Sixtyone North & Chicago Photo Safaris have announced an adventure photo workshop that involves a journey to the pristine southern coast of Alaska. Led by Dave Taylor and Gary Gullett, the eight-day workshop is taking place from 11 through 18 June 2010. Group size is limited to a dozen photographer participants plus spouses and non-photographer friends (limited to one “tag-along” per photographer). The cost is $3990 (Double Occupancy) / $4690 (Single Occupancy) per photographer, and $1990 per non-photographer (Double Occupancy). The - non refundable - reservation fee is $750 per participant. For more information and registration, head to the website below.

Website: Alaska’s Southern Coast

Press Release

Photo Workshop: Alaska’s Southern Coast. June 11-18, 2010

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Get ready for the trip of a lifetime.

Sixtyone North & Chicago Photo Safaris are excited to announce this once in a lifetime journey to the pristine southern coast of Alaska. Diverse, beautiful landscapes and a wide variety of wildlife will surround you at every turn on this 8 day photographic adventure workshop.This is where glaciers go to die. Where oceans are born, fed and sustained. Where mountains do not rise from the horizon, they are thrust up with such force that they tear a ragged scar across the sky. Standing guard between the soaring mountains and the cold ocean depths is the ancient Chugach National Forest, the northernmost rainforest on the planet. Sheer cliff faces tower hundreds of feet above the protected ocean waters of the Kenai Fjords and Prince William Sound. You will see colors so vivid, varied and lush that you may initially doubt their authenticity. But just like you, they are here – real, alive, and basking in all of Alaska’s majesty. The wildlife here is truly and simply that. Wild.

From the moment you land in Anchorage, there is no telling what you will see. Moose wandering across the highway or right downtown in the state’s most populous city. Just outside of Anchorage we will find (at close proximity) nesting Arctic Terns. They have the longest yearly migration of any animal, at 24,000 miles. It’s breeding grounds are right here in Alaska, but soon they will start the long journey south to Antarctica. Nearby are Dall Sheep (the planets only wild, white sheep), perched precariously along steep cliffs above the Seward Highway. Sometimes they venture down right along the side of the road, eating the low grasses nearby. Bald Eagles soar overhead and Beluga Whales porpoise just offshore, in the Turnagain Arm.

We will pass through stunning landscapes as we make our way south, to Seward.This small coastal town is the gateway to the Kenai Fjords National Park, and is our base for the next 3 days. From here we will venture out onto the waters of the North Pacific, winding our way between protected bays, stunning fjords and in front of enormous tidewater glaciers. The long days (around 20 hours of daylight) allow this perfect environment to create an immense amount of food for the denizens of the deep. Algae blooms feed the plankton and krill, feeding the small fish and birds, which feed much larger species. Including Dall’s Porpoise, Orca (Killer Whales) and Humpback Whales. We usually only catch glimpses of these marine giants, a geyser of expelled air, the arch of a back, and the silent sliding of a 15 foot wide tail (or fluke) into the ocean. But sometimes, these massive creatures rocket out of the water in a full breach and reveal their full size, before crashing back into the ocean with tremendous force. Sharing the ocean are a wide variety of other species, namely Steller Sea Lions and Harbor Seals.

Flying above, and diving below are tens of thousands of sea birds. Gulls, Kittiwakes, Oyster Catchers, Cormorants, Alcids, Auklets, and of course Puffins (both Horned and Tufted) are everywhere.But fighting the wildlife for our attention at every turn are the wild lands. Dramatic islands and sea stacks, rugged coastlines, and thundering glaciers. You have never seen so many shades and intensities of blue, until you’ve visited Alaska. But the one that will be forever etched into your mind, is the deep black-sapphire blue within the newly exposed glaciers. You are staring literally into eternity. It creaks and groans, shutters and booms like an artillery shell exploding, as it moves slowly across the Alaskan landscape. It is a shaper of our world. A mountain crushing, valley carving, fjord chiseling combination of immense beauty and utter power. And we aren’t even half way through our adventure…

