RGK: iLCP in livebetter Magazine

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CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE > Robert Glenn Ketchum, 'In Defense of the Natural World' 

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CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE > Amy Gulick, 'Salmon in the Trees'

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Patricio Robles Gil
The Passion and
Essence of Nature

CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE > Patricio Robles Gil, 'The Passion and Essence of Nature'

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CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE>  Robert Glenn Ketchum, 'Nature’s Tireless Advocate: A Conviction of the Heart'

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Radio Interview: RGK & FOTOfusion® 2011

Click here to listen to Caroline Breder-Watts, WXEL 90.7FM Communications Producer, interview Fatima NeJame and Robert Glenn Ketchum regarding FOTOfusion® 2011. This interview is broadcast thru NPR, PBS, and beyond.

#rgk #lbp

RGK Food Reviews of West Palm Beach!

Greetings from gorgeous Palm Beach! As you already know, I'm visiting Florida from my home in Los Angeles since I'm being honored by FOTOfusion® 2011 at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre. Thanks Fatima!

This year The Centre has a fabulous new location, and I'm quite pleased with how all my works look in it's fantastic space.

Since it is a new location, many of we regular attendees of FOTOfusion® are exploring the area for new favorite food & beverage spots. That being said, I'm posting some of my recommended finds here through my Social Media network. Cheers & bon appetit!

Tonight I had dinner at 'Pistache'. It's a fantastic French Bistro restaurant, and while it's certainly more expensive than average faire, it is without-a-doubt some of the best food on Clematis Street! Michael Siegel, the general manager, was a very gracious host, and my dinner was great. I definitely recommend having dinner here while in West Palm.


And 'Sky309' is a fun plein air rooftop deck above Roxy's Pub, The Saloon and ROME Nightclub.




They have reasonable bar-type food, great drinks, a live band, and GREAT outdoor views.

This is a shot of the interior of, GREASE, the WPB hamburger joint. What a great way to quench your appetite after an authentic cattle drive!

Here's another shot of the interior of, GREASE, the WPB hamburger joint.

Here's another GOOD restaurant, LUNA, near the end of Clematis - you gotta luv turkish dining under a Mayan calendar with a beautiful bartender from the Ukraine - talk about international cuisine. Excellent, and authentic food - good hummus, oh yeah and try the feta rolls and South African Cabernet. Thank you Osman & staff for a lovely evening.

We had a great evening at Luna, a Turkish bar with very good mid-eastern food, that's reasonably priced.

This wild lighted design is about 14' across & is really cool. The design is the Mayan calendar, despite this being a Turkish bar.

If you go to Luna, give my regards to Osman, the owner.


#rgk
#lbp

Palm Beach Gardens & Jupiter Florida Weekly: Ketchum is FOTOfusion award winner

Ketchum is FOTOfusion award winner

Fatima NeJame, president and chief executive officer of the world-renowned Palm Beach Photographic Centre (PBPC), has announced that celebrated photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum will be the recipient of the prestigious FOTOmentor Award during FOTOfusion 2011.

The 16th annual FOTOfusion will be held Jan. 11-15 and will offer more than 100 workshops, lectures, panel discussions, multimedia presentations, portfolio reviews, hands-on computer classes, demonstrations, and photo shoots taught by an impressive faculty of industry leaders and photographic giants who donate their time and expertise to educate, mentor, and encourage creativity among participants of all levels and ages. FOTOfusion bills itself as “where creativity and technology fuse,” and it attracts participants from around the globe.

A highlight of the upcoming FOTOfusion will be the presentation of the prestigious FOTOmentor Award to Robert Glenn Ketchum, a longtime friend and supporter of the Palm Beach Photographic Centre. In turn, Ketchum will present PBPC’s Rising Star Award to Miguel Ángel de la Cueva, a young Fellow from the International League of Conservation Photographers who is doing remarkable work in Mexico and Baja.

