Revisiting a Gothic Landscape Wild and Beautiful-- Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon, Canada
Last August I spent 8 days in Tombstone Territorial Park in the Yukon Territory, Canada. It's a wild, vast land. Empty, eerie and full of gothic beauty. The early explorers found the ragged, dried magma mountains that jutted from the earth in strange and prominent angles to resemble grave markers-- hence the name of Tombstone.
Talus Lake and surrounding mountains of Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon, Canada. This was my campsite for night 3 of my 5 night/6 day backpack in the park. Notice how the jagged mountains rise off the hill like tombstones marking graves of giants passed.
Tombstone Territorial Park lies about 2 hours north of Dawson City, the gold rush town of Klondike fame. The park receives about 8,000 visitors a year and has an excellent visitor center with a very friendly staff. Here, I enjoyed wild herb tea and bannock, a type of fried bread of the Inuit and other First Nations peoples, on both my first day in the park and my last. The main campground is an excellent place to camp and I particularly enjoyed the day use cabin where me and several other campers ate meals and waited out the rainy weather. We fed the pot belly stove log after log and talked story throughout the day. It was really quite cozy.
Day 1 of my 6 day trek through Tombstone TP leads through a gothic landscape of wild beauty. While the hike begins in Taiga forest, the majority of the trail is above tree line and offers awesome views (if the clouds and fog allow). The hike is about 9 miles long and covers ridge line, scree and boulder fields (lots of boulder fields). I found day 1 (and the return leg on day 6) to be the most difficult of the 6 day trek. Below is a profile of day 1 to Grizzly Lake and day 2 to Divide Lake.
When i first saw this profile, I thought it was a joke or a charting error. I immediately looked down the page to Glissade Pass. I have never before seen a hiking profile like this before-- straight up and straight down!?! But it's true. That's what it is-- it's pretty much straight up and straight down. It's not really a pass. It's just a way up. Ropes should be anchored, but there are not any. It's totally doable, but It's a tricky climb up and down with full pack.
The view going up Glissade Pass. I was thankful that it was dry going up, but 4 days later going down it was all wet with fog and rain and quite slippery. The good thing is this day was short and sweet, and Divide Lake on the back side was pretty impressive-- especially the following morning.
First light falls on the mountains beyond Divide Lake.
Without doubt, my favorite day of the trek was day 3-- Divide Lake to Talus. This was prime alpine hiking. Very few scree slopes. No side hilling. And only one or two boulder fields. Oh, and the scenery was fucking epic.
Fields of green tundra and blue skies. I was a happy hiker on this day!
Here's a little marmot that I met along the way.
As I write this post the premier backcountry trek in Tombstone is an out and back to Talus Lake. There's talk of making a circuit to limit impact on the vegetation of the tundra. I had planned to spend two nights at Talus Lake and hoped to explore around the Tombstone Mountain on my second day there, but because I was running out of food and fuel I decided to turn back after sleeping just one night at Talus.
Tombstone Mountain and Arctic clouds. Fittingly goth and cooly alluring. This is Tombstone Territorial Park: vast, remote and more than a little chilling.
Random Notes on the trek:
- Grizzly Lake can be done as a long ass out and back day hike. I wouldn't do it, but it could be done. More reasonable would be a 4 to 5 mile hike to a high viewpoint of the valley and mountains beyond.
- Campsites were nice, but I didn't like the plastic, grid-like tent pads. Uncomfortable and difficult to use with my tent (rainfly hooks into tent pegs so tent pegs must be secure, which was nearly impossible to do with the design of these tent pads. But I made do).
- Hike was not crowded at all. Pretty remote section of the world. Most tents that I saw at one campground were 10. The fewest two (including mine).
- Everyone on the trail was friendly.
- Didn't see any big animals, but did see grizzly bear scat along the trail and a Lynx in the front country camp site before I began the trek.
- The weather was totally unpredictable, other than it was mostly wet and cold.
- If you could time a visit when the tundra turns in the fall I imagine it would be epic.
- Definitely stop by the visitor center as it is informative, friendly, and super cozy.
- The staff at this park ROCKS! Everyone was just awesome and very helpful.
- Take lots of toilet paper as there are toilets at each campsite but no paper is provided.
- The toilets are very HIGH! (You'll get it when you see them).
- Leave a journal entry if you have the time! (There's a journal in the toilets for comedy).
- Recommended playlist-- The Smiths, The Cure, Cowboy Junkies, Mazzy Star, Thievery Corporation, Mozart (Requiem).
If you have any questions about this hike or about my experience in this wonderful park, please feel free to reach out to me in the comment section below.
Thanks for reading and happy trails.
*More photos from the trek are in the gallery A Landscape for Bronte...
