2009 Galleries

Lt. Chris Henderson, Laid to Rest January 2nd :

Lt. Chris Henderson, Laid to Rest January 2nd

Updated: Jan 07, 2009 4:31pm PST

Pioneer Peak At Night : With temps around -24*F, I exhausted a few batteries and captured some moonlight.

Pioneer Peak At Night

With temps around -24*F, I exhausted a few batteries and captured some ...

Updated: Oct 12, 2009 9:08pm PST

Hatcher Pass At Night : Taking advantage of a full moon to shed some light on a snowy Hatcher Pass.

Hatcher Pass At Night

Taking advantage of a full moon to shed some light on a snowy Hatcher ...

Updated: Feb 11, 2009 12:33am PST

Hatcher Pass Snowscapes : Taken during a day trip for some snowboarding.

Hatcher Pass Snowscapes

Taken during a day trip for some snowboarding.

Updated: Feb 26, 2009 11:18pm PST

Fire Training - Feb 24 :

Fire Training - Feb 24

Updated: Feb 26, 2009 11:47pm PST

Moose Portraits : One of Alaska's advantages is exposure to wildlife.

Moose Portraits

One of Alaska's advantages is exposure to wildlife.

Updated: Feb 27, 2009 12:28am PST

Snowy Slacklining : Entertainment despite the snow and cold.

Snowy Slacklining

Entertainment despite the snow and cold.

Updated: Mar 05, 2009 7:03pm PST

Ice Rescue Training :

Ice Rescue Training

Updated: Mar 08, 2009 11:53pm PST

Mar 13 Structure Fire :

Mar 13 Structure Fire

Updated: Mar 13, 2009 9:12am PST

Bridge Jumping : What climbers do for fun.

Bridge Jumping

What climbers do for fun.

Updated: Mar 22, 2009 11:28pm PST

April 4th Structure Fire :

April 4th Structure Fire

Updated: Apr 07, 2009 6:34am PST

Mat-Su Valley Panorama : A view of the valley from above the Meadow Lakes area.

Mat-Su Valley Panorama

A view of the valley from above the Meadow Lakes area.

Updated: Oct 12, 2009 9:08pm PST

Pioneer Peak East Ridge Snowboarding : Richard, Tracy, and I headed out to see how boardable Pioneer's East Ridge is.

Pioneer Peak East Ridge Snowboarding

Richard, Tracy, and I headed out to see how boardable Pioneer's East R ...

Updated: Oct 12, 2009 9:08pm PST

Apr 15 Structure Fire :

Apr 15 Structure Fire

Updated: Apr 15, 2009 4:55pm PST

Sunrise in the Valley : Getting up early is often key to catching the rare sights of life.

Sunrise in the Valley

Getting up early is often key to catching the rare sights of life.

Updated: Oct 12, 2009 9:07pm PST

Knik River Valley : Tracy and I wandered up the Knik River Valley a couple miles, trying to get as close to the glacier as we could in a couple hours.

Knik River Valley

Tracy and I wandered up the Knik River Valley a couple miles, trying t ...

Updated: Apr 29, 2009 2:18pm PST

Controlled Burn - Apr 28 : The Mat-Su Experimental farm works with Central Mat-Su Fire Department to undergo a controlled burn of their fields.

Controlled Burn - Apr 28

The Mat-Su Experimental farm works with Central Mat-Su Fire Department ...

Updated: Apr 29, 2009 1:31pm PST

Frogs in the Springtime : Tracy and I wandered out to an old muddy pond I frequented growing up. Years ago when we first visited this place we found thousands of tadpoles, but I've come back every year since then without spotting a single frog. Looks like this year will be another plentiful one.

Frogs in the Springtime

Tracy and I wandered out to an old muddy pond I frequented growing up. ...

Updated: May 01, 2009 2:59pm PST

Controlled Burn - May 2 : Continued burning of fields at the farm.

Controlled Burn - May 2

Continued burning of fields at the farm.

Updated: May 03, 2009 9:50am PST

Munching Moose Closeups : A moose wandered into our yard when I had the camera ready, so I got nice and close for a couple portraits of pieces and parts.

Munching Moose Closeups

A moose wandered into our yard when I had the camera ready, so I got n ...

