TrailRunner Magazine recently used one of my images of Megan Lizotte for her article on developing a training plan.

An Adelie penguin rookery on Gourdin Island on the Antarctic Continent.

Antarctica got its name from being on the opposite end of the world from the constellation Arktos (Bear, Ursa Major, North Star). It was first seen by Europeans in the 1820s and the land has remained one of the least touched places on earth. The voyage there feels like sailing to another planet. The scope and scale of Antarctica overwhelms the senses. After spending a month on the Antarctic Peninsula, I felt like I had only scratched the surface. The interior pulled at me like a magnet. Compared to the interior, the peninsula is mostly free of the massive ice shelves and continental glaciers that conceal the rest of Antarctica. The exposed coastline allows it to be full of life. The first explorers must have thought they were dreaming when they first set foot in a rookery containing over 400,000 penguins.

An Adelie penguin rookery at Brown Bluff on the Antarctic Continent.

The shadow of the Antarctic Dream is cast onto an iceberg in the Weddell Sea.

A Crabeater Seal lies on the beach at Aitcho Island.

Ruby has been both my mode of transport and my home for the past year. Despite some mechanical mishaps, she has been a fine vehicle and has allowed me to sleep in a cozy bed, make a hot meal, eat ice cream and drink cold beer in some of the West’s finest remote locations. Here is a tribute.

The Redwoods of Northern California are worth the detour. And not just so you can drive through a tree. Walking among them it’s hard to believe that it took so long to protect these giants that can grow to over 350′.

Fisherman’s Terminal sits just across a channel from Ballard in Seattle. It is the temporary and sometimes permanent freshwater home to hundreds of fishing vessels that ply the waters from the Columbia River to the Bering Sea in Alaska. The terminal is a world within a world. It is surrounded by the city, but maintains it’s own distinct feeling and character. Here one can walk the docks and get a glimpse into a lifestyle that is filled with salt, slime and grime.

¨They´re bubble whating?¨ is the usual response when we tell someone what the whales in front of them are doing. ¨They are bubble netting.¨ It´s a complex feeding behavior that is seen in Alaska amongst humpback whales that come there in the summer to gorge on the bounty of sea soup in the water. Humpbacks feed mostly on tiny creatures such as plankton and krill, but sometimes they get an appetite for something larger, in particular, herring. That´s where the bubble netting comes in. These normally solitary Humpback whales join up and use teamwork to confuse and cordon off these small fish. Each member of the group has a set task and repeats that task over and over again during the feeding sessions. One whale will dive deep and then swim in circles back toward the surface while blowing bubbles. The others then begin swimming up through the rising bubble curtain. During this, some of the whales may flash their pectoral fins or let out a high pitched sort of scream to further disorientate the herring. Just before reaching the surface the whales open their mouths wide and engorge the herring. Needless to say, it´s a sight to see and something that is best witnessed. These photos show what it looks like at the surface as dozens of gulls fight for the scraps next to the humpbacks.

An orca breaches in the sunset light while another surfaces behind it.

]]> http://www.randalltate.com/blog/2011/12/if-you%c2%b4re-not-bubble-netting-you%c2%b4re-not-doing-it-right/feed/ 0 http://www.randalltate.com/blog/2011/12/the-land-of-the-midnight-sun/ http://www.randalltate.com/blog/2011/12/the-land-of-the-midnight-sun/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:23:54 +0000 Randall Tate http://www.randalltate.com/blog/?p=542

Alaska is a place that once you visit, it always pulls you back. I have not been able to resist its draw since I first visited there almost ten years ago. There’s just something about the diverse landscapes, the three hour long sunsets, the incredible native history and the diverse wildlife that always makes me feel like there is more to see and experience. Here are a few images from this past summer from southeast Alaska.

Bears are on the wishlist of wildlife to see for any visitor to Alaska and there’s no better place to see them than at Anan Creek. In fact, it may be one of the best bear viewing sites on the planet. There are not many places where can you see so many bears and be so close than at Anan. The only way to get there is by boat or float plane. Once there, you go ashore with a well armed guide and walk a quarter mile boardwalk to a multi-story viewing platform perched above the creek. During my visit, I didn’t want to leave. The bears are literally within arms reach and the photography opportunities are amazing. If you’ve seen a photo of a brown bear catching a salmon in mid air, it most likely was taken at Anan. A visit here is truly a life changing experience and I recommend it to anyone who visits SE Alaska. Here are a few photos from my visit this summer.

I am lucky to work with some fine people aboard the M/V Wilderness Discoverer in Alaska this summer. I work as a guide and naturalist on the boat, but I also serve as the on-board photographer. Early on we decided to make photos of all the crew to help guests get to know us when they come aboard. I decided to make a portrait project out of it, get a little creative and try to show some of the personalities amongst this amazing crew.  Here are a few of the results.

You know those couples that can’t ever be apart? They never leave eachother’s side. They exercise together, they use the bathroom at the same time and they even work together. After a while, you realize that you never actually see one without the other.

Well I know one those couples. It’s Ace Kvale and Genghis Khan. I’m not sure who is more dependent on the other. Neither one ever makes a move alone. I’m sure Ace likes to think that he has Genghis trained, but it’s definitely the other way around. I’ve never seen a dog that can deliver guilt to its owner so effectively. I mean what other dog gets their human to carry a down vest, sleeping bag and pad into the backcountry for them? Lucky dog.