Greetings from Wrangell St. Elias National Park & Preserve

I remember my first time feeling a buffalo’s hide with the tips of my fingers, and the warm mist of Old Faithful on my face during a visit to Yellowstone National Park. It was my first time visiting a national park, and it’s been my family’s tradition to visit the Parks during vacation opportunities ever since. The various habitats and plant life in their boundless beauty captivated me. The overwhelming breadth of the Grand Canyon, the grizzlies feeding on salmon at Katmai, and the sky of leaves above us in Sequoia only fed into my excitement to learn about the environment. I began to attend ranger talks to learn more, and decided to participate in the Junior Ranger Program at every park I visit in an effort to learn and commit myself to the protection of the environment. Most recently, my family and I traveled to Alaska to visit the last of the national parks there that we had yet to see. After flying into Wrangell-St. Elias on a bush plane, we walked around the old Kennecott mining town, glimpsing into the lives of the early 1900s mining families. It was during our glacier hike that I asked my mother to capture the vast tranquility behind me. This photo represents all that I love about national parks, more than a mere background, but a whole other peaceful and untouched world.

Sincerely,
Ben