Glacier Bay National Park Archives

Alaska travel tips

June 8, 2012 by John L. Dengler

I am often asked for advice on traveling to Alaska. Several months ago, the Springfield News-Leader published an email on Alaska travel tips that I sent to my former colleague and News-Leader travel columnist Juliana Goodwin. What follows is an edited and updated version of the advice I gave Juliana. Keep in mind that I’m definitely not your typical Alaska tourist since I’m more likely to be off working in a remote wilderness setting. I typically travel to Alaska at least several and different times of the year (usually summer and late fall/early winter). With that in mind here are some tips.

Unidentified passengers on the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry Malaspina enjoy the scenery of the Lynn Canal as the sun sets behind the Chilkat Range near Haines, Alaska.

Driving

I actually don’t do much driving in Alaska. Primarily, because most of the time I am traveling/working in remote areas inaccessible by roads and cars. It would make little sense for me to be paying for a rental car to sit idle in a parking lot while backpacking or sea kayaking for weeks at a time. The only time I use a rental car for an entire trip is during my November trips to the Chilkat River where I photograph bald eagles (southeast Alaska near the town of Haines). On those trips I spend the night at a bed and breakfast in Haines.

I have never rented an RV so I can’t speak to that except that I see a lot of them from rental RV companies. If readers think that RV travel would be a cheap way to see the state, consider that this past November (2011), I paid $4.53 per gallon for gas in Haines, Alaska. I’d hate to think what the price of gas would be in the “middle-of-nowhere” Alaska. Factor in that it’s hundreds of miles from most spots to the next, and the miles per gallon of an RV gets, I personally would not recommend doing the RV thing if I was doing a general trip across the state. However, for folks traveling to one spot, and staying put (like people who fish), then an RV would make sense.

A look at a highway map of Alaska shows that there are only a handful of highways, and that a few of those highways are gravel. The distances between cities are great. It’s difficult to realize the difference in scale between the size of the state and the lower 48. Alaska is the size of Texas, California and Montana combined. Gas stations are rare once you leave the Anchorage or Fairbanks metropolitan areas. There is a reason why you see folks with gasoline containers piled on top of their cars and RVs. That said, I wouldn’t be hesitate in driving anywhere on the paved highways. Just never pass up topping off at a gas station. A publication called “The Milepost” is a handy resource for traveling wanting to do their own automobile driving or travel in a RV. The nearly 800 page book has detailed sightseeing, dining and lodging information presented in a mile-by-mile format.

Don’t plan traveling off-road on dirt roads. It’s not like anything you would find in the lower 48. These roads don’t have bridges, not even the low water type like we have in the Ozarks. The roads can have huge potholes and can be muddy due to rain. My advice would be to stay on the paved or gravel-packed roads. Even with a 4 wheel drive vehicle, if it’s not gravel packed, you want to seriously ponder whether or not you can make it out if rains. Alaska is the REAL deal. That’s why you’ll see ATVs parked along the highways and more ‘Big Foot Monster Trucks’ than then shows at your local state fair. The final thing to keep in mind with driving is that once you leave the cities, even though you might be on the highway, you are in true wilderness — REAL wilderness so you shouldn’t depend that your cell phone will work. When I do rent a car, I like to rent a car with a trunk simply to be able keep things out of sight of potential thieves while in Anchorage, or while parked at a trailhead.

Jumping off points

Alaska gateway cities for flights from the lower 48 are either Anchorage, Juneau, or Fairbanks. If flight connections require you to overnight in Seattle, then there are plenty of hotels right next door to the airport. I’ve found the Coast Gateway Hotel to be reasonably priced and comfortable.

I’ll fly into Anchorage if I’m heading to Denali National Park and Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park (Seward area) or Kachemak Bay State Park (Homer area). While in Anchorage I will rent a car for a several days as I collect needed supplies, etc. Then (using a trip to Denali as an example) I’ll either take the train (fun, but more expensive, slower) or a shuttle bus to Denali National Park. There are several shuttles to Denali. The one that I’ve used in the past is The Park Connection. I like them over some of the others because they use an actual bus, versus those that use a passenger van that tows a carrier for luggage. If a person was making their one and only trip to Alaska, I would suggest taking the train just for the experience.

A float plane prepares to takeoff at sunset near the Sapphire Princess cruise ship docked in Juneau, Alaska.

For trips to southeast Alaska, I’ll fly into Juneau (typically flying through Seattle). Juneau is the gateway city for Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, the upper Lynn Canal towns of Haines and Skagway and a host of other even smaller villages in the Inside Passage. There is no road access to or from Juneau. It’s totally off the highway grid. So to travel from Juneau your options are either by air (scheduled small plane or bush plane/helicopter charter service if you are backpacking) The other alternative and the one I recommend is to travel on the state run ferries that are part of the Alaska Marine Highway System. The AMHS ferries are the lifeblood of southeast Alaska traveling from small town to small town. The term “ferry” probably isn’t very descriptive of what these vessels really are. These are big ships, that carry buses, tractor trailers, and dozens and dozens of cars and RVs. Depending on the ship, some have cabins, showers, bars, movie lounges, and cafeterias (all have food service of some sort). I especially love to hang out on in a deck chair on the top deck solarium, part of which is covered and heated. I will rent a car in Juneau and take the car on the ferry to Haines (or Skagway). Be aware that the price to bring a car on the ferry varies by size so you don’t want to rent a bigger car than what you really need.