Aloha,
Lee
Campsites of the Beautiful Suffering-- A 100 Day Photography Adventure
Summer is vastly approaching and I am sure many of you are getting ready for epic road trips and adventures. I thought it would be a good time to give you a quick review of the 86 nights spent in a tent during my 100 day photography adventure of 2018. Below are a few thoughts on a few campsites of the trip. If you have any questions on a location or itinerary feel free to ask away. Likewise, if you have any thoughts or experiences that you would like to share, please, shout out to me in the comments below. Mahalo!
To view images from this road trip, please click here to see the Beautiful Suffering online gallery.
Best Easy to get to Backcountry Campsite--Leigh Lake, GTNP, Wyoming
Best Hard to get to Backcountry Campsite-- Cascade North Fork along the Teton Crest Trail, GTNP, Wyoming
Worst Campsite-- Eagle Plains in the Yukon Territory on the way to Inuvik and Tuk
Hottest Campsite-- Shadow Mountain, Bridger Teton National Forest
Coldest Campsite-- Holly Lake, GTNP, Wyoming / Tuktoyaktuk, NWT, Canada (tie)
Windiest Campsite-- Tuktoyaktuk, NWT, Canada
Smokiest-- Summit Lake, BC / Kerkeselin, Jasper NP, Alberta, Canada (tie)
Northernmost Campsite-- Tuktoyaktuk, NWT, Canada
Easternmost Campsite-- Sage Creek, Badlands NP, South Dakota
Most Bear-- Brooks Camp, Katmai NP, Alaska
Most Elk-- Mammoth, Yellowstone NP, Wyoming
Most Bison-- Pebble Creek, Yellowstone NP, Wyoming
Most Moose-- Wonder Lake, Denali NP, AK
Most Caribou-- Wonder Lake, Denali NP, AK
Most Eagles-- Lake Garibaldi PP, BC, Canada
Most Prairie Dogs-- Sage Creek, Badlands NP, South Dakota
Most Snow in Campsite-- Lake Garibaldi PP, BC, Canada
Nicest Neighbors-- Stawamus Chief PP, BC Canada / Grizzly Lake / Talus Lake Tombstone TP, Yukon, Canada
Loudest Neighbors-- Lewis Lake, Yellowstone NP, Wyoming
Coziest Campsite-- Tombstone TP, Yukon Territory, Canada
Wettest Campsite-- Wrangell St. Elias NP, Alaska
Most Scenic (in a gothic beauty kind of way)-- Talus Lake, Tombstone TP, Yukon, Canada
Most Scenic (if The Mountain is out)-- Wonder Lake, Denali NP, Alasaka
Most Scenic (if The Mountain is NOT out)-- Leigh Lake/ Cascade North Fork (tie) GTNP, Wyoming
Most Scenic on a Budget-- Shadow Mountain, Bridger Teton NF, Wyoming
Cleanest--Devil's Tower NM, Wyoming
Best Showers (pay)-- St. Mary's GNP, Montana
Best Showers (free)-- Ten Mile Lake, BC, Canada (best overall)
Best Reservation System-- BC Parks, British Columbia, Canada
Best Memories-- All of 'em!
Aloha,
Lee
To see images from the exhibition The Beautiful Suffering, please click here.
A Perfect East Swell-- Kauai Surf Photos
Kauai recently had a perfect east swell fill in from Nawiliwili to Anahola. Here are a few action shots of Kauai's very talented wave riders. All photos were taken with the Canon 1 DX II and Canon 300mm f/2.8 II Lens.
The masked rider emerges from the explosion of white water and aims down the line. I love how the all natural sun screen (don't harm our reefs!) masks this body boarder's face, making him appear like a villain or super hero from an action flick.
Pulling in and slowing down. Notice how this surfer's left hand is on the outside rail of his surfboard? Well, he's doing that in order to get leverage so that he can pull himself down the face of a right breaking wave. In surfing, he's considered a goofy footer because his right leg leads, leaving his back to face the right breaking wave. It's likely he feels more comfortable on a left breaking wave where he would be directly facing the front of the wave. Anyway, when your back is to the wave you need to find some king of extra momentum to position yourself in the pocket or sweet spot of the wave. That's what he is expertly doing here. Notice, too, his right hand touching the wave, almost as if he is drawing a diagonal line on the wave. He's doing that to slow himself down, hoping to "get tubed".
Tubed. Shacked. Pitted. Barreled. Ecstasy. I've only experienced it once-- for a nano second on a small little wave at Honolulu Bay, Maui. Let's be clear-- it was nothing like this. This surfer is so much better! And I just love this photo. I love how the surfer's body matches the shape of the wave. Being one with nature in single minded focus. Adapting our position and posture so that we can better accept the gifts of nature.