After a few days exploring this busy port and the surrounding Kenai Fjords, we head East to locations a bit less traveled and more remote. Cordova, Alaska. We will truly be taking the “roads” less traveled over the next several days. First we must cross the Prince William Sound on a high speed catamaran ferry. The 110 miles will fly smoothly by beneath us in only 3 hours. Sit back and relax in comfort and watch the beautiful Sound glide by, or stand on the back deck of the ferry and take in the surroundings in the open air. Tidewater glaciers are tucked back in the fjords, and the Sound is pock marked with dozens of uninhabited islands. You may never realize that this same area was devastated twice in the last 45 years. In 1964, the Good Friday Earthquake summoned up a tsunami that wiped out several communities. Then, on March 24th in 1989, the Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef in the Northeastern corner of the Sound. It spilled 10.8 million gallons of crude oil into the pristine waters outside of Valdez, Alaska. Over the next few months and years, the oil spill directly caused the deaths of over 250,000 seabirds, over 3,000 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, and 22 orca. Devastating is an understatement.

But today, the wildlife is back, as we will see upon arrival in Cordova. Dozens of bald eagles perch in trees near our lodge and all along the coastline, soaring above the quiet waters of Orca Inlet. And just offshore, we’ll float among sea otters. Not just one or two, but dozens and perhaps hundreds! We are timing our journey to see the newborn pups cradled atop their mother’s chests. These adorable animals have the densest fur of any animal, up to 150,000 strands of hair per square centimeter. Cordova is the unofficial sea otter capital of the world, and the photographic opportunities here are endless.

But sea otters are just a little of what our Cordova base camp has to offer. You will be hard pressed to find a more diverse landscape, anywhere. The Chugach Rain Forest dives inland right from the coastline, sweeping up the lower ramparts of the surrounding mountain ranges. It is lush in every sense of the word. Old growth. Trackless. Dark. Mysterious and draped in vibrant silvery green moss. This forest will suck us in, enveloping us in its history. Glacier and snow melt fed streams rush through the forest, a milky turquoise blue coursing through the deep forest. A cool mist hangs in the air. The forest is still, yet alive all around us. We will walk the shores of nearby lakes, fog shrouded and lit warm by the early morning sun cresting the ridges above. Ducks, geese and grebes are everywhere – raising their young families in this idyllic and tranquil setting.

We will pass over the Copper River (the 10th largest river in the United States), as it fans out into the Copper River Delta after its 300 mile journey from deep within the Wrangell Mountains. The Delta is the largest wetlands along the Pacific Coast of North America. This area is the annual stop over for 16 million shorebirds (including all of the worlds Western Sandpipers) and the largest population of nesting Trumpeter Swans on the planet. We will watch for bear and moose as well, as they frequent the trails to be explored. Further on, the Delta changes shape. It is a stark plain in comparison to the nearby rainforest. Grey waters rush by with amazing power, tearing trees from their roots and carrying them down stream. Ancient ghost forests struggle to remain standing against the torrent. But beyond looms the massive Child’s Glacier. We will be given a unique opportunity to witness the raw power of a glacier as it slowly tears through the Alaskan landscape.

We will set up less than 1/4 mile from the glaciers terminus, and photograph it for several hours as it crashes over and over into the undercutting Copper River. This will give us ample time to study multiple facets of this natural wonder as it slowly dies the same death it has been undergoing for several thousand years, up close and personal. We will have a great meal prepared on site (over open fire) as we study the dynamics of glacial geology, through our lenses. Eating steaks, munching on s’mores, and sipping at wine as one of the most awe inspiring sights crashes directly in front of us. Over and over again.

Natural drama doesn’t get any bigger than in Alaska. And this is Alaska’s best kept secret. There are opportunities too great to pass up. This is one of those. Are you ready? Beautiful & grand landscapes. Diverse & awe-inspiring creatures. Witness your dream adventure come true. Witness Alaska’s Wild Lands & Wild Life.

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