Sunrise Over Troublesome

After flying through the Chugach Mountains on a solo trip to Lake George to take pictures of icebergs, I began my descent and was stunned by this vista down Troublesome Glacier. It was about 7:30 am in early September, a time when the low-angle sunrise floods the world with orange light. I landed on a knob almost a mile above sea level and set up my tripod on ground that had probably never seen another human footprint. I focused, working quickly before I lost the light. But as I manipulated settings and bracketed shots, part of me was marveling at the scene. To be alone on this peak with the sun beaming down on the lateral lines of this active glacier as it reaches toward the lake was simply exhilarating. I thought: A new day has begun!