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Author Archives: bearly
Passage of Time
Summer days with their benign puffy clouds are gone and have been replaced with fall days with more dramatic skies. First whale clouds, then marble clouds, then whiskery mare’s tails with new cold slicing behind. The sun sinks southward and shines at new through the yellowing trees. Last week it rained for days on end. With every rain the air becomes colder and heavier. A sharp snowline appears on the mountains, slowly creeping lower to the valley floors. Occasionally the sun has still enough strength to warm the skin, but those days are numbered.
I have adapted this passage from a book that I am currently reading: “Canada” by Richard Ford. It’s the story of a 15-year old boy, whose life is upended when his parents decide to rob a bank. Friends of the family hide him from custody services. I reacted to this particular passage .
Reflections
Stop
Rebekah Bremner
Breathe
Listen
Reflect
Connect
I have come to Reflection Pond many times, a place that Ansel Adams had chosen for his iconic picture of Denali. We have attempted to recreate this image several times, not in earnest, more as in reference to the master artist.
Most of the time weather did not cooperate, which was a blessing because Nature presented different views. Here it is, a partially visible, mostly covered mountain.
To watch, observe and absorb the scenery this summer was a blessing. It certainly deepens my appreciation for its wild beauty.
Remote
“WE NEED ABOVE ALL
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
A CERTAIN REMOTENESS
FROM URBAN CONFUSION.”
It’s not the remote with too many buttons letting you choose between too many channels. It’s the remote that has no buttons and an infinite number of channels.
I have now spent 3 months in Kantishna, a remote in-holding in Denali National Park. Currently, there is no road access to this place due to a rock slide that has closed the Denali park road for the time being. It would be a 92 mile long walk to get back to civilization. Otherwise we are completely dependent on air supply.
We are surrounded by 6 million acres of protected land. It takes a small community to upkeep the place and allow humans to visit and live in this location for a short period of 3 months every year.
I have refrained from shopping. TV was not an option. Cell coverage is non-existent. Sometimes I wish the satellite-based internet would go away. Did I miss any of the urban confusion?
No.
Partly Sunny
Between 3/8 and 5/8 of the sky is covered by clouds.
The term “Partly Sunny” is used only during daylight hours.
National Weather Service
What is it to you? Partly sunny or partly cloudy? According to the National Weather Service they mean exactly the same thing, see definition above.
A day like this in the Alaska Range feels like… amazing. July/August are the rainy season and the mountains will be hiding inside the clouds.
So, I am going with (partly) sunny.
Shine on.
Pioneer Ridge – Denali
In 1910 a group of miners attempted a first ascent on Denali, the tallest mountain in North America. To proof their success they planted a spruce tree on the North summit, hoping it could be seen from Fairbanks, 100 miles away. A lot has been written about their ascent. In recognition of their feat Bradford Washburn, an accomplished mountaineer, named a prominent ridge on Denali after the pioneers attempting this mountain without ropes, ice axes, or modern mountaineering equipment.
From 30 miles away my camera can pick up details of this impressive ridge. A land of ice and snow, glaciers and crevasses.
2023 has been a miserable year to climb Denali. Snow and weather conditions allowed only 1 in 3 climbers set foot on the top of the mountain this year. 1106 climbers attempted the mountain this year. In comparison over 1800 attempted Everest in 2023. The climbing season for 2023 on Denali is now closed. The first hardy souls may come back in February or March to attempt a winter ascent. Most climber will wait until May or June, when the temperatures are more tolerable.
Denali is at 63 degrees northern latitude, which is further North than the Himalayas. That and its topographic isolation make for dangerous weather patterns. Temperatures of -100 degrees Fahrenheit (-73 degrees Celsius) have been recorded at the 15,000 feet level.
Black and White
I see the world in black and white,
Greta Thunburg
and I don’t like compromising.
I wonder how Greta is doing these days. It must be exhausting to believe so strongly in a cause and being ignored by most. There is a quote by her saying “Why study if there is no future?”. She and others believe we are at the beginning of a mass extinction caused by climate change (and possibly other human-inflicted causes). The warmest June on record, continued deforestation… Do I need to go on?
I am with the “Enjoy it while you can crowd”. Living in a large state, that imports most goods from the lower 48s, produces a big chunk of American crude oil, and has no recycling capabilities, it is not easy to be green. Our summer seems within the norm. Big swaths of mosquitoes, tons of wildflowers, bluebird days followed by dramatic skies, drizzle and the occasional torrential downpour.
Human nature is not black and white
Graham Greene
but black and grey.
Where to Stand
A good photograph is knowing where to stand.
Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams created iconic landscape images by choosing great locations, waiting for the right light and realizing his vision in the darkroom.
I have found one of his locations that I can visit daily: Wonder Lake and Denali from Reflection Pond. So I am awaiting patiently for the weather gods to provide a great frame for the mountain and the lake.
My darkroom is digital.
Here is version 1.
P.S. – Knowing where to stand applies also to other aspects in life, especially morals and ethics.It seems many politicians and their ardent followers appear lost…
P.P.S. – No AI was used in the making of this photograph.
Midnight Sun №2
How beautiful the silent hour, when morning and evening thus sit together, hand in hand, beneath the starless sky of midnight!
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a prolific American writer, who traveled extensively to Europe, to study languages and literature. He was fluent in German, French, Spanish and Italian. His own poetry was translated into 27 languages. It always amazes me how much art and traditions of other cultures we miss by not speaking their language or having a well-crafted translation.
Bearly 