Nostr notes by Lee Petersen

Pincushion Plant (Diapensia obovata) near the headwaters of Nome ...

2026-06-10T17:13:25+02:00

Pincushion Plant (Diapensia obovata) near the headwaters of Nome Creek in the White Mountain National Recreation Area last Saturday.

Info in my Alaska Wildflower Guide: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-wildflowers/pincushion-plant-diapensia-obovata/

#alaska #wildflowers #bloomscrolling

Just got back and showered after a gorgeous weekend backpacking ...

2026-06-08T06:21:49+02:00

Just got back and showered after a gorgeous weekend backpacking in the still very snowy White Mountains. Back to work early tomorrow, but I’ll share some more photos soon.

https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Recent-Photos

#alaska #hiking #spring

Evening light on the Alaska Range over the Black Rapids Glacier, ...

2026-06-06T18:40:13+02:00

Evening light on the Alaska Range over the Black Rapids Glacier, late June. The arc of rocks in the foreground snow is a medial moraine, debris carried on the glacier surface where two ice flows merge.

https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Glaciers

#alaska #glacier #hiking

Poisonous little buttercup, prairie pasqueflower (Pulsatilla ...

2026-06-04T09:22:30+02:00

Poisonous little buttercup, prairie pasqueflower (Pulsatilla nuttalliana), photographed at the Tatlanika Boulders near Healy, Alaska, on Saturday. One of the earliest wildflowers in interior Alaska, and a reliable colonizer of post-fire sites

Flower info in my Alaska Wildflower Guide: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-wildflowers/pulsatilla-nuttalliana-prairie-pasqueflower/

#alaska #wildflowers #bloomscrolling

Some late-night wildlife last weekend from Denali National Park. ...

2026-06-02T21:13:16+02:00

Some late-night wildlife last weekend from Denali National Park. Moose, snowshoe hare, and Black Scoters on Horseshoe Lake.

https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Recent-Photos

#alaska #wildlife #denalinationalpark

Aurora shining bright over a forest on the north side of ...

2026-06-02T19:23:29+02:00

Aurora shining bright over a forest on the north side of Fairbanks, Alaska on Valentine's Day of 2023.

https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Aurora-Borealis

#alaska #aurora #northernlights #auroraborealis #fairbanks

Calypso bulbosa var. americana, commonly known as the eastern ...

2026-05-28T19:18:45+02:00

Calypso bulbosa var. americana, commonly known as the eastern fairy slipper, blooming in Fairbanks yesterday! It's one of the earliest orchids to bloom in the region.

In my Alaska Wildflower Guide: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-wildflowers/calypso-bulbosa-fairy-slipper/

#fairbanks #alaska #wildflowers #bloomscrolling

Planetary conjunction of Jupiter and Venus in March of 2012, ...

2026-05-27T19:22:31+02:00

Planetary conjunction of Jupiter and Venus in March of 2012, taken over a small stand of spruce trees on Murphy Dome.

Prints and wall art: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Landscapes/i-Nn5B92t/A

#alaska #winter #twilight #fairbanks

A break in the clouds came right at the waterline at Ballaine ...

2026-05-26T18:45:46+02:00

A break in the clouds came right at the waterline at Ballaine Lake last night. The warm light reflecting off the ripples rather than a still surface.

More of my recent photos: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Recent-Photos

#alaska #reflection #fairbanks #sunset

Weekend scenery with friends in the Chena River State Recreation ...

2026-05-24T21:25:38+02:00

Weekend scenery with friends in the Chena River State Recreation Area. Mostly pretty weather except for about an hour.

https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-guide/granite-tors-trail/

#alaska #hiking #spring

A cross fox plays with her silver kit, Fairbanks, mid-May. Cross ...

2026-05-20T19:46:37+02:00

A cross fox plays with her silver kit, Fairbanks, mid-May. Cross and silver are both color morphs of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes).

https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Wildlife

#alaska #wildlife #fairbanks #spring

Jumbled seracs in the Gabriel Icefall on the Gulkana Glacier, ...