Having Fun
Elegant Athleticism
Slash n Gash
In Perfect Position. This body boarder is in perfect position for a long ride down the face of the wave. To ride a body board in this manner takes a great deal of skill and technique. Watching these rippahs perform was inspiring. They were full of stoke and shared it with the gallery along the break wall. The afternoon show will be a wonderful memory for me for many years to come.
Droppin' In.
Flipped Out! (Oh, he nailed the landing, too!)
Go with the Flow
Finito
Aloha,
Lee
A Kind of Beautiful Suffering-- A Long Summer's Photo Trip
Aloha. Well, my photo trip is getting close. I've already shipped my Toyota FJ Cruiser to Seattle and I fly to meet it Sunday night. I'll be away from Kauai until October 10th and the above map shows my (rough) itinerary. Backpacking trips in Garibaldi PP, Tombstone TP, Assiniboine PP, and Tetons NP await. As do brown bears in Katmai NP; the mountain in Denali NP; and loads of other sights and critters along the way. Planning a road trip is always the romantic part, but enduring one is a kind of beautiful suffering. Wish me luck as I set out on this adventure. Hopefully, I'll come back with some nice photos to share.
Aloha,
Lee
PS-- Summer Hours at the Hanapepe Gallery (July 1 ~ October 10th)
Monday-- 10:30 ~ 2:30
Tuesday-- CLOSED
Wednesday-- 10:30 ~ 2:30
Thursday-- CLOSED
Friday-- 2 ~ 8:30
Saturday-- CLOSED
Sunday-- CLOSED
Pele's Process
Pele's Process, Big Island, Hawaii
I, like many of you, have been following closely the recent events on the Big Island. The Kilauea eruption into Leilani Estates in Puna and the subsequent ocean entries in and around Kapoho Bay show the power of Pele and impress upon us the fact that our Earth is a living planet. The devastation is incredibly sad, but at the same time Pele's alluring beauty is undeniable.
Pele, Puna, Big Island, Hawaii
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I have had the chance to visit Hawaii island three times since last April, and on those trips I saw the Big Island as I have seen it before, and in new ways hitherto unimaginable. In April, the lava lake at Halema'uma'u was "normal", glowing in the dark hours like I had seen it in 2016.
As Night Falls a Halo Rises, Volcanoes National Park, Big Island, Hawaii
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Then in May, the crater began to stir as earthquakes shook Volcano village and the Puna district multiple times daily, until the lava lake sank into Kilauea's underground tubes and channels. Next, the fissures opened from underground and eruptions into Leilani Estates spewed lava high into the air; lava pools and rivers formed; evacuations, roadblocks and checkpoints dotted the map; the loss and grief; and Pele's process began anew, creating new land in a display of awesome power.
Fissure 8, Leilani Estates, Big Island, Hawaii
Lava Fountain Pools, Puna, Big Island, Hawaii
A flyover Fissure 8 in Puna sees it shooting lava 220 feet high; the makings of a cinder cone along the back side of the lava fountain are apparent; as is, too, the lava river and it's ocean minded flow
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I photographed this event on two occasions-- late May and again in early June. In May, I went over for just a few days. In June, I went on a one way ticket and took all my camping gear and stayed a bit longer, determined to photograph this event from a safe distance and a respectful perspective.
Fissure 8 (Modern Art), Puna, Big Island, Hawaii
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On June 4th I saw the lava fill into Kapoho Bay and knew that on tomorrow's boat ride we would not be a able to get close to the lava flow because of the reef and breaking waves.
Where Lava Meets Sea with White Steam, Kapoho Bay, Big Island, Hawaii
A half-mile-wide lava flow reaches Kaphoho Bay and covers the reef and baths in new volcanic black rock and white steam.
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At 4 am on June 5th I boarded a boat and didn't really know what to expect, only that it would be a shorter ride than my fire one the week before since the lava ocean entry at Kapoho Bay was closer to Hilo than the first ocean entry of this eruption. This ride was less choppy than the previous and I got less wet. The red plume in the pre dawn sky was much larger and appeared as if it were mirroring the lava river flowing below in the sky above. When we approached Kapoho Bay we could see lava just beginning to lap into flames around the back of these ocean front houses. And then the flames grew, danced, and spread. One of the most helpless feelings I have ever had. And one of the saddest, too.
Ocean Front Fire at Kaphoho Bay, Big Island, Hawaii
Kapoho Bay (Burning Down the House), Big Island, Hawaii
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The power of Pele and her incredible beauty have never been more visible. I hope these images give you a sense of this energy and the wonder of our ever changing planet. Respect to Pele and hope and courage to all of those affected.
Aloha,
Lee