Photos from a trip to Anchorage from Fairbanks. A quick visit during a trip to meet with a surgeon. Stops at Byers Lake, McHugh Creek, and Thunderbird Falls.
As I'm wrapping up photos and info from the 2021 wildflower season, I wanted to write a post on the work that goes into my Alaska Wildflower Guide and some hopes for the future.
Gorgeous blue glacier ice from ice caves in the Canwell Glacier as well as in moulins and the Gabriel Icefall on the Gulkana Glacier. Great hikes in the Alaska Range last week!
The Blue Angels performing over Eielson Air Force Base near North Pole, Alaska | Purchase Print This weekend, the Arctic Lightning Air Show at Eielson Air Force Base is going on. Cat and I spent...
Lots of photos of the Gabriel Icefall and Gulkana Glacier. I made a second trip to the area after getting caught in a snowstorm the week before. Had much better weather this time around!
Photos and story from a rainy and snowy summer day spent hiking and exploring the Gabriel Icefall on the Gulkana Glacier in the Eastern Alaska Range.
After nearly 1.5 years of dealing with a plethora of health problems, I set out on a 15-mile hike up the Canwell Glacier in the Alaska Range. Photos and story . . .
Photos and description of a hike in Denali National Park from the Savage River, over Mt. Margaret and back down to the Park Road at the Primrose rest area.
Fairbanks Birding Spring 2021 - Every year in April, we welcome our winged friends back to the Alaska interior. After our long, cold, dark winters, they are a sure sign that change is here.
2022 Wall Calendar by Lee Petersen. Alaska natural scenery including aurora borealis, glaciers, landscapes, and wildlife!
View over the Black Rapids Glacier in the Eastern Alaska Range | Purchase Print Introduction The Black Rapids Glacier is what is known as a surge-type glacier in a region of the Eastern Alaska Range...
It wasn't easy to decide to post route info and GPS data from my trips in Denali National Park. The National Park Service asks specifically not to share GPS tracks socially. It's probably the only...
Today I launched an Indiegogo campaign to help raise funds for this website.
Auroral band behind the trees | Purchase Print We've had some wonderful winter sights, and a handful of light shows so far this winter. This is my 11th full winter in Fairbanks, marking a full...
When and why you should (or shouldn't) shoot in raw. Photography and aurora photography tutorials.
A basic, yet comprehensive explanation of what causes the aurora. Tying together the solar wind, geomagnetic field, Van Allen belts, atomic energy states, and the electromagnetic spectrum.
Mountain death camas is a lily-like white flowering plant in moist grasslands. The whole plant is very toxic to humans and livestock.
Late summer day hikes around Fairbanks in 2020. Photos from the Gulkana Glacier, Nome Creek, Creamer's Field, and Angel Rocks.
Photos and brief description of ice crystal growth in an R-channel, or Röthlisberger style subglacial channel in winter - Castner Glacier - Alaska Range
In late July, Cat and I attempted to hike Mt. Healy via Bison Gulch, just south of Healy, Alaska. It gets added to the list of failed attempts on my list for 2020. This just...
A few of the brands I trust - Since I am writing gear reviews on equipment I use, a few brand names will keep reappearing. Here's a few points on picking brands and staying unbiased...
At the beginning of July, we spent a weekend in Denali, camping for 2 nights at the Riley Creek Campground. For a change, we weren't off for big adventures, but I had the goal of...
Water and ice seem to possess a never-ending range of color and texture. This project involves capturing images of the detail, complexity, and range of color of water and ice.
I don't need to say that the spring of 2020 has been . . . interesting. For everyone. Here in Fairbanks, we finished off one of the coldest winters since I moved here ten years...
A light pillar display over Fairbanks on a very cold January evening in Fairbanks, Alaska. This photo was taken from the University of Alaska near the Geophysical Institute. Typically the human eye doesn't discern a...
Cat inspects a columnar ice crystal that had fallen from the ceiling Yesterday, in an effort to avoid people amidst a growing outbreak of COVID-19 cases in Fairbanks, Cat and I drove down to Castner...
The Canwell Glacier is an approximately 10-mile long valley glacier on the south side of the Delta Mountains in the Eastern Alaska Range. It is reasonably easy to access the area, but there are no...
This morning 15 dog mushers began their 1000-mile journey on the 2020 Yukon Quest. We watched them all off on their way to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory just as they left the start gate. It typically...
Forty of my favorite photos from 2019. Landscapes and wildlife from glaciers in the Alaska Range and Chugach Mountains, Denali National Park, and more!
The Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge is roughly 5400 acres of protected water and land. Located near Sebastian, Florida, the refuge is a beautiful conservation site in an otherwise sprawling urban area. This oasis of...
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photos from the night launch viewed over the Indian River.
Three day bike tour in Denali National Park before the tourist season opens. Dall sheep, grizzly bears, and ptarmigan were spotted among other animals along with some beautiful vistas.
(Link to a few trail maps and hiking guides below) Winter is my favorite season in Denali National Park. It is empty. I rarely run into anyone, and when I do it might be a...
I think 2012 was the first year I photographed this little stand of spruce trees on Murphy Dome. I have kept returning to this spot over the years that I've lived in Fairbanks. The photo...
Tidewater glacier calving is an extremely powerful event that everyone should get a chance to witness. If you haven't ever seen this, it's time to hop on a plane to Alaska, Greenland, Iceland, or Antarctica...
I woke up early to photograph a cool planetary alignment of Venus, Mars, and Jupiter with a quarter moon. I lucked out because the aurora was still going strong at 4:30 am! We were also...
I spent the 4th of July weekend hiking in solitude on the Castner Glacier in the Alaska Range. Looking up Castner Creek in the Delta Range I walked up the south side of Castner Creek...
I can definitely say now that Rainbow Ridge is as steep as it looks from the road below. I drove down on Saturday, June 6 with the hope of hiking to the top of Rainbow...
Ghostly aurora from the Granite Tors Trail | Purchase Print I'm awakened in the night by a shiver. I have somehow found my way deep in my sleeping bag, sticking my nose toward the tiny...
I wanted to share some photos from a dayhike Jenn and I took this winter at Angel Rocks. I've hiked Angel Rocks in early spring, summer, and fall, and walked out one dark night to...
Looking for a hiking guide to the Castner Glacier? I don’t usually start venturing into the Alaska Range until March. The temperature becomes a bit warmer, the snow is deeper and more supportive, and we...
One of my best friends, Jenn from New Hampshire just made her second visit to Fairbanks, this time braving the bitter winter temps in hopes of seeing the aurora. After I picked her up at...
Welcome to the Alaska interior, welcome to the boreal forest. This is a unique biome. Coniferous trees dominate the landscape, yet stands of birch and aspen remain plentiful in many places. The leafy trees love...
Purchase Print Where do I even begin? I mean, the title kind of says it all. As I sit here writing, I am purely exhausted. I was driving to the post office this morning and...
From October until April we live in a mostly monochromatic world. The sky makes some pretty dramatic colors at sunrise and sunset, but in the middle of the day (for all 3 hours of...