Each year, the PBPC Awards Committee selects a photographer to receive the FOTOmentor Award in honor of his/her lifetime achievements in the world of photography. Previous recipients include distinguished photographers Gordon Parks, Sebastiao Salgado, Arnold Newman, Ruth Bernhard, Duane MichaeIs, James Nachtwey, Michael Kenna and David Hume Kennerly, among others.

“To celebrate Ketchum’s distinguished career, I’m proud to announce that the Photo Centre will run a retrospective exhibition of his incredible nature photographs opening on January 2 and running through March 8, 2011,” said Ms. NeJame. “It is seldom that we have the opportunity to feature a photographer that embraces such a diverse approach to photographic image making.”

PBPC will honor Ketchum several times during the weeklong festival:

.. At a reception open to FOTOfusion participants on Jan. 11.

.. At an awards dinner on Jan. 12.

.. At a reception open to the general public on Jan. 13.

In addition, Ketchum will also give a lecture (A 45 Year Journey to American Master) on Wednesday, Jan. 12, starting at 12:45 p.m. He also will participate on a conservation panel with other representatives fro the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP) on Saturday, Jan. 15.

For more information about the Palm Beach Photographic Centre and FOTOfusion 2011, please visit www.workshop.org.

About Robert Glenn Ketchum:

In 2010, American Photo magazine featured Robert Glenn Ketchum in their Masters series making him only the fifth photographer they have recognized this way in 20 years of publishing. Unlike the four preceding honorees (Henri Cartier- Bresson, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton and Annie Liebovitz), Ketchum is unique because his imagery is based almost exclusively in the natural world.

For nearly half a century, Ketchum’s fine prints, and bookmaking, have addressed critical national environmental issues while at the same time helped to define contemporary color photography. His advocate use of photographs and the media has inspired successive generations of artists to work on behalf of social and environmental justice, and led to the creation of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP), of which Ketchum is a Founding Fellow. As a result, Audubon has named Ketchum one of the 100 people “who shaped the conservation movement of the 20th Century.”

In the early ‘80’s, Ketchum entered China through the UCLA-China Exchange Program, and began to collaborate with some of the historic embroidery guilds of Suzhou to develop complex textiles based on his photographs. Some of the most recent examples of this embroidery and loom weaving, many of which took years to complete, will be included in this exhibit, as will new designs from the digital darkroom that Ketchum has recently developed for the embroiderers.

Ketchum’s distinctive, dimensional prints are in numerous collections including the Museum of Modern Art (NY), the National Museum of American Art (DC), the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY). Significant archives (more than 100 images) have been acquired by the Amon Carter Museum (TX) and the Huntington Library and Gardens (CA), and substantial bodies of work can be found at the High Museum (GA), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Akron Art Museum (OH), Stanford University Art Museum (CA), the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Cornell University (NY), and the National Museum of American Art.

About the Palm Beach Photographic Centre:

The Photo Centre is located at the downtown City Center municipal complex at 415 Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday – Thursday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, please call 253-2600 or visit www. workshop.org or www.fotofusion.org.

#rgk
#lbp

PBG lifestyle magazine: PB PHOTO CENTRE to Honor Robert Glenn Ketchum During FOTOfusion 2011 (Jan 5-11)

PB PHOTO CENTRE to Honor Robert Glenn Ketchum During FOTOfusion 2011 (Jan 5-11)

Start: January 5, 2011 8:30 am

End: January 11, 2011 6:00 pm

Venue: Palm Beach Photographic Centre

Address: Google Map 415 Clematis St, West Palm Beach, FL, United States, 33401

Palm Beach Photographic Centre to Host 16th Annual FOTOfusion January 11-15, 2011

Nature Photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum to Receive Prestigious FOTOmentor 2011 Award

A Retrospective Exhibition of Ketchum’s Work Will Run at the Photo Centre, January 2 – March 8, 2011

(West Palm Beach, FL – December 7, 2010) Fatima NeJame, president and chief executive officer of the world-renowned Palm Beach Photographic Centre (PBPC), today announced that celebrated photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum will be the recipient of the prestigious FOTOmentor Award during FOTOfusion 2011.

