Editor’s Note: Rainforest Photos is a new photo blog that will be appearing regularly in the Outdoors section of the newspaper and online at juneauempire.com.
Our UAS Outdoor Studies Program took to the Tongass on Nov. 18 to test our winter backcountry navigation skills. We left from university housing along Snowmachine trail up to Spaulding Meadows. We broke trail along Lake Creek, snowshoed through the meadows, and ended our journey at Peterson Lake the next day. Using a compass and a topographic map, we hiked through the blinding white forest. Carrying a 50 lb pack on snowshoes is a pain, but the landscape was spectacular. Sun was actually shining a little thru an overcast sky, The night was cold but filled with stars. My toes are still frozen. That will teach me to wear the wrong shoes. Playfully, we body checked the snow covered spruce and hemlock trees so it to dumps on the person behind. We camped on frozen muskeg, eating freeze-dried food. All much more fun than it sounds.
• California-born Alaska-bred, Gabe Donohoe has taken photos daily for the past five years. He is currently a student of the University of Alaska Southeast’s Outdoor Studies program. His photo archives can be seen on www.gabedonohoe.com.
