Denalidaze
13124808 My Favorite Photo
People often ask me, “What is your favorite shot?” By far, this is the number ONE photo. It is no secret; Alaska holds a special place in my heart. Over the last 33 years, I have made many trips from the south eastern coast of the U.S.A. to capture the beauty of the 49th state. With my travels, I have learned a bit about Denali National Park.
Early in the 1900’s gold was discovered in Kantishna, first named Eureka, which is an area just north of Mount Denali. Of course, the gold brought miners. At this time, no roads or railroads were in the area. Miners had to live off the land, and food (especially meat) was in high demand.
In 1907-1908, Charles Sheldon, a naturalist, traveled to the area to hunt and study the wildlife. He discovered that market hunters were killing off the wildlife (especially the Dall Sheep) to feed miners and workers. If this were to continue, the animal life would be decimated. He wanted the area to become the first national park created specifically to protect wildlife. Sheldon petitioned congress to make Denali a national park. In 1917, Sheldon was successful, and the area became known as Mt. McKinley National Park. Later it became known as Denali National Park & Preserve which grew in size to over 6 million acres. Denali is the third largest national park in the United Stated.
Many people think it was established for Mt. Denali, which is the tallest in the United States. Others think it was created because of the bears. However; it was established to save the animals and of course the all-white Dall sheep, which peaked Sheldon’s interest as he explored the area. As the park grew and the railroad was built, visitors started to come. To keep the wilderness intact, shuttle busses were started in 1972. The park had over 600,000 guests in 2017, which was the 100th Anniversary.
The above picture sums up the park’s history. My photo is the eye of a Denali Dall Sheep, which was the inspiration for Charles Sheldon. Look carefully into the eye. You can see a dark green shuttle bus with white horizonal strips, (remember, the concessionary busses started in 1972). The 2012 Denali National Park quarter features a beautiful Dall Ram with Mount Denali in the background. No trip to Alaska is considered complete without at least one day in Denali.
What you see, is the what I saw in my camera lens. NO Photo Shop was used to add the bus image! By the way, I did not plan the capture of the reflection. This discovery was made when I up-loaded the photos. Sometimes, unplanned shots become more than a memory. Hope you enjoy!
13124808 My Favorite Photo
People often ask me, “What is your favorite shot?” By far, this is the number ONE photo. It is no secret; Alaska holds a special place in my heart. Over the last 33 years, I have made many trips from the south eastern coast of the U.S.A. to capture the beauty of the 49th state. With my travels, I have learned a bit about Denali National Park.
Early in the 1900’s gold was discovered in Kantishna, first named Eureka, which is an area just north of Mount Denali. Of course, the gold brought miners. At this time, no roads or railroads were in the area. Miners had to live off the land, and food (especially meat) was in high demand.
In 1907-1908, Charles Sheldon, a naturalist, traveled to the area to hunt and study the wildlife. He discovered that market hunters were killing off the wildlife (especially the Dall Sheep) to feed miners and workers. If this were to continue, the animal life would be decimated. He wanted the area to become the first national park created specifically to protect wildlife. Sheldon petitioned congress to make Denali a national park. In 1917, Sheldon was successful, and the area became known as Mt. McKinley National Park. Later it became known as Denali National Park & Preserve which grew in size to over 6 million acres. Denali is the third largest national park in the United Stated.
Many people think it was established for Mt. Denali, which is the tallest in the United States. Others think it was created because of the bears. However; it was established to save the animals and of course the all-white Dall sheep, which peaked Sheldon’s interest as he explored the area. As the park grew and the railroad was built, visitors started to come. To keep the wilderness intact, shuttle busses were started in 1972. The park had over 600,000 guests in 2017, which was the 100th Anniversary.
The above picture sums up the park’s history. My photo is the eye of a Denali Dall Sheep, which was the inspiration for Charles Sheldon. Look carefully into the eye. You can see a dark green shuttle bus with white horizonal strips, (remember, the concessionary busses started in 1972). The 2012 Denali National Park quarter features a beautiful Dall Ram with Mount Denali in the background. No trip to Alaska is considered complete without at least one day in Denali.
What you see, is the what I saw in my camera lens. NO Photo Shop was used to add the bus image! By the way, I did not plan the capture of the reflection. This discovery was made when I up-loaded the photos. Sometimes, unplanned shots become more than a memory. Hope you enjoy!