Make sure that your personal auto insurance and/or rental car/rental RV insurance is good in Canada. The Yukon Territory and British Columbia are just up the road from Haines and Skagway. Don’t forget your passport either. You’ll need it for any border crossings. As an aside, Carol and I drove from Haines to an unknown point on the highway in the Yukon. We drove for several hours (wonderful scenery). Never saw a town, house, or gas station though, actually I don’t recall even seeing another car! When we headed back to Haines and crossed back into the U.S. the border guards were determined that we tell them where we went. Just driving for several hours wasn’t enough. Finally, I recalled a landmark, near where we turned around that seemed to do the trick.

The mountains of the Chilkat Range serve as a backdrop for evening sunlight on the Eldred Rock Lighthouse, located on the Lynn Canal in southeast Alaska. Construction of the lighthouse was finished in 1906 after shipwrecks occurred in the area during the 1898 Klondike gold rush. The light was automated by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1973 with the original fourth-order Fresnel lens moved to the Sheldon Museum in Haines.

Trip ideas

What would I recommend for first time visitors? If they are reasonably seasoned travelers I would not recommend doing the cruise thing. Why? The thing to keep in mind about traveling on a cruise ship is that the ships travel at night so they can be in ports of call during the day. While it stays light late in the evening during the summer you’ll still miss the best part of the cruise as you eat dinner, etc. In my mind, the highlight of traveling the Inside Passage is the magnificent scenery, not shopping in the countless jewelry shops in Skagway or Ketchikan during the day or eating dinner in a cruise ship dinning room. Cruising the Inside Passage on the AMHS ferries will have the exact same views. This past summer, Carol and I saw whales bubble net feeding just off the side of the ferry on the way to Gustavus (Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve). I love the ferry not only for the scenery but also for the local folks you’ll meet. During the summer you’ll have more tourists than locals, but I’ve had some great conversations with local folks traveling 4.5 hours one way just to go grocery shopping, to the doctor, or for a high school wrestling meet. It’s not a stuffy white linen napkin fantasy affair with tuxedoed waiters — it’s the real world.

With a little planning, a person can put together a great first time trip. If I was telling a friend what to do on their first trip to Alaska, the following is what I would recommend.

Fly to Anchorage. Aim for a window seat for the portion of the flight flying into Anchorage. On a clear day, there are magnificent views of ice fields. You’ll know “you’re not in Kansas anymore” when you see mountain after mountain without a road in sight.

In Anchorage spend several days sightseeing around town. For me, that includes a trip to the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, biking or walking along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail for views of downtown Anchorage surrounded by the nearby Chugach mountains (TIP: easy access to the paved trail is from Elderberry Park off of 5th St. and Pacific Pl.), a drive up to the Glen Alps Trailhead just outside town for great views looking down on Anchorage and the Cook Inlet and if clear, views of Mt. McKinley and Mt. Redoubt. (NOTE: The nearby hike up Flattop Mountain may look easy but it’s difficult and can be dangerous if you are not prepared with proper clothing and equipment). Other fun Anchorage activities include walking 4th Avenue downtown to check out all the tourist gift shops (the nicest being Cabin Fever, spending time at the impressive Tidal Wave Book Store (primarily used books), checking out REI (has Alaska specific items), and Alaska Mountaineering and Hiking (AMH) a local version of the nearby REI, and taking a short hike at the Eagle River Nature Center, located just outside Anchorage. Obey any bear warnings, and make plenty of noise while hiking.Fly to Anchorage. Aim for a window seat for the portion of the flight flying into Anchorage. On a clear day, there are magnificent views of ice fields. You’ll know “you’re not in Kansas anymore” when you see mountain after mountain without a road in sight.

While still in Anchorage, I also recommend spending a day/afternoon to drive along the Turnagain Arm on the Seward Highway towards Portage Glacier. Keep an eye out for mountain goats along the cliffs of the arm and beluga whales in the water. Inquire with locals on when the bore tide is for scheduled. You may see surfers on the incoming wave. One warning though, never, ever walk on the mud flats. People have gotten stuck only to drown in the dramatic tidal fluctuations that Alaska experiences. A fun lunch on the drive is to grab grub from a grocery store in Anchorage and picnic along the many scenic pullouts along Turnagain Arm. I guess it’s worth going to the Portage Glacier for the visitor center exhibits, but don’t expect to see much, if anything, of the Portage Glacier except possibly for some icebergs. The glacier has since retreated many miles out of sight since the visitor center was built — climate change in action.

This drive could be combined with a longer drive to Seward which I highly recommend. There’s too much to see to make the drive to Seward a same day trip from Anchorage. Instead plan to overnight in Seward. Here you can see a glacier up close, and I mean walk up close (Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park). As you walk to the glacier note the signs marking the years where the face of the glacier was at that point of time. Exploring the action at the harbor docks in Seward is interesting to see what the sports fisherman have caught. Any trip to Seward should include the Alaska Sealife Center. Finally, the highlight of traveling to Seward is taking one of the tour boats out into the deeper wilderness of Kenai Fjords National Park. I suggest taking a tour that at least goes to Aialik Bay. Kenai Fjord Tours and Major Marine Tours are two of many companies

Mt. McKinley, also known as Denali (Athabaskan for “The High One”) basks in morning light at sunrise in Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. The snow and glacier covered mountain, part of the Alaska Range soars to a height of 20,310 feet. Mt. McKinley is the tallest mountain on the North American continent. Although Mt. Everest is higher, the vertical rise of Mt. McKinley is greater. This view is a small detail from the north slopes of the mountain seen from Wonder Lake.

