Winterscapes Of The Alaskan Arctic

It was early March, and another cloudless 70 oF day had arrived in Los Angeles. Trees were leafing out, flowers were sprouting across nearby deserts, and spring was on the horizon. My mind, however, was wandering much farther north. Exactly one year ago I was on my way to Alaska’s north slope, with green aurouae dancing overhead. My destination was the end of the road – the town of Deadhorse – but more than 400 miles of ice, the Brooks Range and a succession of weather-related obstacles stood in my path. The temperature outside had dipped to -65 oF. My engine struggled to turn over, the transmission refused to shift, and windows froze shut. Snow drifts eventually closed the road, forcing a retreat to Fairbanks with my mission uncompleted. The journey, though, left me with memories of an incomparably desolate but pristine winter wilderness, a landscape that beckoned me to return. With more accommodating weather forecasted this year, I decided to do what any committed landscape photogra...