2026-05-19T18:55:44+02:00

Jumbled seracs in the Gabriel Icefall on the Gulkana Glacier, eastern Alaska Range. Seracs are ice towers formed where intersecting crevasses open as the glacier moves over steepening terrain.

https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-guide/gulkana-glacier-hike/

#alaska #hiking #glacier

Aurora over the Goldstream Valley, Fairbanks, January. A very ...

2026-05-18T18:13:54+02:00

Aurora over the Goldstream Valley, Fairbanks, January. A very active night.

https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Aurora-Borealis

#alaska #aurora #winter #auroraborealis

The Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) are starting to nest at ...

2026-05-16T18:12:51+02:00

The Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) are starting to nest at Creamer's Field. I can never get over how pretty the iridescent patterns on their backs are. Taken last night (May 15, 2026).

https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-guide/creamers-field/

#alaska #spring #fairbanks #birding

Waterfall along the Prince William Sound Coast near Valdez, ...

2026-05-15T18:49:13+02:00

Waterfall along the Prince William Sound Coast near Valdez, Alaska, on a rainy day in summer.

https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Explore/Explore-Alaska/Southcentral/Columbia-Glacier-Prince-William-Sound-Port-Valdez

#alaska #waterfall #valdez

Symmetry and texture at the seasonal wetlands pond at ...

2026-05-12T10:55:37+02:00

Symmetry and texture at the seasonal wetlands pond at Creamer's Field tonight at midnight.

#alaska #fairbanks #spring

A very active aurora display over a spruce boreal forest in ...

2026-05-11T18:49:15+02:00

A very active aurora display over a spruce boreal forest in Fairbanks, Alaska, in early February.

Prints and wall art in my aurora gallery: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Aurora-Borealis

#alaska #aurora #northernlights #winter #auroraborealis

Wildflower info in my guide: ...

2026-05-07T18:38:35+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…5mt0
_________________________

Wildflower info in my guide: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-wildflowers/alaska-boykinia-boykinia-richardsonii/

A stream above the Canwell Glacier in the Alaska Range, lined ...

2026-05-07T18:36:50+02:00

A stream above the Canwell Glacier in the Alaska Range, lined with Alaska boykinia (Boykinia richardsonii) in full bloom in mid-July.

https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-guide/canwell-glacier-and-rainbow-basin/

#Alaska #hiking #wildflowers #bloomscrolling

The terminus of College Glacier in the Alaska Range, and the ...

2026-05-06T18:02:16+02:00

The terminus of College Glacier in the Alaska Range, and the braided meltwater stream of College Creek draining into Phelan Creek and eventually the Delta River. The debris on the glacier surface is supraglacial moraine, rock that's been carried on top of the ice as the glacier moves.

https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-guide/college-glacier-hiking-guide/

#alaska #hiking #glacier #glaciology #alaskarange

Anthers opening, revealing pollen on a male willow catkin. Taken ...

2026-05-05T10:24:06+02:00

Anthers opening, revealing pollen on a male willow catkin. Taken yesterday in Fairbanks, Alaska.

#macro #fairbanks #flora #bloomscrolling

Pussy willows just started emerging in the Fairbanks area about a ...

2026-05-03T19:37:38+02:00

Pussy willows just started emerging in the Fairbanks area about a week ago, still plenty of snow on the ground. This is an extreme close-up of a female willow catkin. The green-to-redish structures are pistils, each tipped with a branched, 4-lobed yellow-green stigma that receives pollen, usually from insects like bumblebees.

Wildflowers as Art gallery: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Wildflowers-as-Art

#alaska #wildflowers #spring #fairbanks #macro #bloomscrolling

The Teklanika River in Denali National Park early this morning. ...

2026-05-03T07:08:20+02:00

The Teklanika River in Denali National Park early this morning.