Denali National Park and Preserve

In my opinion a must thing to do on a first time trip to Alaska is a trip to Denali National Park and Preserve. As I mentioned earlier, I think it is better to take either the train, or a shuttle to the park. Outside of taking a detour to the town of Talkeetna (base for most of the Denali flight-seeing flights, and base for those preparing to climb Denali and the other mountains of the Alaska Range) there really aren’t many places to stop or things to do.

There are several hotels at the park entrance. Book early as most are booked by cruise line companies. Plan on at least two nights at the park. If camping, plan camping your first and last night at the park’s frontcountry campground at Riley Creek. I won’t get into the details of camping, backpacking or hiking within the park. There are plenty of books, along with excellent information on the Denali National Park and Preserve website for planing a trip to the park. Folks might want to download the park’s newspaper before visiting.

The park has only a single, mostly gravel, road. Visitors can only drive their personal vehicles the first 15 miles of the 92 mile road. To go further into the park you need to board one of the shuttle buses or tour buses. I prefer the shuttle buses as you can get on and off as you please. Both types of buses stop for wildlife, etc. Technically, the shuttle bus drivers aren’t supposed to give narration, but I’ve found most are talkative and informative. The tour bus drivers supposedly go into greater detail. I’d suggest reading more about the bus travel options in the park. It’s important information as this is the only way to travel in the park.

I strongly recommend signing up for a shuttle bus or tour bus that goes at least to the Eielson Visitor Center at mile 66. This will ensure that you go through some prime wildlife viewing habitat and if you are lucky see “The Mountain” up close. If you are taking the regular shuttle bus, be sure to take food and drink as there are no food services beyond the park frontcountry area (some of the tour buses may provide food – check before leaving). Don’t sulk if it is raining, cloudy, or chilly. While you might not see the peaks of the mountains of the Alaska Range, I’ve found that you’re more likely to see grizzlies, wolves, caribou and moose as they tend to be more active on cool, cloudy and drizzly days.

Money no object?

Stay at Camp Denali or North Face Lodge. Both are very expensive and are deep in the park’s backcountry. They cater to high end tourists who can’t bear the thought of sleeping in the dirt with grizzlies wandering about. I once got to sample some “leftover” bake goods that one of the cooking staff brought on the park camper bus (yup, a third type of bus). Yum Yum! All I can say is that folks appear to eat well there. Definitely better than the freeze dried food I was eating.

A grizzly bear scratches itself against a small spruce tree as seen from the park road in the Sable Pass area of Denali National Park in Alaska

No money?

Score a campsite at the Wonder Lake campground in Denali National Park. It’s the closest campground to the continent’s tallest peak offering unobstructed views of 20,310 ft. Mt. McKinley. Be aware that the mountain makes its own weather. Because of this the peak can be cloud covered for weeks at at time. Increase the probability of seeing the mountain in all it’s glory by camping more than one night at Wonder Lake (I suggest 3-4 nights). IMPORTANT TIP: If the mountain is going to be visible, it is most likely to be visible at or just before sunrise. Set your alarm to peek out the tent door and be prepared to quickly take photos. The mountain can become cloud covered in just a few minutes. If you are lucky enough to see Mt McKinley (or Denali as most folks call it) I guarantee that it will be a life changing experience. While Mt. Everest is higher, Denali has the tallest base-to-peak height. You can’t see a taller vertical relief of rock anywhere on the planet. Why isn’t everyone in the world trying to stay at Wonder Lake? It’s the mosquitoes. There are literally a ton of them there. You need to be in the right mind set when camping in Wonder Lake. It can be cold and buggy, but if you’re lucky it truly is the most jaw-dropping spot on the planet.

Hikers to Nugget Falls located next to the Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, Alaska are dwarfed by the 377 foot waterfall.

Southeast Alaska

With no road access to U.S. or Canadian highway systems for much of southeast Alaska, my tips for that part of the state are more straightforward. In Juneau, be sure to check out the Mendenhall Glacier just on the edge of town. In addition to the glacier and visitor center there are plenty of hiking trails of for all levels of hikers.

To reach Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, you need to fly via Alaska Airlines, or take one of the twice weekly AMHS ferries. The highlight at Glacier Bay National Park is the full day tour of the park by boat. Sea kayak rentals are available for experienced paddlers interested of traveling on their own (Carol and I sea kayaked for 114 miles in a remote wilderness area of the park during a trip in 2011). Another way to see Glacier Bay is by air. I’ve had a great experience with Mountain Flying Service based in Haines.

Skagway and Haines are reachable by ferry or small plane. Skagway is rich in history of the Klondike gold rush era. I recommend taking the guided National Park Service walking tour of the town at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park. While I’ve never taken the train trip up to White Pass, it looks like it would be a fun thing to do. I would describe Haines as being less touristy than Skagway and a bit more spread out. Haines is the site of the Southeast Alaska State Fair and the finish for the Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay race. Be sure to check that if you are visiting at the time of these events that you have firm lodging reservations. The town will run out of rooms. The same is true if you are visiting in early spring during the heli-skiing season. I can’t imagine a more beautiful place to live than Haines.

