Planning started for 2006 Alaska Trip!

The planning has begin for my 2006 trip to Alaska.  Of course, I have put in to go to McNeil, but I don't think I will be lucky enough to win the lottery twice. I always hope that my name will be drawn.  If no McNeil lottery, I will go to Katmai to photograph bears.  The plans are for Kevin, Lucus and I to spend seven days there just before the park closes in September.  As the planning goes on I will post my lists, equipment issues, camping issues as well as other things that come up on this trip.  This will be my first 100% digital visit to Katmai and I ma sure it will be a learning experience for me as well as my readers of this journal.  I hope to share all this with you so if you make a trip it will help you out.

I have ordered my first additional battery for my Canon 1Ds and plan on ordering several more before I make the trip.  I know there are several places where I can charge my batteries, but I have to assume that I may not get a chance to do that, or that other photographers will be needing to charge up too.  This will be the biggest challenge for me on this trip.  Can't depend on solar chargers in Alaska......well I don't think so, but will look into it.

-mark

Watched Grizzly Man...

I watched the movie about Timothy Treadwell the other night and I really don't know what to say.  I knew about what he was doing several years ago and did not approve of his actions.  He did get some great bear footage and photographs I'll give him that much credit.  He just did not function in mainstream society and was at home with the bears.  Of course, we all know that that ended in tragedy.  I love bears and love to photograph them, but they should be studied without mans interaction.  We are not at the top of the food chain like we think when we venture outside our normal boundaries.  Just my thoughts on it1

-mark