Updated: May 09, 2009 1:37am PST

Season's First Climb - Roadhouse Rock : We headed out in early May for the first dry rock of the year, only to find a wet sleety snow falling in Hatcher Pass. We made the best of it anyway and managed to make it up one route, opening the season's climbing for us all!

Season's First Climb - Roadhouse Rock

We headed out in early May for the first dry rock of the year, only to ...

Updated: May 09, 2009 2:14am PST

May 8 - KnikKnackMudShack Wildland Fire : This fire took most of the day to get under control with resources from the Mat-Su Borough, Division of Forestry initial attack engines, and two fire crews.

May 8 - KnikKnackMudShack Wildland Fire

This fire took most of the day to get under control with resources fro ...

Updated: May 09, 2009 12:04am PST

Springtime Extras : A few photos from this spring that didn't need galleries of their own.

Springtime Extras

A few photos from this spring that didn't need galleries of their own ...

Updated: May 09, 2009 2:28am PST

Purinton Creek in the Sun : A quick day trip to Purinton in some beautiful weather, with Tracy, Jess, and David.

Purinton Creek in the Sun

A quick day trip to Purinton in some beautiful weather, with Tracy, Je ...

Updated: May 13, 2009 3:21pm PST

May 13 - 19 East End Road Fire, Homer, AK : A task force of engines from the Mat-Su area was assembled to head south and help fight the fire at Mile 17 East End Road in Homer. The day we were dispatched, the fire grew from 30 acres to over 700. It eventually died down at 1072 acres.

May 13 - 19 East End Road Fire, Homer, AK

A task force of engines from the Mat-Su area was assembled to head sou ...

Updated: Oct 12, 2009 9:07pm PST

Swiftwater Rescue Training : Tim Kelahan of the Rescue Company teaches swiftwater rescue for local boaters and the Water Rescue Team.

Swiftwater Rescue Training

Tim Kelahan of the Rescue Company teaches swiftwater rescue for local ...

Updated: Jul 30, 2009 9:01pm PST

More Purinton Climbing : Tracy and I brought Andrew out for his first climb ever. Andrew is from Illinois/Wisconsin, where there are no mountains and barely any cliffs.

More Purinton Climbing

Tracy and I brought Andrew out for his first climb ever. Andrew is fr ...

Updated: Jun 08, 2009 12:39pm PST

Palmer Musk Ox Farm : A quick visit to the Musk Ox farm in Palmer.

Palmer Musk Ox Farm

A quick visit to the Musk Ox farm in Palmer.

Updated: Jun 08, 2009 1:10pm PST

Homer Sea Life : After visiting Soldotna for Liz and Eric's wedding, we headed to Homer to visit the relatives and check out the sights. Primary on the agenda was the beach and the boat harbor to see some wildlife.

Homer Sea Life

After visiting Soldotna for Liz and Eric's wedding, we headed to Homer ...

Updated: Jun 09, 2009 12:04am PST

Hike to Reed Valley : With Archangel Road not yet open for the summer, we brought our friend Andrew up the Reed Lakes trail about four and a half miles from the parking lot on Hatcher Pass Road. Andrew repeatedly reminded us that he was a city boy, but thoroughly enjoyed the experience even with the workout.

Hike to Reed Valley

With Archangel Road not yet open for the summer, we brought our friend ...

Updated: Oct 12, 2009 9:06pm PST

Jun 17 Structure Fire : A structure fire around 9:00 in the morning on June 17th. Units from Central Mat-Su F.D. and Lakes F.D. responded to put out the blaze and save a little of the house and contents.

Jun 17 Structure Fire

A structure fire around 9:00 in the morning on June 17th. Units from ...

Updated: Jun 17, 2009 8:04pm PST

Rained Out At Roadhouse Rock : We joined a group of climbers at Roadhouse Rock in Hatchers for a day of climbing and got a few routes in before the typical rain began. I only managed to get up on rope for one climb though, so all my photos are of Joe Dougherty on Blueberry 5.10a.

Rained Out At Roadhouse Rock

We joined a group of climbers at Roadhouse Rock in Hatchers for a day ...