The historic buildings of the former U.S. Army facility, Fort William H. Seward in Haines, Alaska are dwarfed by Mount Emmerich and other peaks of the Takhinsha Mountains as the setting sun lights up the Chilkat River valley. Haines is a cruise ship destination on the Lynn Canal in southeast Alaska. Cruise ships dock at the pictured Port Chilkoot dock near downtown Haines.

This all sounds like complicated planning

If you don’t like to plan and would rather have a more structured travel experience, then definitely consider a cruise. Just because I didn’t play up cruises doesn’t mean that you should skip going to Alaska if you rather have something more structured. The more important thing is you MUST go to Alaska. Cruises typically travel the Inside Passage. To see places like Denali National Park, Anchorage and Seward you would need to sign up for the additional land excursions that the cruise companies offer.

Weather

On one August 1, it was so warm that we went swimming in Wonder Lake in Denali National Park. On August 1 the following year, we trudging through blowing snow with nighttime temps in the teens. Most of the time, the summer temps are in the 60 degree range with little variation between day and night temps. My point though is that the weather can change dramatically and quickly. Again, plan and expect rain. If you don’t get rain then consider it a bonus.

Flights

Alaska Airlines now flies out of St. Louis and Kansas City. I like to fly Alaska Airlines because I participate in their mileage plan but be aware that their schedule out of St. Louis and Kansas City is limited. Most of the other big airlines have summer service to Anchorage (American, Delta, etc.). As I mentioned earlier, the only way to fly into Juneau is with Alaska Airlines (and recently, Delta Airlines). When I travel to Haines, it takes me three days of traveling. One day to travel and fly from St. Louis to Seattle where I overnight. The second day to travel to Juneau. The third day to travel to Haines on the ferry. Obviously, if you can avoid the overnight in Seattle, you can save money but it will make for a long day of traveling. I personally don’t mind breaking the trip up in smaller bites. Speaking of bites. …

Two de Havilland DHC-3 Otter float planes are docked in the Juneau Harbor next to the Merchant’s Wharf Mall in downtown Juneau, Alaska. Float planes are a vital mode of transportation in Alaska where much of the state is only accessible by float plane. The Hanger on the Wharf restaurant is located in this building.

Favorite places to eat

Anchorage – Simon and Seaforts Saloon & Grill (make reservations – great oceanfront view of the several hour long summer sunsets, fancy and pricey, Haines – ~~Mosey’s Cantina has some of the best Mexican food I ever had. Their mole is incredible. Mosey is the owner’s dog, typically greeting diners outside the front door.~~ (UPDATE Sadly Mosey’s Cantina is closed) Outside Haines – If you want a true backwoods road house experience, 33 Mile Roadhouse located 33 miles up the Haines Highway near the Canadian border is a local favorite. The Discovery Channel “Gold Rush” Porcupine Creek gold miners are working hard only a few, but difficult to access, miles away. Juneau – The Hanger on the Wharf has great views of the action at the cruise ship docks (perfect for lunch). While the food is good, the view is better. Twisted Fish also at the cruise ship docks is great for dinner. Homer – ~~Cups Cafe~~. (UPDATE Sadly Cups Cafe is closed) Elsewhere – Any place you can picnic. That’s my favorite. Just be mindful of bears by being able to quickly put food away.

A humpback whale engages in “tail slapping” in the Sitakaday Narrows of the main bay of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in this view seen from Young Island located in the Beardslee Islands of the park in southeast Alaska. In the near background is Marble Mountain and in the far background is Mt. Abdallah. It is unknown why whales engage in this behavior but speculation is that it is a way to ward off other whales or the opposite, an invitation to join a group of whales.

Places to stay

My favorite place to stay is in a tent in a remote wilderness location watching grizzly bear cubs play, wolves on the hunt, or whales breaching out of the ocean.

More civilized spots include the Alaska Guardhouse in Haines. Joanne and Phyllis are the nicest hostesses you will every meet. The Guardhouse is located on the historic grounds of Ft. Seward, an old army post that was established shortly after the Klondike gold rush and yes, it really was the fort’s guardhouse and jail. Don’t worry, the jail cell is long gone.

The choices for Anchorage are numerous. I used to stay at a cheap B&B downtown but that has rightfully been torn down and made into a parking lot. In any event I suggest staying in downtown Anchorage for walking opportunities.

Just outside Seward, the Seward Windsong Lodge is nice. though my favorite place to stay in the Seward area are the remote wilderness cabins in Kenai Fjords National Park. The cabins are cheap, but the effort and expense to get to them are very expensive (involves several hour water taxi, sea kayaking, etc.). The cabins are definitely not for your average tourist.

Saving money on tours, etc.

I’ve never used it but the Alaska TourSaver coupon book is supposedly is a great way to save money in Alaska. Obviously, a person would want to check out the book’s website to see if the $100 coupon book offers savings for things that they are going to do to make it worthwhile.

Probably the best advice I can give

One important thing that potential visitors to Alaska have to be aware of. The weather is more likely to be cool and wet. While I have experienced many glorious sunny warm days in Alaska, the norm is more likely to be cloudy and wet. That’s why I highly recommend that visitors have decent rain gear (rain parka and rain pants). Having decent rain gear will ensure that you’ll have a great time. Umbrellas are useless in the Alaskan winds and ponchos tend to leak and turn you into a human kite. Along those same lines, having proper hiking boots, if you plan to do any walking. Remember, your shoes WILL get wet too. Wear clothes in layers so you can adjust as needed. I see too many people unprepared, swearing never to return, only because they were wet and cold.