Aurora over the Chena River on the Angel Rocks Trail, early ...

2026-04-30T18:26:11+02:00

Aurora over the Chena River on the Angel Rocks Trail, early March. The green reflection in the foreground is refrozen overflow water seeping up through cracks in the river ice and refreezing on the surface. It's a common winter feature on interior Alaska rivers, and on this night it turned into a mirror.

Alaska Hiking Guide: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-guide/

#alaska #auroraborealis #fairbanks #hiking

Still a few weeks out from wildflower season in the Fairbanks ...

2026-04-29T18:27:09+02:00

Still a few weeks out from wildflower season in the Fairbanks area, but Calypso bulbosa, the fairy slipper, is one of the earliest orchids in the boreal forest. It has a short bloom window in late May. The yellow crest and red spotting on the labellum are the lure for bumblebees early in the season.

Full profile in the Alaska Wildflower Guide: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-wildflowers/calypso-bulbosa-fairy-slipper/

#alaska #wildflowers #orchid #fairbanks #bloomscrolling

Aurora over a boreal forest near Fairbanks, early January. An ...

2026-04-28T18:52:31+02:00

Aurora over a boreal forest near Fairbanks, early January. An unexpected geomagnetic storm lit up the sky, with temperatures around -25°F. Nothing seems to move in that cold. The air is always so quiet and still.

Prints and wall art: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Aurora-Borealis/i-xGzGWTp/buy

#alaska #aurora #auroraborealis #fairbanks

McGinnis Peak, Alaska Range, from the Black Rapids Glacier. ...

2026-04-27T18:01:12+02:00

McGinnis Peak, Alaska Range, from the Black Rapids Glacier. 11,400 feet of rock and ice, photographed in early July after a fresh snowfall, about 20 miles from the nearest road. July snow at this elevation isn't unusual; the Alaska Range creates its own weather, and the upper peaks see accumulation year-round.

Prints available here: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Portfolio-Images/i-SKrGLQB/A

#alaska #mountains #blackandwhite

Frost crystals on a car window in Fairbanks. The large sectored ...

2026-04-26T19:57:01+02:00

Frost crystals on a car window in Fairbanks. The large sectored plate crystal at the center grew directly on the glass. Frost nucleates on the surface and grows outward. The stepped ridges visible within each plate section record successive growth stages as the crystal expanded. Full resolution worth zooming into: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Macro/Macro-Portfolio/i-CKkgHBR/A

#alaska #macro #frost #ice #crystals

A sedge darner (Aeshna palmata) on very invasive bird vetch ...

2026-04-25T18:58:38+02:00

A sedge darner (Aeshna palmata) on very invasive bird vetch (Vicia cracca) at Creamer's Field in Fairbanks, late July.

https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Macro/Macro-Portfolio

#alaska #summer #macrophotography #dragonfly #insects

Aurora forming a spiral loop over a snow-covered boreal forest in ...

2026-04-24T16:56:55+02:00

Aurora forming a spiral loop over a snow-covered boreal forest in mid-winter, Fairbanks, Alaska.

Prints available in my aurora gallery: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Aurora-Borealis

#Alaska #auroraborealis #NorthernLights #aurora

"Tr'at'egheth No', Lower Tanana for 'from ...

2026-04-23T18:09:01+02:00

"Tr'at'egheth No', Lower Tanana for 'from Cottonwood Creek,' commonly known as the Savage River, in early April, Denali National Park. The Alaska Range visible in the background.

#alaska #denali #hiking

A glaciated peak near the head of a tributary to the Black Rapids ...

2026-04-20T17:27:10+02:00

A glaciated peak near the head of a tributary to the Black Rapids Glacier, Eastern Alaska Range. The bergschrunds visible on the upper ridge mark where the glacier ice pulls away from the rock headwall or stagnant ice.

https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-information/black-rapids-glacier/

#alaska #alaskarange #glacier #mountains

Rainbow over the Donnelly Flats, just north of the Alaska Range ...