The 16th annual FOTOfusion will be held January 11-15, 2011, and will offer more than 100 workshops, lectures, panel discussions, multimedia presentations, portfolio reviews, hands-on computer classes, demonstrations, and photo shoots taught by an impressive faculty of industry leaders and photographic giants who donate their time and expertise to educate, mentor, and encourage creativity among participants of all levels and ages. FOTOfusion bills itself as “where creativity and technology fuse,” and it attracts participants from around the globe.

A highlight of the upcoming FOTOfusion will be the presentation of the prestigious FOTOmentor Award to Robert Glenn Ketchum, a longtime friend and supporter of the Palm Beach Photographic Centre. In turn, Ketchum will present PBPC’s Rising Star Award to Miguel Ángel de la Cueva, a young Fellow from the International League of Conservation Photographers who is doing remarkable work in Mexico and Baja.

Each year, the PBPC Awards Committee selects a photographer to receive the FOTOmentor Award in honor of his/her lifetime achievements in the world of photography. Previous recipients include distinguished photographers Gordon Parks, Sebastiao Salgado, Arnold Newman, Ruth Bernhard, Duane MichaeIs, James Nachtwey, Michael Kenna and David Hume Kennerly, among others.

*To celebrate Ketchum’s distinguished career, I’m proud to announce that the Photo Centre will run a retrospective exhibition of his incredible nature photographs opening on January 2 and running through March 8, 2011,” said Ms. NeJame. “It is seldom that we have the opportunity to feature a photographer that embraces such a diverse approach to photographic image making.”

PBPC will honor Ketchum several times during the weeklong festival:
+ At a reception open to FOTOfusion participants on January 11
+ At an awards dinner on January 12
+ At a reception open to the general public on January 13.

In addition, Ketchum will also give a lecture (A 45 Year Journey to American Master) on Wednesday, January 12, starting at 12:45 p.m. He also will participate on a conservation panel with other representatives fro the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP) on Saturday, January 15.

For more information about the Palm Beach Photographic Centre and FOTOfusion 2011, please visit www.workshop.org.

About Robert Glenn Ketchum:
In 2010, American Photo magazine featured Robert Glenn Ketchum in their Masters series making him only the fifth photographer they have recognized this way in 20-years of publishing. Unlike the four preceding honorees (Henri Cartier-Bresson, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton and Annie Liebovitz), Ketchum is unique because his imagery is based almost exclusively in the natural world.

For nearly half a century, Ketchum’s fine prints, and bookmaking, have addressed critical national environmental issues while at the same time helped to define contemporary color photography. His advocate use of photographs and the media has inspired successive generations of artists to work on behalf of social and environmental justice, and led to the creation of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP), of which Ketchum is a Founding Fellow. As a result, Audubon has named Ketchum one of the 100 people “who shaped the conservation movement of the 20th Century.”

In the early ’80′s, Ketchum entered China through the UCLA-China Exchange Program, and began to collaborate with some of the historic embroidery guilds of Suzhou to develop complex textiles based on his photographs. Some of the most recent examples of this embroidery and loom weaving, many of which took years to complete, will be included in this exhibit, as will new designs from the digital darkroom that Ketchum has recently developed for the embroiderers.

Ketchum’s distinctive, dimensional prints are in numerous collections including the Museum of Modern Art (NY), the National Museum of American Art (DC), the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY). Significant archives (more than 100 images) have been acquired by the Amon Carter Museum (TX) and the Huntington Library and Gardens (CA), and substantial bodies of work can be found at the High Museum (GA), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Akron Art Museum (OH), Stanford University Art Museum (CA), the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Cornell University (NY), and the National Museum of American Art.

About the Palm Beach Photographic Centre:

The Photo Centre is located at the downtown City Center municipal complex at 415 Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday – Thursday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, please call 561.253.2600 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 561.253.2600 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or visit www.workshop.org or www.fotofusion.org.

