Last August, one of my friends offered to take me out to Hatcher Pass with her husband and nearly two year old son. It had been a miserable summer that was in the process of arching into an early fall, but I never pass up opportunities to go out there. It was to be one of their last trips out to their favorite place in Alaska since they were due to move back to the lower 28 in less than six weeks. I was exhausted on the trip since I had pulled a graveyard shift the night before and hadn't yet slept, but I find the area out there to be invigorating. Out at Independence Mine, I love to think about all the beautiful hidden lakes that are nestled in the mountains that surround you and imagine what season those lakes are experiencing at the time. That day, my friend's son was also acting as an energizing force - he was completely irresistible with his wooden sword and cute cabled jacket, his enormous brown eyes taking in all of the Adventure! that was all around him. He was too young to stiffen up in front of the camera, and later in the trip, the child's shoes sodden, his father stopped to help him out and I captured this shared moment between them.