2026-04-19T18:43:39+02:00

Rainbow over the Donnelly Flats, just north of the Alaska Range in July.

Prints available: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Portfolio-Images/i-GjJDQcL/buy

#alaska #rainbow #landscape

I can never fully put into words how proud I am of these ...

2026-04-16T20:02:35+02:00

I can never fully put into words how proud I am of these athletes. Not just for competing, but for who they are. They have an incredible passion for climbing and an equally incredible capacity for supporting each other. There's not a more caring or tight-knit group of young people I could imagine being around.

https://www.newsminer.com/sports/local_community/ascension-rock-club-sends-three-climbers-to-youth-divisional-championships/article_dca47b56-d937-4a4d-b214-3ba6bfebc6bc.html

A glacier table on the Black Rapids Glacier, Alaska Range. The ...

2026-04-14T18:08:36+02:00

A glacier table on the Black Rapids Glacier, Alaska Range. The boulder insulates the ice beneath it from melting, while the surrounding surface melts down, leaving it perched on a pedestal. Eventually, the pedestal becomes unstable, and the rock topples, and the process starts again.

In my Glaciers Gallery: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Glaciers

#alaska #glacier #alaskarange #glaciology

Aurora and moon over a Fairbanks hoarfrost-covered forest in ...

2026-04-12T17:26:12+02:00

Aurora and moon over a Fairbanks hoarfrost-covered forest in January.

https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Aurora-Borealis

#alaska #aurora #fairbanks #northernlights #auroraborealis

A juvenile peregrine falcon landed on a rock about 15 feet away ...

2026-04-11T18:34:03+02:00

A juvenile peregrine falcon landed on a rock about 15 feet away at Angel Rocks and just watched me for five minutes. I watched back.

More wildlife photography: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Wildlife

#alaska #peregrine #falcon #wildlife #birds

The Gabriel Icefall on the Gulkana Glacier, Eastern Alaska Range. ...

2026-04-09T19:26:52+02:00

The Gabriel Icefall on the Gulkana Glacier, Eastern Alaska Range. About 400 vertical feet of ice in this frame. The striations are annual accumulation layers that become folded during flow. Towering seracs form where crevasses intersect as the ice is deformed over the steepening terrain.

#alaska #glacier #hiking #glaciology

Columbia Bay in July, choked with calved ice from the Columbia ...

2026-04-07T19:20:42+02:00

Columbia Bay in July, choked with calved ice from the Columbia Glacier. One of the largest tidewater glaciers in North America, and one of the fastest retreating.

Glaciers and Icebergs Gallery: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Glaciers

#alaska #columbiaglacier #iceberg #princewilliamsound #glacier

Had the entire Savage Alpine Trail to ourselves yesterday. It ...

2026-04-06T18:33:14+02:00

Had the entire Savage Alpine Trail to ourselves yesterday. It involved a fair amount of postholing, but that just added to the fun. Looking over the Park Road and Savage River Valley toward Fang Mountain, Denali National Park.

Trail info in my hiking guide: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-guide/savage-alpine-trail/

#alaska #hiking #spring #denali

A calved iceberg drifting in Columbia Bay near the Columbia ...

2026-04-05T17:23:54+02:00

A calved iceberg drifting in Columbia Bay near the Columbia Glacier, Prince William Sound, Alaska.

More from my Glaciers and Icebergs gallery: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Glaciers

#alaska #iceberg #glacier #valdez

Canada lynx giving the side eye in Denali National Park, Alaska. ...

2026-04-03T17:36:05+02:00

Canada lynx giving the side eye in Denali National Park, Alaska.

#alaska #wildlife #hiking #denali

Aurora rising over the Chena Hills from the Angel Rocks to Chena ...

2026-04-02T18:22:11+02:00

Aurora rising over the Chena Hills from the Angel Rocks to Chena Hot Springs Trail, about 45 miles outside of Fairbanks, Alaska.