PHOTOGRAPHS:
For FOTOfusion and Robert Glenn Ketchum Images, please go to: http://pressroom.workshop.org

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW:
Fatima NeJame
Palm Beach Photographic Centre
561.253.2600 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 561.253.2600 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
fatima@workshop.org

MEDIA CONTACT:
Gary Schweikhart
PR-BS, Inc.
561.756.4298 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 561.756.4298 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
gary@pr-bs.net

#rgk

#lbp

Hispanic MPR.com article: PB PHOTO CENTRE to Honor Robert Glenn Ketchum During FOTOfusion 2011 (Jan 5-11)

PB PHOTO CENTRE to Honor Robert Glenn Ketchum During FOTOfusion 2011 (Jan 5-11)

Palm Beach Photographic Centre to Host 16th Annual FOTOfusion January 11-15, 2011
Nature Photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum to Receive Prestigious FOTOmentor 2011 Award
A Retrospective Exhibition of Ketchum’s Work Will Run at the Photo Centre, January 2 – March 8, 2011 (West Palm Beach, FL – December 7, 2010) Fatima NeJame, president and chief executive officer of the world-renowned Palm Beach Photographic Centre (PBPC), today announced that celebrated photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum will be the recipient of the prestigious FOTOmentor Award during FOTOfusion 2011.

The 16th annual FOTOfusion will be held January 11-15, 2011, and will offer more than 100 workshops, lectures, panel discussions, multimedia presentations, portfolio reviews, hands-on computer classes, demonstrations, and photo shoots taught by an impressive faculty of industry leaders and photographic giants who donate their time and expertise to educate, mentor, and encourage creativity among participants of all levels and ages. FOTOfusion bills itself as “where creativity and technology fuse,” and it attracts participants from around the globe.

A highlight of the upcoming FOTOfusion will be the presentation of the prestigious FOTOmentor Award to Robert Glenn Ketchum, a longtime friend and supporter of the Palm Beach Photographic Centre. In turn, Ketchum will present PBPC’s Rising Star Award to Miguel Ángel de la Cueva, a young Fellow from the International League of Conservation Photographers who is doing remarkable work in Mexico and Baja.

Each year, the PBPC Awards Committee selects a photographer to receive the FOTOmentor Award in honor of his/her lifetime achievements in the world of photography. Previous recipients include distinguished photographers Gordon Parks, Sebastiao Salgado, Arnold Newman, Ruth Bernhard, Duane MichaeIs, James Nachtwey, Michael Kenna and David Hume Kennerly, among others.

*To celebrate Ketchum’s distinguished career, I’m proud to announce that the Photo Centre will run a retrospective exhibition of his incredible nature photographs opening on January 2 and running through March 8, 2011,” said Ms. NeJame. “It is seldom that we have the opportunity to feature a photographer that embraces such a diverse approach to photographic image making.”

PBPC will honor Ketchum several times during the weeklong festival:
+ At a reception open to FOTOfusion participants on January 11
+ At an awards dinner on January 12
+ At a reception open to the general public on January 13.

In addition, Ketchum will also give a lecture (A 45 Year Journey to American Master) on Wednesday, January 12, starting at 12:45 p.m. He also will participate on a conservation panel with other representatives fro the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP) on Saturday, January 15.

For more information about the Palm Beach Photographic Centre and FOTOfusion 2011, please visit www.workshop.org.

About Robert Glenn Ketchum:
In 2010, American Photo magazine featured Robert Glenn Ketchum in their Masters series making him only the fifth photographer they have recognized this way in 20-years of publishing. Unlike the four preceding honorees (Henri Cartier-Bresson, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton and Annie Liebovitz), Ketchum is unique because his imagery is based almost exclusively in the natural world.

