Hiking in Hatcher Pass

My old friend Luke called me up this morning to go on a hike in Hatcher Pass. It was a good day to be up there; mostly sunny, cold and crisp. We hiked up to a peak above Independence Mine that I've skied a few times... no idea what it's name is or if it even has one. There are some pretty good views from the top.

The mountains of Hatcher Pass are scattered with old buildings, huts, and mine shafts from the gold rush days. It's incredible to see some of the heavy equipment and huge cables spanning mountain peaks that was once carried up by hand in the early to mid 1900's. The area has a lot of history.

I tried out my mom's new Sony point and shoot today. I like the quality, but the sky is blown out in a number of my photos. Then again, I didn't mess with any of the settings... so I probably could have fixed that if I had tried.

[ Luke hiking up the ridge. You can faintly see Pioneer Peak on the horizon. ]

[ Looking out towards the valley from an old mining hut. ]

[ Just need them to fill up with snow... ]

[ Checking out an old mine shaft. ]

[ There were some cool ice formations in it. ]

[ One of my favorite places of all time. ]

[ View from the top - towards the valley. ]

[ Luke ]