Alaska's Mountains

Aerial Alaska III

Height is everything for experiencing "birds-eye" views of spectacular mountain ranges and their dominant summits!

Top two photos: Returning north from the Lower 48 at 35,000 feet, I was treated to the view of Mt. Saint Elias (18,008 feet) and its surrounding peaks appearing like islands in the clouds. Passing closer in the flight path, Mt. Saint Elias looms larger than life, rightfully named as the major pinnacle of the Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve. It is a cornerstone for the boundary line between Alaska and the Yukon Territory in Canada and Kluane National Park, the far distant lower peaks being within Kluane National Park.

Bottom two photos: I borrowed this first NASA image – it was taken by the International Space Station (ISS) astronauts of Mt. Foraker, Hunter and Denali in the morning light. They certainly have the absolute unsurpassed view of our Earth from space and this image of the central peaks of the Alaska Range is the ultimate "islands in the clouds" scene. Both images are an excellent size comparison of Denali and its companion peaks as viewed from about 350 miles out in space, and down to a much lower view from about 12,000 feet.

These are all grand views that put things into perspective as to just how little we all are in the scale of things.

All images © Dave Parkhurst www.TheAlaskaCollection.com