PWS: Pigot Bay Cabin

As part of my project with the Chugach National Forest and Alaska Geographic, we decided we wanted to feature some of the public use cabins around Prince William Sound. These cabins offer fantastic access to wilderness areas and, as Chris points out, also serve as a safe shelter for anyone trapped out on the water by extreme weather conditions.

Pigot Bay holds the closest of these cabins to Whittier. After landing on the small beach below the cabin, a few hundred feet of trail lead across a wood bridge to its front door. From there you can keep close watch on your boat and the rest of the bay.

Kennicott Mines

In the early 1900's Kennicott was home to one of the world's largest copper mines. After a few decades of use, the site's resources were depleted and the town of Kennicott was all but abandoned. Over 70 years later much of the original equipment and structures remain basically untouched. This ghost town gives a interesting look into Alaska's past.

Root Glacier

Glaciers absolutely fascinate me. Their size, bright blue colors, and structural characteristics almost seem otherworldly. Running flows of water, deep cravasses, creaks, moans, and calves that sound like cannon blasts are a constant reminder that they are changing under your feet and in front of your eyes.

At the end of the road in Kennicott, there's a trail that heads out into the Wrangell Mountains. At their base is Root. With crampons, we were able to climb our way onto the glacier and wander around.





As we made our way back, we paralleled a small stream of water slurping through cracks, falling and rushing downhill as it made its way toward the canyon below. Before reaching the glacier's edge it forms this ice tunnel...

PWS: Heney Ridge Trail - Cordova, AK

I have to say that Cordova is one of my favorite places that I had the chance to visit in Alaska. Unfortunately, I only had a few days to spend there, but the Heney Ridge Trail was truly the highlight of my trip. Even with all the rain and fog we had, it is one of the prettiest and most interesting hikes I've ever been on.

As part of my Prince William Sound project, I wanted to do a piece about recreation opportunities in fairly remote locations. In the following slideshow, you'll see the unbelievable attention to detail and effort put in by the Chugach trail crews to build a safe and extremely usable trail through an otherwise rugged area that is, as Dave Zastrow puts it, "a little off the beaten path." What you end up with is a incredible hike with a very unique combination of natural beauty and manmade structures.

PWS: Chenega Ferry - Whittier to Cordova, AK

This summer, I had an amazing opportunity to work for the Chugach National Forest and Alaska Geographic. Together, they are in the process of launching Sound Stories, a website that communicates the experience of being in Alaska's Prince William Sound through video, photography, text and audio. The website features pieces on recreation, wildlife, culture, history and anything else that tells the unique stories of the people and places in the Sound.











For the project I collected images from a handful of beautiful locations and interviewed people who work and live in the Sound. In total, I created 5 slideshows illustrating the experience of visiting Prince William Sound.

This slideshow documents my journey on the Alaska Marine Highway ferry from Whittier to Cordova. Since the Good Friday Earthquake of 1964 destroyed the only road in, Cordova has been accessible only by boat and plane. Residents of this small fishing community rely heavily on the Marine Highway System to connect them to the rest of Alaska. It also provides access to visitors who are seeking a quiet and authentic Alaskan experience.

Fall Fishing - Colorado

The Poudre River, west of Fort Collins has a special place in my heart. I've spent far more days on it than any other river, so in a way, I consider it my home for fly fishing. I was recently back home in Colorado and my dad, brother, my long-time fishing buddy Caleb, and I were able to find the time to meet up on the Poudre for a day.

I'll say first off that we're not talking about the most productive trout water in Colorado to begin with. You have to work pretty hard to just avoid getting shut out on an average day. Add to that, the wind storm that was literally knocking trees over on our drive out, multiple snow flurries, and water freezing in the rod guides. I expected the worst, but in the end, things came together and it turned out to be one of the best fishing days on the Poudre that we've ever had.

Wood Bison - British Columbia

This fall I made the move from Alaska back down the the pacific northwest. Ever since making the decision to do so, I began to look forward to taking another trip along the Alaska Highway. There's really nothing like it. The variation in scenery from end to end is nothing short of spectacular. Not to mention all the opportunities for wildlife viewing.

This particular trip will always stand out in my head because of all of the animals that we saw along the way -- moose, caribou, deer, foxes, wolves... But none of the sightings were nearly as impressive as the massive heard of wood bison that we came across in British Columbia. We counted well over 100 in this corridor.