Updated: Oct 12, 2009 9:06pm PST

The Easiest of the Hard Climbs : Kelsey Gray, my wife Tracy Borland, and I headed out to Weiner Lake for some harder sport climbing away from the rain on the Wookie Wall.

The Easiest of the Hard Climbs

Kelsey Gray, my wife Tracy Borland, and I headed out to Weiner Lake fo ...

Updated: Jun 20, 2009 8:04pm PST

Jun 19 Water Rescue - Knik River : The Mat-Su Borough Water Rescue Team responded to a jetboat aground on a sandbar in the Knik River. We ferried the individuals on board back to shore and then assisted the boat operator in freeing the boat from the shallows.

Jun 19 Water Rescue - Knik River

The Mat-Su Borough Water Rescue Team responded to a jetboat aground on ...

Updated: Jun 20, 2009 7:41pm PST

Knik Glacier Up Close and Personal : The Mat-Su Borough Water Rescue team periodically makes trips up the Knik River to the Knik Glacier for training and refreshing skills. On this trip I drove the boat up and back, so my photos are limited to our time at the glacier itself. We had a blast!

Knik Glacier Up Close and Personal

The Mat-Su Borough Water Rescue team periodically makes trips up the K ...

Updated: Oct 12, 2009 9:05pm PST

Climbing the Monolith in Hatchers : A whole gang of friends joined in for a day of sun and rain on the rocks in Archangel Valley.

Climbing the Monolith in Hatchers

A whole gang of friends joined in for a day of sun and rain on the roc ...

Updated: Oct 12, 2009 9:05pm PST

Water Supply Training : Central Mat-Su Fire Department runs water supply drills to try to maintain 1000 gallons per minute on Truck 65's platform monitor, and I was the lucky one with the overhead view of the operation.

Water Supply Training

Central Mat-Su Fire Department runs water supply drills to try to main ...

Updated: Oct 12, 2009 9:05pm PST

A Week In Oregon : With a free plane ride dropped in our laps, Tracy and I took off to visit the family, see some sights, and climb some rocks in Oregon for a week. In this album are photos from our flight down, a visit to the beach at Indian Cove, the Portland Zoo, and Smith Rock State Park.

A Week In Oregon

With a free plane ride dropped in our laps, Tracy and I took off to vi ...

Updated: Jul 14, 2009 12:04am PST

Climbing Toto Buttress - Archangel Valley : A quick day trip to Hatcher Pass for some climbing with friends.

Climbing Toto Buttress - Archangel Valley

A quick day trip to Hatcher Pass for some climbing with friends.

Updated: Jul 22, 2009 3:26pm PST

Climbing Intro On the Monolith : We took a few friends who hadn't climbed before and showed them the ropes during a rare beautiful day in Archangel Valley. Not a drop of rain fell the whole time!

Climbing Intro On the Monolith

We took a few friends who hadn't climbed before and showed them the ro ...

Updated: Aug 01, 2009 10:50pm PST

Climbing Zulu Wall in the Rain - Archangel Valley : A typical Hatchers rain moved in on us during a day of climbing some easy routes on the Zulu Wall in Archangel Valley, Alaska.

Climbing Zulu Wall in the Rain - Archangel Valley

A typical Hatchers rain moved in on us during a day of climbing some e ...

Updated: Jul 30, 2009 7:23pm PST

Crazy Mountain Complex Fire - Circle, Alaska : An engine crew assignment on a portion of a 500,000 acre fire complex in Circle, Alaska. We were on this fire for two weeks, total.

Crazy Mountain Complex Fire - Circle, Alaska

An engine crew assignment on a portion of a 500,000 acre fire complex ...

Updated: Oct 12, 2009 9:03pm PST

New Route in Reed Valley : Tracy and I headed to Reed Valley to meet up with Kelsey Gray and Dane Ketner and climb a new route we call Rise 5.9 on a wall we call the High Dive.

New Route in Reed Valley

Tracy and I headed to Reed Valley to meet up with Kelsey Gray and Dane ...

Updated: Oct 12, 2009 9:02pm PST

Climbing Ravine Lake : Finally a bunch of youth from the church gave in and tried out this climbing thing.