More in my Aurora Gallery: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Aurora-Borealis

#alaska #auroraborealis #northernlights

Proof of my space dweeb status. Graduation from Space Camp like a ...

2026-04-01T21:05:13+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…w2ad
_________________________

Proof of my space dweeb status. Graduation from Space Camp like a million years ago. I'm currently glued to the live mission coverage for the Artemis II launch. Actually hard to look away.

I’ve been such a space dork for as long as I can remember. ...

2026-04-01T20:53:51+02:00

I’ve been such a space dork for as long as I can remember. I’m so very excited for this. I got choked up watching them enter the capsule.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3kR2KK8TEs

Prints available in my Wildflowers as Art gallery: ...

2026-04-01T19:51:12+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…rqxg
_________________________

Prints available in my Wildflowers as Art gallery: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Wildflowers-as-Art

Fairy slipper orchid (Calypso bulbosa), Fairbanks, late May. One ...

2026-04-01T19:50:59+02:00

Fairy slipper orchid (Calypso bulbosa), Fairbanks, late May. One of Alaska's most striking wildflowers, and one of the earliest.

Full article in my Alaska Wildflower Guide: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-wildflowers/calypso-bulbosa-fairy-slipper/

#alaska #wildflowers #orchid #bloomscrolling

Haha. One of my coaches is a physical therapist, and he's ...

2026-03-31T18:40:24+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…3mu9
_________________________

Haha. One of my coaches is a physical therapist, and he's been working with me on it. It's been steadily improving the last five days, so I'm happy.

Thank you!

2026-03-31T18:39:19+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…gxp9
_________________________

Thank you!

Glacier ice absorbs red wavelengths more efficiently than blue. ...

2026-03-30T20:33:52+02:00

Glacier ice absorbs red wavelengths more efficiently than blue. The denser and more bubble-free the ice, the more pronounced the effect. This is centuries of compression visible as color. Interior of a glacier cave in the terminal moraine of the Canwell Glacier, Alaska Range.

Print available: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Portfolio-Images/i-g7szRP9/buy

#alaska #glacier #glaciercave #ice #hiking

It's been a busy month... ...

2026-03-30T07:42:24+02:00

It's been a busy month...

https://lwpetersen.substack.com/p/staying-busy-my-march-summary

Last night's sunset from Fairbanks. It was 18°F, practically ...

2026-03-29T19:35:24+02:00

Last night's sunset from Fairbanks. It was 18°F, practically a heat wave after this winter.

#alaska #fairbanks #sunset #borealforest

Aurora threading through the spruce. October in Fairbanks. ...

2026-03-28T07:31:59+01:00

Aurora threading through the spruce. October in Fairbanks.

#alaska #auroraborealis #northernlights #aurora

More time-lapse footage from the night of March 20, taken in the ...

2026-03-26T18:46:41+01:00

More time-lapse footage from the night of March 20, taken in the Goldstream Valley of Fairbanks, Alaska. Moon just hanging out in those high altitude reds on the left.

#alaska #aurora #auroraborealis #northernlights

A small icefall on a mountain glacier flowing into the Loket ...

2026-03-24T22:12:53+01:00

A small icefall on a mountain glacier flowing into the Loket Tributary of the Black Rapids Glacier, Eastern Alaska Range. The crevassing where the ice flows over the steeper terrain is visible at the center; ice fractures under tension when the bed topography forces it to accelerate.

More on the Black Rapids, one of Alaska's most studied surge glaciers: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-information/black-rapids-glacier/

#Alaska #glacier #alaskarange #mountains

No tripod. No ND filter. Barely a place to stand. A narrow ...

2026-03-23T18:51:51+01:00

No tripod. No ND filter. Barely a place to stand. A narrow glacier meltwater canyon near Worthington Glacier doesn't give you much to work with, so you work with what you have.

