A Beautiful Day at Hatcher Pass

After spending much of the summer tethered to the laptop, I was delighted to get out to Hatcher Pass today. It's always gorgeous out there, no matter what the season or weather, but on a beautiful summer day, it was great. Okay, true, a few raindrops, but that just added a special sheen to the lighting, I think.

This photo was taken before you get into the Pass, down near a pull out on the river. As you can see, the blue skies and blue waters cascading over the rocks complimented each other nicely. There's always a roar of sound, too, near the river, which you don't fully appreciate until you move away, but just one of those sounds of nature I love.

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You also come to appreciate how tough some trees in Alaska can be. Can you imagine clinging to life in this spot?

Looking back down into Mat-Su Valley from the heights of Hatcher Pass. You're really on a level with the clouds, an odd feeling, but cool

We climbed up the slope with our park service guide (one of the perks of Donna's summer job), and snapped this one at the top. Old mine cars, stilled forever near the mine's entrance.