Ski Southeast Messageboard

This is cross-posted from TGR, but I wanted to make sure to put it up over here as well:



One great thing about my job is the opportunity to travel- while living in DC sucks, being able to leverage work trips to do some exploring is pretty nice. This week it was especially great- conference in Anchorage, and I was able to take 2.5 days on the backend to explore a bit.



To those who live there, this is going to be pretty bleh- this is the stuff you see on a daily basis. To those who only see these places with snowcover, perhaps a side of AK you haven't seen. All I know is that we got extremely lucky with the weather and the scenery was absolutely stunning for this AK newbie.



Day 1: Turnagain Arm/Cook Inlet



Wednesday night after the conference sessions finished, a short drive down the arm. Fun to watch the tide roll out, and the leaves are really starting to pop:



















Day 2: Flattop and Little O'Malleys



These hikes are the standard for summer in Anchorage- there seemed to be a good amount of locals traffic getting exercise, and I consider those who get to play in this terrain all year extremely lucky:















Denali looming:











This is one of my favorite pics from the trip- I really like how it almost conveys the scale of the Chugach (almost):























Looking out towards Anchorage:







Flattop:

Day 3: Kenai Fjords



We drove down the Kenai Peninsula on Friday, heading towards Seward and Kenai Fjord National Park. With the fall colors in full force,this has got to be one of the most stunning drives in the United States, if not the world.



The sun peeking over. Wish I would have had a grad ND here...







A little too much post-processing/HDR for my taste, but I wanted to catch the mist coming off the pond:







Views like this are more or less around every corner:











One lone tree in the sunlight:











Again with the stunning scenery:











So you are coming to the end of your stunning drive into the park, and BAM, Exit Glacier looms:







The outwash plain:







Creeeeeping down the valley:







As you start towards the Harding Icefield, you get new views of the glacier around every turn:







...and the views down the valley aren't too shabby:







Glaciers are cool:







As you reach the top the icefield starts to resolve:







Then you reach the top and the icefield reveals itself:







These pictures really dont do it justice:







Flying high:















On the way back down:







Fall colors:







Day 4: Bird Ridge



On our final day we had the morning and most of the afternoon to kill, so we did the hike up bird ridge in the Chugach National Forest, on the arm. This is a pretty popular hike, straight up the ridge.



The sun trying to break through:







Colors and morning light:







Purty:







It snowed at altitude on Friday night; ski season can't come fast enough:







The sun started to peek through as we headed up:















At the top:

Mighty Chugach:







Colors on the way back down:















Finito. I couldn't have asked for better weather (heard it's been a pretty dreary summer), and I couldn't have asked for better timing as far as autumn leaves go either- a truly beautiful contrast to the rugged mountains. It was a fantastic trip, and I hope to be back soon (with skis in tow...)

Absolutely speachless. The two favorites are the lone tree in sunshine and the hiker at the top. You really have the eye.

Sweet. I think I can see Russia in one of those pics.

I love the last shot from Bird Ridge- absolute $$$. I have to get up there one of these days, the scale of those mountains is awesome.



How long were you up there?

The pictures are beautiful!

@MSDOG 220292 wrote:Sweet. I think I can see Russia in one of those pics.



u running for president dog??



awesome pics.

Naw, just trying to get into Sarah's pants.(or her oldest daughter's)

ok, Dog, have fun. Let us know how that goes. Meanwhile, Really nice report, EC, well done, and good pics. On this trip (http://www.skinc.com/messageboard/showt ... hp?t=10042) we also went down the Kenai and it really is amazing. Rode the tram to the top of Alyeska and hiked around. Should have been able to do the Eagle River hike across the Chugach but ran out of time. Really need to go back.