NP#49 - Gates of the Arctic

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Gates of the Arctic National Park - Alaska 

 Gates represents our 49th Park Experience

Meandering Rivers flowing out of the Brooks Range 

 Fall color beginning to paint the Tundra.

 Walker Lake

 That little sandy beach is where I fell into the lake with my camera! 

Terry on the beach where my camera took a dive!

After departing Kobuk, our next stop will be Walker Lake, located at the southwestern portion of Gates of the Arctic National Park. Gates is the second largest park in the system – second in size only to Wrangell. It is the country’s northernmost park and does not contain any roads or trails. The Brooks Mountain Range runs east-west at the northern stretches of the park. The park got its name from explorer Robert Marshall, who called two peaks, Frigid Crags and Boreal Mountain, the  “gates of the arctic.”

The gloomy weather is not ideal for taking great pictures of the park; however, that didn’t matter much once we touched down on Walker Lake. You see, as I was stepping off the float plane, I slipped and fell into the lake…with my camera in hand! Yes, that nice Canon 5D Mark II took a swim! I was too shocked to see my camera underwater to even notice how cold the water might be! Needless to say, my camera had died a wet and miserable death! I came to discover, do not like to swim. Sadly, I was unable to get any good shots at Gates. Perhaps that means I'll have to go back? 

Weather was also an issue. We had hoped to get a look at the jagged Arrigetch Peaks, however, as you can see by the low hanging clouds, those peaks were hidden.

The flight back to Bettles was a solemn one as I contemplated what I’d do about shooting the other three parks we were set to visit. One of the biggest thrills I get when trekking about the parks is taking photos of that which we experience. Now, my beloved camera is of no use to me. I’m hoping there’s a camera shop in Fairbanks as I’d like to have something to shoot with when we visit Denali, Wrangell and Lake Clark!

Remember that runny nosed kid Terry sat next to on the flight from Fairbanks to Bettles? Well, it seems the kid passed along a cold germ or two to Terry as she is now beginning to feel poorly. Damn, three days into our trek and Terry’s got the crud!

I took the last picture in this sequence with Bill Goldmann's Canon. He and his wife Jamie had joined us for our Kobuk and Gates Park experience. Like us,  the Goldmann's are on a quest to visit all 59 parks as well. Kobuk and Gates were their 53rd and 54th park experiences. 

Alas! I suppose it's time to get some new camera gear!