For nearly half a century, Ketchum's fine prints, and bookmaking, have addressed critical national environmental issues while at the same time helped to define contemporary color photography. His advocate use of photographs and the media has inspired successive generations of artists to work on behalf of social and environmental justice, and led to the creation of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP), of which Ketchum is a Founding Fellow. As a result, Audubon has named Ketchum one of the 100 people "who shaped the conservation movement of the 20th Century."

In the early '80's, Ketchum entered China through the UCLA-China Exchange Program, and began to collaborate with some of the historic embroidery guilds of Suzhou to develop complex textiles based on his photographs. Some of the most recent examples of this embroidery and loom weaving, many of which took years to complete, will be included in this exhibit, as will new designs from the digital darkroom that Ketchum has recently developed for the embroiderers.

Ketchum's distinctive, dimensional prints are in numerous collections including the Museum of Modern Art (NY), the National Museum of American Art (DC), the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY). Significant archives (more than 100 images) have been acquired by the Amon Carter Museum (TX) and the Huntington Library and Gardens (CA), and substantial bodies of work can be found at the High Museum (GA), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Akron Art Museum (OH), Stanford University Art Museum (CA), the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Cornell University (NY), and the National Museum of American Art.

About the Palm Beach Photographic Centre:

The Photo Centre is located at the downtown City Center municipal complex at 415 Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday – Thursday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, please call 561.253.2600 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 561.253.2600 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or visit www.workshop.org or www.fotofusion.org.

PHOTOGRAPHS:
For FOTOfusion and Robert Glenn Ketchum Images, please go to: http://pressroom.workshop.org

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW:
Fatima NeJame
Palm Beach Photographic Centre
561.253.2600
fatima@workshop.org

MEDIA CONTACT:
Gary Schweikhart
PR-BS, Inc.
561.756.4298
gary@pr-bs.net



#rgk
#lbp

Last Minute Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas!

Are you still searching for the perfect gift? Why battle the crowds when you can find the ideal eco-friendly gifts online at my store. Here are some great ideas:

HARDCOVER, 'PAMELA BURTON LANDSCAPES' BY PAMELA BURTON - Pamela Burton Landscapes presents nineteen of her built works for public and private clients, with sites ranging from beach to desert and from farm to city block.

PAPERBACK, 'ART EDUCATION AND ECO AWARENESS: A TEACHER'S GUIDE TO ART & THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT' BY HEATHER ANDERSON - Use the power of art to inspire youth to appreciate, understand, and protect their environment.

HARDCOVER, 'SALMON IN THE TREES: LIFE IN ALASKA'S TONGASS RAIN FOREST' BY AMY GULICK - A 2010 Independent Publisher Book Award winner, Salmon in the Trees tells the story of the Tongass, a 17 million-acre temperate rain forest fringing the coastal panhandle of Alaska and covering thousands of islands in the Alexander Archipelago.

JIN JIANG JOY SILK SCARF, (22" x 72") - “Launch,” the high-quality 22" x 72" lustrous silk scarf shown here has been produced in a signed, limited edition of 200.

LATCHKEY NECKLACE - An antique vintage skeleton key finds new use with Turquoise cylinders paired with semi-precious Carnelian in this limited-edition necklace.

Robert Glenn Ketchum named by Outdoor Photography as one of 40 Most Influential Nature Photographers

"40 Most Influential Nature Photographers - We Reveal the Real Conservation Movers and Shakers"

British magazine, Outdoor Photography, has selected the top 40 nature photographers from around the globe who go the extra mile to use their images and time to help highlight (and even fix) some of the most pressing environmental and conservation issues.


#16 - Robert Glenn Ketchum, USA

INFLUENCE: Robert's photographs and his personal activism have helped to define photography's successful use in conservation advocacy. He was named by Audubon magazine as one of the 100 people who 'shaped the environmental movement of the 20th century' and he is a lifetime trustee of the Alaska Conservation Foundation.

CURRENT PROJECTS: "I am working to protect the salmon fishery of Bristol Bay from a proposed Canadian mine called the Pebble."

