You hear a lot about Alaska, but until you get on a float plane and start flying out of Anchorage you really can't get a sense of how vast it is " or how quickly you can be in the middle of nowhere. Spent a week or so here in 2015, at two of the finest adventure lodges you can imagine " Tutka Bay Lodge and Winterlake Lodge. Perfect jumping off point for bear treks in Katmai, helicoptor hiking on glaciers, halibut fishing, and pretty much every other cool adventure you can imagine.
The Herring Islands, at the mouth of Tutka Bay, as seen from the air on our approach to the lodge.
This what Alaska looks like from the air just outside of Anchorage. I was amazed at how quickly we found ourselves flying over the middle of nowhere.
Mother and baby otter in Kachemak Bay. There are strict rules governing how close you can get to these, and in three-foot seas these were a huge challenge to photograph.
Flying south from Homer toward Katmai National Park at dawn. On our way we passed over a number of remote fishing villages, but for the most part it was just wide open country.
Adult male sea otter, Kachemak Bay.
Another aerial shot of the remote terrain between Homer and Katmai National Park.
We started our flight to Katmai in pretty heavy weather, but about halfway down the skies cleared to reveal this beauty.
I'd been shooting bears at 600mm acorss this creek, when all of the sudden the wind died and the water became a giant mirror. I had a spare body attached to my hip with a wider lens and managed to get a few shots off.
Another look at my bear family.
If there's one thing that perfectly captures Alaska, it's mountain views with fireweed in the foreground.
Katmai National Park, as shot from the beach at Halo Bay.
Katmai National Park from the air.
Glacial runoff in Katmai National Park. The colors of the water were incredible.
Even at 10pm, the light in Alaska was fantastic. This was taken in Tutka Bay while out looking for whales.
Bear yoga in Katmai National Park, although I'm not sure I've ever seen this pose.
Mama bear trudges after a cub who didn't want to sit still.
After feeding her one cub, all this mother wanted to do was sleep. The cub had other ideas.
Slow but powerful.
While her sibling played with a cub from another mother, this shy young lady was more than content to hang out with mom.
Watching these two go at it for over an hour was like watching two teddy bears wrestling.
Even though there were no males around, this mother was constantly sniffing the air for trouble.
Winterlake Lodge is 198 miles (as the crow flies) from the nearest paved road. It only feels more remote than that.
Winterlake Lodge is actually the fourth stop on the Iditarod Trail. Other than float plane, the only way to get here is by dogsled.
On our way back to Anchorage from Winterlake Lodge we got our one and only clear look at Denali all week. I was sitting in the co-pilot seat and our pilot was kind enough to turn around and do a second flyby so I could get a clear shot of her out my open window.
Supermoon rise in Winterlake.
Greg Danford Photography
Founder of Danford Inc—Greg Danford is a Vermont based contest strategist and lover of photography.