The Four Seasons

A landscape photography project one year in the making…

My favorite alpine lake in the world (I’ll admit to being highly biased!) is Upper Dewey Lake above the small town I call home in Alaska. This particular lake is nestled in a high cirque 3200’ above Skagway and the Upper Taiya Inlet, in the northern reaches of the Tongass National Forest. Upper Dewey (or just “Upper”, as the locals call it) is one of those magical spots that is infintely fascinating, whether in glorious summer sun, winter snow, calm spring mornings, or wild autumn storms. Like hunger being the best cook, sprinkle on a leg-burning 3000’ climb to the lake and everyone that finally arrives at the lake is surprised and delighted.

Some of my favorite photos I’ve ever taken have been of and around Upper Lake (some of which you’ll see on this very site). I shared so many photos over the years that eventually friends inspired me to try and document the changing of the seasons at this gorgeous little lake. Easy to say… not easy to do! The four photo series ultimately took a year and a half and required around 20 (I’ll be honest, I’ve lost count) hikes to my favorite spots above the lake. I saw Upper Dewey in sun, wind, sudden rain, swirling fog, rainbow haloed, deep snow (oh, man, the snowshoeing), and everything in between. I’ve selected my favorite four phtos that best showcase the wild beauty of Upper Lake and the Coast Mountains of Southeast Alaska: Spring Bluebirds, Summer Greens, Early Autumn, and Winter Wonderland. I hope they will inspire you to get out to one of your favorite spots and take some photos, too.

You’ll find these four prints in the Prints gallery, under the categories “The North” and “Four Seasons”