Williwaw in the rain

A couple weeks ago, we headed out to Williwaw Lakes. It's another trail jumping pretty much straight out of Anchorage that I've been wanting to do for a while. We planned to do an overnight at the lakes, but ran into some nasty weather - rain and strong winds. So instead, we decided to just run it as a day trip. It's a long out and back (about 13 miles, depending on which route you take), so I was glad to do it with just a rain jacket, snacks, and a few lenses instead of a big pack.













What goes up...



... Must come down.















Just like our trip to Fuller Lakes, we came across some sheep on the trail that were a pretty good distance away. With my deepest lens, this was the closest I could get without a major side-trip, but it was really neat to see these young Dalls grazing up the on the hill. I promise to put up some real wildlife photography in an upcoming post of a trip I just did with my brother to Denali National Park. But for now, this is just a nice memory.

My Brother's Coming to AK!

My brother will arrive in Alaska on Thursday. I can't wait to see him. This will be his first time here. We're going to hit the road and have some solid backpacking trips planned. But, first things first -- Porter decided he needed a bath so that he could maybe line up an invite onto the guest bed (AKA the giant air mattress) while his buddy's in town.





Baths always go fine until it comes time to wash his face. That's when things can get a little crabby.

Crow Creek Mine

At this point, I have no idea how many times I've passed the road to Crow Creek Mine on my way into Girdwood. That, or gone just a few hundred yards in to grab a bite to eat at Maxine's. But, dive three miles back and you'll arrive at a gold mine that's over a century old.

People still pan there, though the mine itself has been out of operation since WWII. A handful of the original buildings have been preserved, still holding their original rusted pots and pans, tools, and decorations. There's an strong contrast of old and new that gives the area a very classic Alaskan feel.

























We attended a wedding out at the mine this weekend. The groom and many of his friends are extraordinarily talented bluegrass musicians. There were hired photographers for the wedding itself, so I tried as much as possible to stay out of their way and just enjoy the scene. So, no real wedding images here, except a few of the musicians and our buddy Jude at the reception.

















Also, somebody handed Kelly a sparkler right as it died. Disappointment sets in...