To license image, click image. To see our collection of fine art prints, click here.

Bald eagles and snow converge on the Chilkat River

February 26, 2012 by John L. Dengler

(Adobe Flash Slideshow – removed)

While it has snowed on all my trips to the Chilkat River to photograph bald eagles in Alaska, it never has REALLY snowed. The couple of inches of snow that I’ve previously experienced in November was nice, but not what you think of when you think Alaska snow. So as I clicked my seatbelt on the Alaska Airlines jet bound for Alaska, I made a silent wish for snow, lots of it.

It took me three days of traveling to reach my final destination of Haines where the Chilkat River empties into the fjord-like Lynn Canal. After overnight stays in Seattle and Juneau, I finally was in the Alaska Marine Highway System’s Auke Bay ferry terminal parking lot waiting to drive aboard the LeConte for the 4.5 hour passage to Haines.

After a crystal blue sky day spent at Mendenhall Glacier just outside Juneau, I sat in the pre-dawn darkness of the ferry terminal parking lot in what seemed like a blizzard. The wind was howling and snow was blasting horizontally but as I would later find out, this was nothing by Alaska standards.

I sailed on the LeConte three months earlier with my wife Carol, returning to Juneau after completing 14 days of photography by way of sea kayaking and wilderness camping in a remote region of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. On that return trip to Juneau we sat on the top deck of the LeConte in deck chairs, much like one would do on a cruise ship. It was so warm and sunny that one woman stripped down to her underwear to bask in the sun. Fast forward to November and no one is on the top deck except for myself and two small children who were having great time smacking each other with snowballs in the morning twilight.

Flying with the eagles

I reached Haines and got settled in with good friends Phyllis and Joanne at The Alaska Guardhouse, before meeting with Paul Swanstrom of Mountain Flying Service. Paul, an experienced Alaskan pilot, is a former wilderness guide who also worked in the photo department of a major Chicago-based corporation. Over the years he has flown some big name wildlife photographers (I’m not going to name drop, but its impressive). I felt his background in photography and as a highly skilled pilot was perfect for the aerial photography I needed to tell the story of bald eagles on the Chilkat River.

My primary goal was to take aerial photographs of the Tsirku River alluvial fan where the river meets the Chilkat River. It is here, in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, where a five mile stretch of the Chilkat River, known as the Chilkat Bald Eagle Council Grounds, that the largest congregation of eagles gather. Bald eagles come to this area because of the availability of spawned-out salmon and ice free water in late fall. The open water is due to a deep accumulation of gravel and sand that acts as a large water reservoir whose water temperature remains 10 to 20 degrees warmer than the surrounding water temperature. This warmer water seeps into the Chilkat River, keeping this five mile stretch of the river from freezing.

Paul and I looked over maps of the Chilkat River Valley and worked out a flight plan based on light at different times of day, needed altitude for the subject, etc.

Paul then introduced me to his plane, a spiffy fire engine red Bush Hawk-XP, which when I saw it, thought of it as the sports car of bush planes. I’d swear we were off the ground in less than 10 feet but know it took more runway. The plane allows Paul to add skis to the fat tundra tires for landings on snow or glaciers. Virtually, all of my aerial photography experience was as a newspaper photographer in St. Louis where all of it involved helicopters. I was a bit hesitate about shooting from a plane, but Paul rightfully convinced me that it would work.

I needed to meet with Paul right away because he had to begin taking his engine apart in two days to ship parts to the lower 48 for overhauling. If I was to fly, it would have to be either today (not happening – snowing), or tomorrow. The day after tomorrow his engine would be in pieces on the cold hanger floor.

As we shook hands and said goodbye, we both knew that it was almost certain that we would not be flying the following day. It was still snowing and the forecast looked very unfavorable for photography.

The following morning I began my ritual of photographing bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by being on the banks of the Chilkat River before sunrise. Sunrise in November is quite civil as it occurs quite a bit later than in the lower 48. As I made my way up the Haines Highway towards Canada in the advancing twilight, the heavily overcast skies were dripping with rain and snow — definitely not conducive to aerial photography and not a particularly comfortable day for photography on the river bank. I continued driving knowing that between Haines and the area where I photograph eagles there can be big differences in the weather. It can be raining cats and dogs in town and be bright and sunny up the river valley. I have met plenty of photographers who missed a great day of shooting because their decision not to head up the river was based on the weather in town.

After several hours of rain and a little snow, the skies opened up. There were patches of blue and I began to wonder if perhaps I might be able to fly. Conferring with Paul at this point wasn’t possible. I was a good 15 miles out of cell phone range. So I drove back down the Chilkat River Valley to a spot where I knew I would be able to call Paul. We both knew good light would still be a gamble with the rapidly changing nature of weather in Alaska but since today would be my sole chance of flying until next year, I decided it was worth a gamble.