Climbing Ravine Lake

Finally a bunch of youth from the church gave in and tried out this cl ...

Updated: Oct 12, 2009 9:01pm PST

Climbing the Derma Wall : Tracy and I headed out to climb some steeper Hatchers rock at the Dermatologist's Dream Wall, with fall colors stealing the summer green of Hatcher Pass.

Climbing the Derma Wall

Tracy and I headed out to climb some steeper Hatchers rock at the Derm ...

Updated: Oct 12, 2009 9:00pm PST

SCUBA Training : The Mat-Su Water Rescue Team wraps up a class in SCUBA for some of its members.

SCUBA Training

The Mat-Su Water Rescue Team wraps up a class in SCUBA for some of its ...

Updated: Sep 16, 2009 4:07pm PST

Sep 15 Structure Fire : Fire crews responded quickly to this late evening fire, and stopped the damage before it consumed the whole building.

Sep 15 Structure Fire

Fire crews responded quickly to this late evening fire, and stopped th ...

Updated: Sep 16, 2009 12:51pm PST

Reflection Lake : An early morning spent on the shores of Reflection Lake. Although a local conservation group has spent a ton of time and effort renovating this lake from its former status as an unofficial dump, I'm not sold on the preservation of a largely man-made pond next to a superhighway. It's pretty in pictures though!

Reflection Lake

An early morning spent on the shores of Reflection Lake. Although a l ...

Updated: Oct 12, 2009 8:59pm PST

Sheep Retrieval : A late fall trip up the Knik Valley to help a friend of a friend retrieve hunting gear and a sheep he was forced to leave behind during a helicopter rescue.

Sheep Retrieval

A late fall trip up the Knik Valley to help a friend of a friend retri ...

Updated: Oct 12, 2009 8:59pm PST

Tracy : A single snapshot of my lovely wife!

Tracy

A single snapshot of my lovely wife!

Updated: Oct 16, 2009 10:38am PST

Shots In The Dark : I modified some gear to get my flash further off camera, so we played around some with light and dark.

Shots In The Dark

I modified some gear to get my flash further off camera, so we played ...

Updated: Oct 17, 2009 12:06am PST

Evening of Shooting : A photo shoot among friends at one of the area's oldest farms.

Evening of Shooting

A photo shoot among friends at one of the area's oldest farms.

Updated: Oct 28, 2009 1:35am PST

Sunrise at the Little Su : Shooting photos in dawn's early light.

Sunrise at the Little Su

Shooting photos in dawn's early light.

Updated: Nov 08, 2009 10:12pm PST

Nov 14th Structure Fire : A quick and large turnout by Central resulting in the saving of a good portion of a home.

Nov 14th Structure Fire

A quick and large turnout by Central resulting in the saving of a good ...

Updated: Nov 15, 2009 8:45pm PST

David and Jess: Engagement! : Save the date: July 31 2010!

David and Jess: Engagement!

Save the date: July 31 2010!

Updated: Nov 19, 2009 10:27pm PST

Bend, OR : This posting marks the beginning of the most committing journey I have yet embarked on, with a week's trip to Bend, OR for thanksgiving with the family, to be followed by a one-way trip to Beijing, China, with only a vague plan for the rest of the trip. Keep an eye open for galleries to follow in the weeks and months to come.

Bend, OR

This posting marks the beginning of the most committing journey I have ...

Updated: Nov 25, 2009 11:28pm PST

Beijing, China : Stepping foot on Chinese soil sort of sinks in how big this trip really is. We spent several days in Beijing visiting the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, and a number of other places and things.

Beijing, China

Stepping foot on Chinese soil sort of sinks in how big this trip reall ...

Updated: Dec 08, 2009 1:36am PST

Chengdu, China : An enormous relief from the madness of Beijing, Chengdu is definitely more the China we came for.

Chengdu, China

An enormous relief from the madness of Beijing, Chengdu is definitely ...

Updated: Dec 10, 2009 2:10am PST

Yangshuo, China : Leaving the city behind with another two day's travel, we visit the tourist town of Yangshuo.

Yangshuo, China

Leaving the city behind with another two day's travel, we visit the to ...

Updated: Dec 30, 2009 11:02pm PST

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