MOTIVATION: "My work has never just been about pictures of nature. My photographs seek to define wild places so they can be more fully understood."

www.robertglennketchum.com



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#lbp

Camp Denali - My Fav Places

"Denali From the Road Within 5-Miles of Camp Denali". Photograph © 2010 Robert Glenn Ketchum
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

Most of you know that since the mid-1980's I have spent some part of every year in Alaska, ­sometimes as much as half the year. I love Alaska, and in my life it is the greatest wilderness experience I have ever had. It is bigger and wilder than most of us can imagine. That is the beauty of it, but also the factor that intimidates many potential visitors. If you do not book some lame cruise or excursion packed with clients that want complete luxury and protection, how do you experience the best Alaska has to offer, mixing the wild with the civil?

There are two choices for me, the incomparable CAMP DENALI in Denali National Park and The Boat Company in the Tongass rainforest. I address The Boat Company/Tongass in another post on this blog, so for now I hope to turn your attention to CAMP DENALI.

It hard to imagine the scale of Denali National Park and the experience it provides. At more than 6,000,000 acres! and containing North America's highest summit, Denali park is unparalleled in our National Park system ­ it is the crown among the jewels. It is also VERY big and VERY wild!

Photograph ©2010 Michael DeYoung
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

If you come to Denali as part of tour group, you will discover (to the surprise of many) that you will stay in lodges outside the park, you will NOT see the summit on a daily basis, and to really see anything, you will have to take an all-day bus ride from your lodge EVERY day. That bus ride likely won't take you much more than 1/2 way into the park! You will see animals, but you will have little time to enjoy the experience because you are on a schedule.

Photograph Courtesy of Camp Denali
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

There is ONLY ONE WAY to truly "get" this amazing wild place ­CAMP DENALI!

Photograph Courtesy of Camp Denali
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

CAMP DENALI is a "rustic" camp located in the center of the park, and it has been constructed on ridgeline FACING the summit so that all cabins have windows with a view of the peak --­ this is important as the summit is only visible an average of 40 days out of the year. (Inside the park there are a few other small lodges, however they have no view of Denali.)

CAMP DENALI was homesteaded and founded in 1951 by two Alaskan Pioneer women Celia Hunter and Ginny Wood, and they knew what they were doing! Constructed and added to over many years, CAMP DENALI features cozy, hand-built log cabins warmed by classic wood stoves and lit by propane lamps. Each cabin is separate from the others by some distance, and each has a spring fed water source plumbed to a spigot immediately outside with a discreet privy quite close by. The cabins have been designed for the view, so they feature huge glass windows facing Mt. McKinley and on a cold night under a full moon, should the summit emerge from it's cloud cap, you can enjoy the sight from your snuggly, quilt-covered bed.

Photograph ©2010 Michael DeYoung
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

There are several "commons" facilities that include very comfortable men's and women's showers, a natural history room with a piano, a "library" and gathering room where evening programs are held, and a spectacular new dining room. The dining room windows also face the summit and look over a nearby pond into which a moose and calf wander on the 1st breakfast of my most recent visit. My two children went crazy, as did the many others kids that were there (adults included in this category). The moose/calf were un-threatening, enjoying their breakfast from the lake greens, and VERY close for all to see. Needless to say, the photographers among us were quite happy as well. Meals in the dining room feature organic gourmet cooking, often with regional items and there is always a vegetarian plate.

My two children consulting with one of the Camp Denali naturalists about "stuff" they found.
Photograph © 2010 Robert Glenn Ketchum
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

