Ghost Forest

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Kenai Fjords, Photos, Travel 6 Comments

Ghost Forest

Ghost Forest, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Everyone calls these standing dead trees “ghost forests”.  Don’t know if that is an official name, but it works for me.

These trees have been standing dead like this for over 40 years.  Pretty amazing given our wet environment – my fire wood ends up rotting after just 3 or 4 years.  So how did they die, and why are they still standing strong?Read More

Black Bear

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Kenai Fjords, Photos, Travel, Wildlife 2 Comments

Black Bear Photo

Black Bear in Pedersen Lagoon.

An annual salmon run brings lots of black bears to the shores of Pedersen Lagoon, Kenai Fjords National Park.  I think I counted 13 separate bears over a two day period just within the lagoon!

Pedersen Glacier

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Kenai Fjords, Photos, Travel 4 Comments

Pedersen Glacier

Pedersen Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

This was a gloomy, cloudy morning, but and friend and I paddled up to this lake anyways, and were rewarded with a very brief burst of sunlight on the far side of the lake.Read More

Aialik Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Kenai Fjords, Photos, Travel 9 Comments

Aialik Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Aialik Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Ailalik Bay is one of the most beautiful locations in all of Alaska.  The Pacific Ocean, tidewater glaciers, towering peaks and plenty of wildlife – you can’t beat it!  Of the 500 – 1,000 people who visit this wonderful fjord each day via tour boat, maybe only one or two percent actually ever make it to shore. 

This was a wonderful, calm summer evening close to midnight.  That is the ocean on the right, and a lagoon on the left.

Harding Icefield Trail

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Kenai Fjords, Photos, Travel 11 Comments

Harding Icefield Trail, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Hiker at the end of the Harding Icefield Trail, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Of all the wonderful hiking trails in the Seward area, the Harding Icefield trail is my favorite.  It has everything; amazing scenery and wildlife.  The wildlife on this trail includes plenty of marmots, but there is a very good chance you will see bears and mountain goats as well.  But the real attraction has to be the scenery – specifically Exit Glacier and the Harding Icefield.  If you have never stood at the edge of an icefield and looked out at mile after mile of ice, snow and nunataks (mountain rising out of the icefield), it is an amazing experience!  I have spent some wonderful nights on the edge of Harding Icefield with my tent watching some beautiful sunsets and sunrises.

The trail is about 8 miles round trip – that isn’t too bad, but like most trails in the Seward area, you do a lot of climbing – it has a 3,000 vertical foot rise in total.  If you don’t do a lot of hiking, you are going to feel the climbRead More

Exit Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Kenai Fjords, Photos, Travel 4 Comments

Exit Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Exit Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Just a short, beautiful 12 mile drive from Seward is Exit Glacier.  Exit Glacier is one of the few glaciers in Alaska that you can easily walk up to and view and photograph up close.  From the parking lot, the trail is about a mile, with much of that on a paved pathway.  If you have never seen a glacier up close, it is a fascinating treat.  For the photographer, there are endless photo opportunities. 

This is actually an older photo shot on film.  Unfortunately this glacier has receded a fair amount since this photo was taken, and now the toe of the glacier is off the valley floor.  I think the rate of retreat is going to really increase because the sun can now warm the underlying bedrock.