This week's Photo of the Week, plus a short reflection on constraints and what they can give you in return:
lwpetersen.substack.com/p/spray-cascade-at-the-worthington

Subscribe to follow Photo of the Week and more field notes from Alaska.

#alaska #landscape #waterfall #blackandwhite

Two sea otters on a small iceberg in Columbia Bay, near the ...

2026-03-22T20:09:30+01:00

Two sea otters on a small iceberg in Columbia Bay, near the Columbia Glacier, Valdez, Alaska. One of my favorite wildlife images.

Available as a print or wall art. This one looks particularly good in acrylic or metal: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Portfolio-Images/i-zhr4bf3/buy

#alaska #seaotter #wildlife #valdez

Always loved looking at the Sydney Laurence paintings at the ...

2026-03-22T17:57:15+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…2day
_________________________

Always loved looking at the Sydney Laurence paintings at the Museum of the North.

Last night over the Goldstream Valley, Fairbanks. Not super ...

2026-03-21T18:18:01+01:00

Last night over the Goldstream Valley, Fairbanks. Not super bright, but one of the more colorful displays I've seen.

More recent photos: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Recent-Photos

#alaska #aurora #auroraborealis #northernlights #fairbanks

Twenty minutes of aurora compressed to 17 seconds. Goldstream ...

2026-03-21T16:53:56+01:00

Twenty minutes of aurora compressed to 17 seconds. Goldstream Valley, Fairbanks, March 20, 2026. Not a huge display, but a lot of color.

#alaska #auroraborealis #northernlights #timelapse

A little color in the Golstream Valley sky tonight! #alaska ...

2026-03-21T09:27:42+01:00

A little color in the Golstream Valley sky tonight!

#alaska #auroraborealis #northernlights

Water molecules bond at a tetrahedral angle of 109.5 degrees. ...

2026-03-20T17:30:44+01:00

Water molecules bond at a tetrahedral angle of 109.5 degrees. That angle, repeated at the molecular level, is why every snowflake has six-fold symmetry. The hexagonal lattice structure of ice propagates outward as the crystal grows, with each arm following a closely similar thermodynamic path (small differences due to temperature and pressure over small distances).

These landed on my car window in Fairbanks.

#snowflake #macro #alaska #winter #ice #crystals

Subscribe to Field Notes From The North on Substack if you want ...

2026-03-19T21:08:30+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…m0zw
_________________________

Subscribe to Field Notes From The North on Substack if you want to follow along: https://lwpetersen.substack.com/

Field notes and science essays from 16 years of paying close ...

2026-03-19T21:08:07+01:00

Field notes and science essays from 16 years of paying close attention to Alaska. First video compilation is up, along with a short piece introducing what I'm trying to do with this work.

#alaska #glaciers #aurora #wildlife #naturephotography #alaskaphotography

https://youtu.be/ToJerzxWCmQ

Juvenile bald eagles getting a little snappy in Valdez, Alaska. ...

2026-03-19T17:22:20+01:00

Juvenile bald eagles getting a little snappy in Valdez, Alaska. Solomon Gulch Hatchery in early July, when there's enough food for everyone, but that doesn't mean anyone's going to share.

#alaska #birding #wildlife #valdez

Late February on the UAF trails, Fairbanks. -35°F, completely ...

2026-03-18T17:04:25+01:00

Late February on the UAF trails, Fairbanks. -35°F, completely still. The only sounds were my feet in the snow and the occasional raven. Their wings make a different sound in extreme cold, a kind of heavy whomp you don't hear any other time. Waxing gibbous moon, a few days from full.

#alaska #winter #fairbanks

Took a detour on the way home from USAClimbing Regionals in Bend. ...

2026-03-17T18:28:48+01:00

Took a detour on the way home from USAClimbing Regionals in Bend. I've spent years getting to know Smith Rock through climbing footage and magazine spreads. Standing in the canyon in person was something else. The cliffs are bigger than I'd imagined, and on a still afternoon, the Crooked River turns the whole thing upside down. Sorry for the lack of posts recently, it's been a whirlwind of a week!