I met Paul at his hanger at the Haines airport and we shot off the runway and into the neighboring Takhin River Valley to get into position for the Tsirku River delta. The weather was what I expected with portions of the flight having good light and others marginal with flat lighting. Paul maneuvered the Bush Hawk -XP perfectly into the shooting position we had earlier discussed. An unplanned bonus of the trip was jumping over the Takhinsha Mountains and looking down on McBride Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve where I had kayaked in July. The mountains looked familiar, yet different now that they were blanketed in snow. The park seemed asleep, much like the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie in Kansas when I had visited there just a few weeks earlier. The Glacier Bay area is breathtakingly beautiful from the air. I always thought the best job in the world was that of a photojournalist. I still think that is true, but I now think that the second best job is that of a flight-seeing/charter pilot in Alaska. Paul is a lucky guy with one hell of an ‘office’ view.

Unusual sightings

On subsequent days, I stuck to my routine of being in place on the river early. The first stop I would make would be at the location where the bald eagle with white wing tips and talons was hanging out this year. This bald eagle is known as a leucistic bald eagle. Its white wing tips and talons are caused by a leucistic condition — a condition of reduced pigmentation resulting in white patches. These patches of white can occur while the rest of the animal is colored normally. Unlike albinism, the eye color is normal. Seeing this eagle was like seeing an old friend as I had photographed it several years earlier on the nearby Chilkoot River. The one thing I was surprised by watching this eagle was just how much, and often he ate. Since he stood out with his leucistic characteristics, it was easy to keep track of his meals. From watching bald eagles, I had the impression that eagles didn’t eat very often. For me, waiting for hours on end in the cold for action lasting no more than an eye blink, I would have guessed that 99% of their time was spent sitting on a tree branch or on the gravel bar taking bets amongst themselves on how long the crazy photographer would last. Considering the time I spent observing the white tipped eagle perhaps that is a false assumption.

Another unusual sight on this trip was when I saw a bald eagle drag a fish 15-20 feet up from the Chilkat River bank through the snow. Dragging a salmon that far of a distance is somewhat unusual as eagles usual drag a fish just barely out of the water onto the bank. Bald eagles are pretty dang lazy about putting out any effort to feed, particularly at this time of the year. What was more unusual was that the eagle dragged the fish right up to another eagle sitting on a log as if it wanted to share the salmon with the other bird. Normally, eagles challenge and fight each other. Formal sharing, is something I’ve never seen. In the end, the niceties didn’t last and the eagles were off trying to chase each other away. The winner in all this turned out to be a black-billed magpie who moved in and feasted on the fish while the two eagles chased each other in a circle.

(Adobe Flash Slideshow)

I’m always asked if I saw bears. I usually do, and often see their footprints in the fresh snow falls overnight. Along with the grizzly bear tracks I saw on this trip, I photographed an orphaned grizzly bear cub. The cub seemed to be enjoying life, but I knew what he didn’t know. That life was going to get very bad for him in the upcoming winter months and his survival was in question.

I missed a bit of excitement while I photographed eagles on another part of the river. Another photographer spotted a bald eagle whose wings were both frozen flat against the Chilkat River ice. An volunteer from the American Bald Eagle Foundation in Haines, slide out on the ice on her stomach and clipped the tips of the eagle’s feathers that were frozen to the river ice. The rescue was a success and the bird was expected to be back in the Alaskan skies after rehabilitation time at the Alaska Raptor Center in Sitka for feather mending. I would have liked to have witnessed the rescue and subsequent treatment.

Dealing with the snow

It seemed like it snowed every day, though in reality, there were several blue sky days. One day, we had a true blizzard, even by Alaskan standards, with building rattling, 50 mile per hour winds. In roughly 36 hours a total of 52 inches fell. That much snow, that early in November, was unusual. I’d say I got my wish for snow and then some.

The snow was very helpful for photography. Besides making the already incredible scenery more so, the blanket of snow did wonders for cleaning up extraneous visual noise in my bald eagle photos. Many of the bald eagles that I take photographs of are on visually cluttered gravel bars or river banks. The snow cleaned these shooting situations, almost like the eagles were shot in the studio on a white seamless background.

The only drawback to the heavy snowfall was that it made exploring a bit more difficult. One of my usual afternoon haunts is the Chilkoot River. I like to go to the Chilkoot in the afternoon as you’re on the opposite river bank from what you would be on the Chilkat avoiding the afternoon backlit light of the Chilkat River. With all the snow I wasn’t surprised this year to find the entrance to the Chilkoot Lake State Recreational Site and the Chilkoot River, to be completely blocked by snow. The only way in was going to be on foot with snowshoes.

A few days earlier, my friend Phyllis gave me some pointers on snowshoeing. Wanting to show me in the deepest snow possible, Phyllis with her dog Harry, drove me out in the direction of Chilkat State Park. The park is closed this time of the year so the road doesn’t get plowed. The snow was getting REALLY deep as Phyllis wrestled the car through the drifts. Eventually, the snow was too much and we were stuck. That meant it time for snowshoeing as we (and a very nervous Harry) waited for Joanne to come rescue us with her pickup truck. The snowshoes I used weren’t like the tennis racket ones you saw on the old TV series, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. These were sleek, lightweight aluminum ones. For the rest of the trip, I would use them whenever I would go off the beaten path. I found them particularly useful for going up and down steep riverbanks. Many of these riverbanks would have been difficult to climb without the deep snow. The snow, and the snowshoes, made climbing them with my large tripod, 600 mm lens, and heavy cameras, much easier. The only bad thing was I was always breaking a trail since I was usually by myself on these treks. In deep snow, even with snowshoes, hiking can be taxing. The trips back were always much easier as I would backtrack over my path. Snowshoes are great!

