Hiker silhouetted against the Chugach mountains, Wrangell-St. Elias Park.

I shot this image years ago, on one of my first trips in the park. Me and my good friend Frank flew in from McCarthy to Iceberg Lake, and backpacked form their to Bremner Mines. I’d been to Iceberg Lake the previous year, and hiked to a pretty little alpine valley in the Chugach mountains called, locally, Allie’s Valley. But this year I wanted to hike a slightly different route, and go further west to Bremner Mines. We had a fantastic trip, all the adventure one could ask for, and tons of fun. 

This particular day we’d hiked up on the ridge above Iceberg Lake, and watched a grizzly bear flee up over the rocks of the moraine there. The weather was fantastic, a beautiful sunny August day, so we both took a dip in a small tarn (an alpine lake). After getting out and drying off, I started shooting some photos. I thought a silhouette of Frank against the mountains would be a good image. Frank was kind of enough to pose for a few shots.

After the trip, I got my slides back (yes, way back then, remember slide film?), and I knew right away this one would be the keeper. I scanned it, and converted the file to black and white. This photo remains one of my favorite photos from Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.

Cheers

Carl