#smithrock #oregon #hiking #landscape

Aurora corona developing overhead in the Goldstream Valley, ...

2026-03-11T18:01:33+01:00

Aurora corona developing overhead in the Goldstream Valley, Fairbanks, Alaska. A corona forms when the aurora is nearly directly overhead and the parallel curtains appear to converge toward a single point, a perspective effect, like looking up at tall buildings from the base. One of the more disorienting and beautiful things you can witness in an Alaska winter sky.

More of my aurora photos here: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Aurora-Borealis

#alaska #aurora #auroraborealis

Angel Rocks, just outside Fairbanks, Alaska. A short hike with ...

2026-03-10T16:50:04+01:00

Angel Rocks, just outside Fairbanks, Alaska. A short hike with some great views, even in the middle of winter. These granite tors rise about 400 feet above the Chena River valley. We had the place to ourselves on Sunday!

Info in my hiking guide: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-guide/angel-rocks/

#alaska #hiking #winter

Me at 45 years old trying to climb like my stupid competition ...

2026-03-03T21:59:52+01:00

Me at 45 years old trying to climb like my stupid competition team kids. I'm too old for this shit.

I, as an American, have never felt as secure as when I learned ...

2026-03-01T03:07:06+01:00

I, as an American, have never felt as secure as when I learned the President was starting a war from the blanket fort at his clubhouse.

It was my birthday, so after running a few errands, I stopped by ...

2026-01-13T08:28:43+01:00

It was my birthday, so after running a few errands, I stopped by the lake near work to take some photos. It had dropped to about -35°F, but the light and the sundogs were too good to pass up.

#alaska #sunlight #winter

Aurora borealis forming layered bands with a brief corona ...

2026-01-05T18:57:24+01:00

Aurora borealis forming layered bands with a brief corona directly overhead, overpowering the light of the moon.

More of my aurora photography here:
https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Aurora-Borealis

#alaska #auroraborealis #northernlights #fairbanks

Went for a long walk this afternoon with the temperature around ...

2025-12-29T03:49:16+01:00

Went for a long walk this afternoon with the temperature around −48°F. I only had my phone with me, since I left my mirrorless camera at work, and the cold can be brutal on shutter and mirror assemblies in DSLRs.

#alaska #fairbanks #winter #cold

Finally had a chance to sit down and write again. Some new ...

2025-09-10T16:46:34+02:00

Finally had a chance to sit down and write again. Some new photos, wildflowers, and a late-but-coming 2026 calendar.

https://lwpetersen.substack.com/p/in-the-pipeline

#Alaska #photography #hiking #glacier #wildlife

When I first moved to Fairbanks 15 years ago, I lived in a dry ...

2025-08-14T21:18:01+02:00

When I first moved to Fairbanks 15 years ago, I lived in a dry cabin with no running water. One morning, I stepped outside to find a bison in my outhouse. It was… a weird day. (We don't have wild bison in this part of Alaska, it had gotten loose from someone's yard).

#alaska #bison #onlyinalaska

Snow arnica (Arnica griscomii) at Murphy Dome in mid-June. In my ...

2025-07-25T04:24:18+02:00

Snow arnica (Arnica griscomii) at Murphy Dome in mid-June.

In my Alaska Wildflower Guide: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-wildflowers/snow-arnica-arnica-griscomii/

#bloomscrolling #wildflowers #Alaska

While camping near Polychrome Pass in early May, I watched this ...

2025-04-16T18:59:31+02:00

While camping near Polychrome Pass in early May, I watched this young Dall sheep square off with two Gyrfalcons on a bluff. They held their ground. The sheep thought better of it.

More wildlife photos: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Wildlife

#alaska #wildlife #wildlifewednesday

A quiet summer evening at Ballaine Lake in Fairbanks, Alaska. The ...

