Minty Waters

On the first day I used my new Phase One camera, I flew my helicopter into the mountains northeast of Hatcher Pass and landed near this tarn in a pocket above a deep valley. Green moss covered the rocks, and the aquamarine water lay still and calm, the very image of alpine serenity. But only 100 feet downstream, the outflow gushed over the lip of a cliff and plunged down the mountainside in a massive, foaming waterfall. The transformation reminds me a bit of life and how we never know what’s lurking around the corner. A moment that feels so peaceful and placid can be followed by turbulence that upends everything. Minty green water becomes blazing white.