Just a few more from the trail

This shot amuses me just because it's so impossible to tell the true size of these rocks. The only point of reference really is the tree between the first and second rock, but even that is deceiving because you can't tell if it's a big tree or a little one. I can't even remember myself, to tell you the truth. :)



A view back to the Plain of Monuments we had crossed.



Hull Boss is such a fantastic model for these "Great Alaska Outdoors" shots.



Beginning our descent.



My favorite model again



The last shot




I didn't take any more photos on the hike after this for several reasons, the most important being that we'd been away from camp already for eight hours with the dog zipped up in the tent, and we thought we'd better hustle it up. Second, we came upon a kill of some sort, moose or caribou, and not knowing if there were bears or wolves around keeping an eye on it, we didn't want to stick around to find out. Third, the descent was VERY steep requiring close attention. And, fourth, once we got back down into the trees, the mosquitoes were ferocious.

The entire hike took us 12 hours and 15 minutes, from 8:15 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. When we got back to camp, we each took a couple of Aleve, drank a couple bottles of water, and crashed hard - with no dinner because we were too tired to even open up the cooler. I don't think a sleeping bag ever felt so good. :)

Great stuff. It's so great to see really personal shots like this.

I did enjoy this hike so much and wanted to share. It was much more beautiful and awe-inspiring up there than I could begin to capture in these photos, so grand and exhiliarating. I felt such a sense of accomplishment at completing the 15 miles - not that we had much choice once we started. :) I told HullBoss that to me it was kind of like giving birth - no turning back. But I felt really great for days afterwards. Still do, actually.

reminds me a lot of usedtobesick's expression after a long day of hiking/sight-seeing: "I love you, but the camera-thing is getting a wee bit tiresome, Dear."
:rofl:

I'm also frequently frustrated at how little of the grandeur I experience translates into photographic image. The difference between seeing in 3D and shooting in 2D, I suppose. I also always forget to put things in for size perspective, like people against towering rocks and such. In fact, I will most often get annoyed when other tourists enter my photo, and make a point of sitting there until they're gone to take the shot. Then I get left with a photo tat can't begin to capture the wonder of the scene. *sigh* Someday maybe I'll learn.

This was a wonderful hike you've brought us on. Thank you!

by the time of the last photograph, that's for sure. The downhill part of this trek seemed actually harder on him than the uphill because of his knees. You just don't realize how far 15 miles really is (especially when a lot of it is up and down) until you get to about mile 10 or so. The way I handled it was to just keep forging on, while HullBoss took more breaks. He was tired, I just wanted to get it over with. :)