 2014 - a winery I lived & worked at in New Zealand. I decided this was a worthwhile event to finally open and share it with friends. More photos to come. Thank you for all the well wishes before our departure and, as always, thank you for following along on my adventures.
Cheers!
Colin
