The view from above.

Watching the clouds spill over the hills of Misty Fjords National Monument from the windows of a Beaver bush plane with my family.

Alpine

Although I enjoy the sweeping views awarded by mountain tops, my eyes are always drawn downward to the miniature life on rocky alpine surfaces. The small plants and lichens hugging the ground are so amazingly adapted to their harsh life that I can't help but hover over them and stare endlessly, hopping from patch to patch as I make my way across a mountain summit. This means, of course, that I am often not much fun to hike with. I will slow you down. Every few feet you'll hear an excited noise behind you and turn to see me hunched over, camera in hand, as excited as a fat kid in a candy store.


Photos from Flattop Mountain, Chugach Range, Alaska

Flattop Mountain

The trailhead is 15 minutes from our house. Alaska is incredible.

Some serious ogling; lichens of the pacific northwest

Light moving through hills in Banff National Park; Great dinnertime entertainment

Fishing on the Laramie River

Catching a fish is fun but lazily enjoying the Wyoming sky is good enough for me.  

Water droplets