The spiritual call of the Arctic first lured me into its wild heart in the early 1970s when I staked a 40-acre homestead parcel along one of its pristine rivers. That attraction was initially a misunderstood, romantic notion about living alone off the land in my remote cabin. Throughout subsequent years, however, it became clearer with each return to my northern sanctuary that the Arctic would be a learning place for my art, intellect and spirit, with Nature as master teacher. My identity as a photojournalist would eventually emerge from these rough beginnings.

My wanderings amid the expansive Arctic began a cascade of important discoveries about photography. I began seeing what was once hidden to me, driven to capture in rare moments the essence of a vision's fleeting existence. One significant experience occurred along the Chandalar River as the northern lights spiraled across the Big Dipper, casting its ever-changing reflection on the water. After years of failed attempts, this most elusive of images finally fixed itself on my film, and fed my inspiration to continue pursuing the magic of Arctic light.

I have returned to the Arctic through the seasons since the early 1970s for reasons that were often about hope, healing, rebirth and peace. Now, a backward glance reveals a glimpse of paths taken that, in fact, always led me to reconnect with a primal place sustained and nourished by the subtle forces of Nature. During the summer of 1998, I made my first trek to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with my wife, Kim, and five friends. We began on the windy shores of the Arctic Ocean, along the coast of Area 1002, and slowly meandered toward the Brooks Range. These photographs celebrate that journey, which I hope will inspire you to witness and protect one of the world's rarest of wild places and emerge wonderfully transformed by the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge--the world's last great wilderness.

Coastal Plain and Sadlerochit Mountains
1998

Limestone Columns I
1998