2025-03-11T01:16:03+01:00

A quiet summer evening at Ballaine Lake in Fairbanks, Alaska. The sky fades into soft pastels as the still water perfectly mirrors the silhouette of spruce trees along the shore.

Prints and downloads available: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Portfolio-Images/i-TKvvCTK/buy

#LandscapePhotography #Fairbanks #Sunset

A delicate snowflake, over a day old, still holding its intricate ...

2025-02-13T18:48:17+01:00

A delicate snowflake, over a day old, still holding its intricate form on my window in Fairbanks, Alaska. Captured with a Nikon D850 and a Venus Optics Laowa 25mm 2.5-5X Ultra Macro lens at f/5.6.

More from my Water & Ice Gallery: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Blogs/Lwpetersen/Water-and-Ice

#Alaska #macrophotography #snowflake #winter

During a freezing -46° F afternoon in Fairbanks, Alaska, in ...

2025-01-28T17:07:32+01:00

During a freezing -46° F afternoon in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2013, the golden sunlight diffuses through the dense stand of snow-laden spruce trees, casting long shadows and bathing the forest in a warm, hazy light.

Get prints in my Forests Gallery: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Forest

#Alaska #winter #fairbanks #photography

Autumn foliage in Denali National Park. It's still one of my ...

2024-12-05T19:58:23+01:00

Autumn foliage in Denali National Park. It's still one of my favorite photos that I've ever taken.

https://photos.lwpetersen.com/

Anderson Falls near Valdez, Alaska, on a rainy day under Mt. ...

2024-08-05T17:16:08+02:00

Anderson Falls near Valdez, Alaska, on a rainy day under Mt. Thomas, barely visible through the clouds.

More photos in my gallery for the region in Prince William Sound here: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Explore/Explore-Alaska/Southcentral/Columbia-Glacier-Prince-William-Sound-Port-Valdez

#Alaska #Valdez #waterfall

Haha, I guess!

2024-07-07T03:34:59+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…ggzn
_________________________

Haha, I guess!

Here are a few photos from yesterday's very rainy hike on the ...

2024-07-06T22:20:58+02:00

Here are a few photos from yesterday's very rainy hike on the Gulkana Glacier, when everything disappeared into a whiteout. It was very type-2 fun. Check out my blog post for more photos and story (link below)!

https://www.lwpetersen.com/photo-blog/rainy-day-on-the-gulkana-glacier/

#Alaska #hikingadventures #hiking #glacier

Last weekend, I photographed some spotted lady's slipper ...

2024-06-21T23:28:46+02:00

Last weekend, I photographed some spotted lady's slipper (Cypripedium guttatum), another beautiful flower in the orchid family found here in Fairbanks, Alaska.

It's the latest addition to my Alaska Wildflower Guide: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-wildflowers/cypripedium-guttatum-spotted-ladys-slipper/

#BloomScrolling #wildflowers #Alaska

It got a little toasty on the front porch this afternoon.😓 ...

2024-06-09T05:51:28+02:00

It got a little toasty on the front porch this afternoon.😓

After The Storm—Yesterday, I waited out a brief thunderstorm ...

2024-06-01T17:00:13+02:00

After The Storm—Yesterday, I waited out a brief thunderstorm for about 20 minutes while on my way up the Angel Rocks Loop. I was not disappointed with the beautiful light as the clouds moved north!

I took a few hundred photos, including some identifying photos for three flowers to be added to my guide, but they'll have to wait because I'm headed to the White Mountains this weekend. The summer backlog begins!

https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-guide/angel-rocks/

#Alaska #Landscape #hiking

My latest blogpost on our weekend climbing trip, and other ...

2024-05-17T01:06:35+02:00

My latest blogpost on our weekend climbing trip, and other climbing things that have been taking up a lot of my time this spring (mostly in a good way): https://www.lwpetersen.com/photo-blog/spring-bouldering-and-other-climbing-stuff/

#Alaska #climbing #bouldering