I’ve written in the past about taking a small camping sleeping mat to stand on to keep my feet warm while standing in the snow. Having the mat on this trip proved to be even more important with all the snow; as you can see in this photo of one of the spots where I photographed the bald eagles.

Technical tips

For the past year, I’ve been shooting using manual aperture and shutter speed with auto ISO as my exposure setting. I really like this mode and it allows me to be in control of the appropriate aperture and shutter speed letting the ISO setting be the variable. For consumer DSLR cameras that could be a problem as the ISO creeps up, but with a professional DSLR like my Nikon D3 that isn’t an issue. Considering my positive experience this past year with this configuration I’m likely to use this setting in the future.

I’m assuming that you’ve watched the slideshow at the top of this posting of images from this trip. It may seem like there aren’t as many images from previous trips. This is because I have become more selective, and do not want to put duplicate situations into my photo archive. I’ve even eliminated previous archive images with new work that I feel is stronger. I like to think that this means that my work is improving and evolving.

Speaking of evolving, I shot video for a few hours. I didn’t get anything special (you can see the video here), but wanted to see what challenges shooting video here would be. I plan to work on this during future visits to Alaska.

By the time I left Alaska a total of 88 inches of snow had fallen in the Haines area. I know my Alaska friends in Haines have had their fill of snow by now, but I’m thankful that my wish for snow came true.

ABOVE: Slideshows require Adobe Flash.

For more photos see:
Gallery of bald eagle photos from the Chilkat River and Chilkoot River
Gallery of landscape photos from the Haines, Alaska area
Gallery of photos from the Juneau, Alaska area
Gallery of photos from Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

Glacier Bay National Park – Witnessing change

October 24, 2011 by John L. Dengler

(Glacier Bay slide show – Adobe Flash required)

Change — Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in southeast Alaska has been described as a park undergoing change; rapid and profound change at that. While taking a break during a recent kayaking trip in a remote section of the park, I looked out on the fjord landscape and tried to imagine the spot where I was sitting on the water covered by hundreds of feet of glacial ice. Now the tidewater glacier that I photographed is far in the distance, having retreated almost three and a half miles. An the process of calving icebergs the size of school buses continued as I watched one of floating by to eventually melt in the ocean.

As recent as 250 years ago there was no Glacier Bay. Instead, today’s bay and inlets were completely covered with a massive glacier thousands of feet thick and approximately 100 miles long.

Changes in the parks glaciers affect the entire ecosystem of the park. From under the sea to the physical land itself, islands within Glacier Bay are rising at a rate of one inch a year due to the release of the weight of the glaciers that once covered them. The effect is called “glacier rebound” and is a source of navigational problems for kayakers like myself who now find ocean passages between islands shown on government topographical maps are no longer passable. Talk about dynamic change!

Glacier Bay National Park is known for its spectacular glaciers, ice fields, and the tall coastal mountains of the Fairweather Range. The park is also an important wilderness area both in and out of the water. Glacier Bay is home to humpback whales which feed in the park’s protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. The park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Most people see only a portion of Glacier Bay National Park from the deck of a cruise ship. I however, wanted to explore it’s inner, more remote areas closer and more intimately from a sea kayak. On this trip, I enlisted my wife Carol to accompany me. When it comes to the unpredictable sea in an area known for foul weather, there is safety in numbers. We saw few humans for much of the trip.

Our only safety net was a portable VHF marine radio, whose reception and transmission with others was mostly limited to only the rare passing boat or kayaker. The immense coastal mountains of the park precluded reaching the coast guard in distant Juneau or even, the park’s headquarters. On the few times we could receive the barely audible static-ridden weather report from the main park ranger station, the forecast focused on how high the seas would be, instead of the chance of precipitation — a telling sign. Luckily, for us, the normally rainy park was bathed in glorious sunshine with reasonable wind for much of the time.

Our journey lasted for 14 days consisting of wilderness kayaking and camping divided into two general areas of the park, the Beardslee Islands and the Muir Inlet (also known as the East Arm). By the time the trip was over, we will have logged over 114 miles of kayaking (we logged 25 miles on our longest day).

Preparing for a trip like this is never a simple matter, nor is getting to Glacier Bay. Logistics include mailing food, supplies and equipment, loading the GPS with possible camping spots, sources of water, etc. and planning the trip around ocean tides. Attention to tides is critical in this area of the world where they can vary by as much as 25 feet in six hours. The tides control when and where you can travel.

Getting to Glacier Bay is no small feat and probably accounts for the reason most people see the park from a cruise ship. The park and the nearby tiny town of Gustavus are off the road grid. On a previous trip to Glacier Bay we flew to the park from Juneau. This time we decided to try the newly scheduled twice weekly ferry from Juneau aboard the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry, the M/V LeConte. The four and a half hour trip from Juneau was spectacular in terms of scenery with the added bonus of the ferry’s captain stopping for several minutes to watch a group of humpback whales bubble-net feeding near the ship. Finally, after three days of traveling since we left St. Louis, Missouri, we had arrived at the park.

