One of my favorite photos of one of my favorite people in one of my favorite places. So yes, I love the image. High above Iceberg Lake, on my second visit to the area. I still get a kick out of returning here.

A hot, dry summer in Alaska typically means fires. Lots of fires. And this particular year was one of the worst I remember. Smoke filled every nook and cranny and crevice I could hike to. Frustrating because the weather was so nice, the and the sunshine, without the smoke, would’ve saturated the landscape with golden warm light. But the smoke was so thick, so much of the time, that great photography opportunities were few and far between.

My buddy Frank and I hiked around Iceberg Lake, and climbed up on this ridge here to poke around the rocky bluffs a bit more. In the heat of the day, a cool clear tarn (small alpine lake) beckoned, and we both took a dip. The water was a beautiful relief from the heat.

After drying off a bit, I sauntered off to find some thing to photograph, and Frank got out and soaked up the sun to dry off. Looking across at him from the knoll I stood on, I called out “Don’t move!”, and changed lenses. I took 3 images of him there that afternoon, and this one remains my favorite. The light is just right.

Dinner that night was a thick, creamy mac ‘n cheese with tuna and and a little onion. Fantastic trip we had.

A black and white photo of a snowfield, a glacier, a naked hiker in the Chugach Mountains, near Iceberg Lake, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska.