McGinnis

Mount McGinnis stands guard over the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska. At 4,232 feet (1,290 meters), it’s a fairly decent hike to reach the summit. Especially since you start out at sea level. The day that I hiked up to the summit of Mt McGinnis it was just shy of 6 miles one way. This wouldn’t be so bad if it was a steady incline, but you’re only at 1,100 feet after 3.6 miles of hiking. The hike starts off at West Glacier trail. Once you reach a rocky outcrop, the trek into the woods begins the 3,000 foot final 2 miles of the trail up to the Mount McGinnis summit.

When clouds are low hanging in the Juneau, Alaska area, the summit of McGinnis is often hidden from view. The challenge in getting a great picture from the summit is that you want some clouds to capture the light, but you need to actually be able to see. I was watching the sky at around 4-5 pm and saw that it was lining up for a good one. I hauled my gear and went as fast as I could so that I could make it in time for the sunset.

Arriving at the summit I had about 30 minutes to spare. I took multiple shots so I would have some options on what would work out. Not wanting to hike down in the dark, I ended up camping out overnight. This allowed me to capture an epic picture the following morning at sunrise.

The summit viewpoint is second to none. Being able to see the expanse of beauty that exists in this part of Alaska will always stay with me. The setting sun showered it’s fiery hues over the many mountain peaks that go on into the horizon. I love how the colors go from warm to cool as you follow the fading light from the epic sunset.

This fine art image can be printed in 3 separate panels if you would like a triptych. It looks awesome this way.