After filling our mandatory bear resistant food containers, we loaded our rented kayaks with the food and gear we sent by the U. S. Postal Service. Next we went about obtaining our mandatory backcountry safety and regulation training from the park’s rangers; we were now ready. We had to wait until early evening to set off on our paddle because we needed a high tide to clear the passage from Bartlett Cove (Park Headquarters) into the Beardslee Islands. During our stay in the Beardslee’s we camped on Kidney Island and Young Island. After what we called our “shakedown trip” in the Beardslee Islands we headed out to Muir Inlet by way of the daily tour boat, Baranof Wind, which dropped us and our kayaks off at Sebree Island at the mouth of the Muir Inlet. From there we would eventually visit deep into the Adams Inlet (a side inlet of Muir Inlet), and locations in the Muir Inlet such as Maquinna Cove, Klotz Hills, The Nunatak (a glaciated knob), McBride Glacier, Riggs Glacier, White Thunder Ridge, Wolf Point, Hunter Cove, Wachusett Inlet and Tlingit Point. During our few hours on the Baranof Wind we were treated to near perfect weather to view the Margerie and Grand Pacific Glaciers of the Tarr Inlet.

Since the majority of our traveling was on the water, instead of hiking on land, most of our wildlife sightings were related to the sea. We saw countless humpback whales in the Beardslee Islands, harbor seals, sea otters, steller sea lions, harbor porpoises, a few orcas and a wide variety of birds including puffins, bald eagles, black-legged kittiwakes, black oystercatchers, and gulls. On one the beaches in the Adams Inlet where we camped we saw wolf, moose, and grizzly bear prints in the mud of the low tide. This isn’t all that unusual when you consider that the beaches make for easy travel for these animals.

The humpback whales were easily our favorite, with their constant haunting conversation amongst themselves, tail and flipper slapping, and diving. While we didn’t have the type of encounter we had on a previous trip to Glacier Bay where a humpback whale surfaced right in front of Carol’s kayak where she and the whale looked into each other’s eyes, we easily saw many whales from our kayaks, and from our campsites, particularly from Young Island in the Beardslee Islands. (Special note: Anyone visiting the west end of Young Island must use extreme caution as that end of the island faces the Sitakaday Narrows, an area of Glacier Bay known for dangerous rip tides and currents.)

Another wildlife favorite, which we saw constantly during the entire trip, was harbor seals. They would continually “spy” on us only to duck under the water should we look their way. I think it became a game for both the seals and for us to see if we could spot each other.

Everyone asks me about bears on my Alaska trips. This trip wasn’t an exception. One of our few human encounters on the trip was with park rangers on patrol to warn us about an incident near the McBride Glacier where kayakers did not properly secure the lid to their bear resistant food container. A grizzly bear was spotted making off with the opened container and its contents, making that general area not a particularly smart area to camp. As mentioned earlier, beaches are a highway for bears and other animals for the ease of travel they afford. Plus Glacier Bay National Park is very close to Admiralty Island which has the highest density of grizzly bears in the world. These facts, and my sense of the nature of bear incidents in the park from talks with Glacier Bay’s park rangers at headquarters prior to leaving (a bear caused damage to a tent and kayak at Adams Inlet), told me we needed to set our bear awareness up a notch. We went out our way to eat and store our food a great distance from where we camped, sometimes even eating meals at a different location while on the way to where we would eventually camp for the night. We also made sure not to camp near streams which also serve as a wilderness highway and a prime source of salmon which the bears love to eat. While not having a nearby source of water at our campsites, it did afford some comfort that we would be less likely to be awakened by a bear in the middle of the night.

So back to the question, did we encounter bears? Well, sort of, at least one close enough for me. Carol and I were on the beach at Hunter Cove watching the sun set on distant Mount Wright and the other mountains above the Adams Inlet. It was past our bedtime (though only in terms of time on the clock – remember it seems like it stays light forever during the summer in Alaska). Carol decided to head back to the tent while I photographed the beauty of the moment. Being engrossed in what I was doing for quite some time I had not noticed that a large grizzly had joined me on the beach (probably only 25 yards away). I noticed the bear when I went to grab a graduated filter out of my backpack. Luckily, the bear seemed uninterested in me and was more interested in possible sources of food in the tide pools caused by the low tide. I didn’t want the bear to get any ideas about me being a food source, so I quickly, carefully and quietly gathered up my equipment and headed down the beach to our tent without incident. It’s priceless experiences like these that make you realize what true wilderness is about.

My only real disappointment of the trip was that I had planned to do quite a bit of wildlife shooting from the kayak using my 600 mm lens. The actual use of the lens from the kayak wasn’t the problem but rather how I had planned to transport the lens. Unlike previous trips where I secured my telephoto lens in the kayak hatch, making it very difficult to access while on the water, I had devised a plan where I would keep the lens in between my legs in a specially made dry bag. Access to the lens worked ok, but the size of the lens and just having the lens between my legs threw off my leg positioning in the kayak just enough to hurt my leg muscles. It wasn’t long before the lens went into the secured hatch area of the kayak.

Having to store the lens didn’t affect the success of the trip though. We saw some incredible sights. Instead of describing what we saw, I’ll let the photographs speak for themselves. Glacier Bay is simply a beautiful place. Where else can you watch the sun set from your wilderness camp and sip on a glass of wine cooled with ancient ice that you chipped off an iceberg?

More importantly, and interesting, where can you witness geological change firsthand — change that is normally measured in millennia?