Given this lodge's historic status and long relationship with the National Park Service, it can provide for the public like no other facility in the park and that is what makes the experience so rich. NO other lodge, in or out of the park is licensed to offer daily guide service in the designated Wilderness region of the park, the most scenic, wild, pristine and mountainous areas. At CAMP DENALI there are excursions EVERYDAY, led by highly experienced guide/naturalists. These trips are offered at differing levels of exertion so that everyone can participate. Often guests will ride out in a bus to spot animals, do a hike, have lunch along the route, watch more animals, and return late. Did I say, "watch animals!?!" You had better believe it! In my many years of staying at CAMP DENALI I have seen countless Dall's sheep, and caribou; my children and I watched two bull moose battle it out until one backed the other into a nearby pond and nearly drowned it; also with my kids, a moose and calf strolled through camp at twilight to the delight of numerous guests -- in their pajamas -- that followed them around at a safe distance; my photography class came upon a lone white wolf, sunning itself within 50-yards; a black, yellowed-eyed wolf digging for squirrels within 50FEET of the bus (one student using a telephoto got a full-frame shot of JUST the eye); a grizzly bear with two cubs that emerged from the bush onto the road, SO close that those with big lenses could NOT get the shot; and, a truly unique experience at some distance, a pack of wolves attacked a grizzly bear and drove it off, defending their territory. You will NEVER have experiences like this from such a safe position anywhere else in the world, period!

Photograph © 2010 Robert Glenn Ketchum
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

All of this happens because the guide staff is so good. They are great 'people-people', always interacting well with the guests and placing the guests first. Most are naturalists and park historians who always have interesting information to relate, and they connect with both adults and children. In the shot above, my group had taken a lunch break after the morning hike, and to aid digestion we are now "tundra-rolling" -- ­ going head-over-heals down a spongy tundra slope. The silliness of this became so infectious, that with the guides cajoling, even the adults participated ­-- THAT was funny!

Along the Trail at Wonder Lake. Photograph © 2010 Robert Glenn Ketchum
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.

As a photographer, don't even get me going about the astounding -- albeit very brief -- fall color. The tundra may not be the same as the trees of New England, but the show is easily as good.

Photograph Courtesy of Camp Denali
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

CAMP DENALI has canoes for paddling about on nearby Wonder Lake in full view of the summit and its supportive range, and there are mountain bikes as well. One great trip is to depart on the bus to the National Park's Eielson Visitor Center, offload at the visitor's center, and bicycle back to CAMP DENALI. There is also flight seeing offered from nearby Kantishna Air Taxi (link: www.katiar.com), whose van will pick you up at CAMP DENALI and deliver you back. Owner Greg LaHaie and his crew are knowledgeable pilots who have flown this area SAFELY most of their careers, so even for the flight-timid, this is a "must" recommendation. If you are a photographer, these pilots are also photo-savvy, so this will be an experience unlike anything else you have ever done, and they will help you get THE shot.

The Twin Summits of 'The Great One', Taken From Greg's Plane. Photograph © 2010 Robert Glenn Ketchum
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form.

Lastly, but not least, are the evening programs that are held in the common library. I have spoken there many times during my numerous visits, but there are always multiple presentations during any one stay, and they are all memorable. Most of the presentations are given by staff naturalists, however Camp Denali's 'Special Emphasis Series' also brings in visiting speakers.

Trapline Twins © 2005 Vanessapress, Fairbanks.

My last visit included a presentation from the twin sisters Miki and Julie Collins who live at the remote edge of the park and are known for their authentic subsistence lifestyle. The pictures and presentation were Alaskan humor at its best, and the photograph of them in their relatively small, hand-built cabin, sleeping with their ENTIRE dog team of 15+ huskies would be viral if posted on the net. These evenings are not to be missed.

Photograph Courtesy of Camp Denali
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

For my money and time, CAMP DENALI is one of THE best Alaskans experiences you could ever hope for. Follow the links to learn more, see price packages, and lengths of stay. There are other ways to encounter this park, but CAMP DENALI provides a combination of elements ­ comfort, guidance, learning programs, a point of view, camp camaraderie, and a hot shower/great meal at the end of the day ­ that the others cannot touch. If you only get to Alaska once in your life, and you are willing to "rough-it" just a little (very little) this is the trip!

When you book a trip at CAMP DENALI, be sure to let them know you read about it here on my blog!

~ Robert Glenn Ketchum

#rgk
#lbp