Wouldn't it be cool to take your LF camera to....

[Riverman]

... Attu island, over 1000 miles from the Alaskan mainland.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attu_Island

Remote locations, especially islands, hold a particular fascination for me. I think this place is practically impossible to get to now (unless you're in the Navy or coastguard) though in earlier decades bird watching trips made the voyage out to Attu and other remote Aleutian islands.

I'd love to turn my lenses on the strange volcanic landscapes at the end of the Aleutians.

Anyone here shot LF in the Aleutians?

If you could take your LF anywhere on the globe, where would you go?

[John Kasaian]

All it takes is money...a whole lot of money(especially in Alaska!)
If you've got a degree or a professional reputation of some sort you might try conning...errrr...applying for a research grant to flip for the expenses.
Many out of the way places in Alaska are regularly maintained and crews travel by regularly charter aircraft. If there are any commercial antenneas or other infrastructue on the island you might be able to "hitch a ride" there and back. A little research should uncover the possibilites, but I betcha that it'll be cold and wet!

[Bruce Watson]

My father spent a fair amount of time stationed at the naval air station on Adak during WWII. He assures me that there is nothing of interest to the photographer on Adak. In particular, trees. The entire island, beaches and all, is above the tree line. He says that most of the Aleutian Island chain is like this, bare, windswept, foggy, and amazingly cold. So if you like frozen mud and bare rock in the fog, it might be your kind of place. He assures me that it isn't his kind of place; he's been back to Alaska, but wouldn't even consider visiting any of the Aleutians again.

Take from that what you will.

[Riverman]

There is an antenna on Attu and a manned coastguard station there and I think that the coastguard run flights out to the island. I suspect you're both right about the weather though. Pretty awful I guess.

The lack of trees is one of the fascinating things about the place for me. From the images I've seen online, the desolate landscape looks completely other-wordly.

Norway's Svalbard archipelago would be another interesting place to shoot LF.

[lenser]

Besides the other logistics, aren't there more than a few Alaskan Brown bears and Kodiak bears to contend with along the Aleutian chain? Seems like a huge handgun might be a good addition to the large format kit.

[JRFrench]

Besides the other logistics, aren't there more than a few Alaskan Brown bears and Kodiak bears to contend with along the Aleutian chain? Seems like a huge handgun might be a good addition to the large format kit.

Yeah invade the territory of a not-to-populous animal (~3,500 Kodiaks) and make sure you take a gun so you can kill them if they try and defend their territory. What a ridiculous attitude.

[lenser]

JR, Would rather be their lunch? You would not be the first.

No question they are magnificent animals and need to be preserved, but if you are going into their territory, a great deal of education and a big dose of caution seems advisable.

[William McEwen]

JR, Would rather be their lunch? You would not be the first.

No question they are magnificent animals and need to be preserved, but if you are going into their territory, a great deal of education and a big dose of caution seems advisable.

And ammo.

[John Kasaian]

And ammo.

.375 Holland and Holland is what the Alsaka HIghway Department crews are armed with.

[JRFrench]

JR, Would rather be their lunch? You would not be the first.

No question they are magnificent animals and need to be preserved, but if you are going into their territory, a great deal of education and a big dose of caution seems advisable.

If my presence was possibly going to lead to the demise of the creatures, I would rather not be there, just for the sake of being there. Im not normally a big greeny or whatever, but if the animals have to pay for your photos with their lives, it doesn't seem fair to me.

[Frank Petronio]

Speaking of the .375 H&H and a few of God's creatures:

http://www.brenneke-munition.de/cms/97.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=18&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=19&cHash=ae0b878cb5

[lenser]

JR,

I doubt that you'll get any serious argument from most of us here including myself. I'll hug a few trees myself, but I'll watch out for what's lurking behind them.

But, if you are gonna go, don't be dumb enough to assume that you are not on the menu, so be prepared and pray you don't have to react. Same goes for a lot of inner cities.

I've done a lot of pre-demolition architectural shooting for one client in some pretty scary places and have once in awhile consulted the local police about hiring an off duty officer to watch my back while I watch the ground glass.

Similar sense of caution in both situations. I want to come home in one piece with great images.

[jwaddison]

I guess none of the gun-carrying crowd goes into national parks in Canada, where guns are not permitted.
Given a choice, I'd take the bear spray anyway. You don't have to be a good shot, and most pistol shooters aren't nearly as accurate as they like to think.

[Greg Lockrey]

My father spent a fair amount of time stationed at the naval air station on Adak during WWII. He assures me that there is nothing of interest to the photographer on Adak. In particular, trees. The entire island, beaches and all, is above the tree line. He says that most of the Aleutian Island chain is like this, bare, windswept, foggy, and amazingly cold. So if you like frozen mud and bare rock in the fog, it might be your kind of place. He assures me that it isn't his kind of place; he's been back to Alaska, but wouldn't even consider visiting any of the Aleutians again.

Take from that what you will.

My Dad was in the Army stationed there after they chased the Japanese off. He'd tell you the same thing.

[Greg Lockrey]

I guess none of the gun-carrying crowd goes into national parks in Canada, where guns are not permitted.
Given a choice, I'd take the bear spray anyway. You don't have to be a good shot, and most pistol shooters aren't nearly as accurate as they like to think.

I bet I am... ;)

[jwaddison]

I bet I am... ;)
I did say "most". :) But I think any handgun is not a good weapon for bears. My second choice, after the spray, would be a short-barreled 5-shot shotgun loaded alternatively with no.7 shot and slugs.
In any case, are there any bears on an island of rocks and mud? What would they eat?

[Greg Lockrey]

I did say "most". :) But I think any handgun is not a good weapon for bears. My second choice, after the spray, would be a short-barreled 5-shot shotgun loaded alternatively with no.7 shot and slugs.
In any case, are there any bears on an island of rocks and mud? What would they eat?

I understand that there are Kodiak brown bears in the neighborhood. I have a pistol chambered with a .444 Marlin loaded with 305 grain solids, I think it'll handle a bear, it sure handles wild hogs. A 12Ga slug will handle anything you want to shoot at, forget the #7 shot.... you'll just piss him off.

[lenser]

I did say "most". :) But I think any handgun is not a good weapon for bears. My second choice, after the spray, would be a short-barreled 5-shot shotgun loaded alternatively with no.7 shot and slugs.
In any case, are there any bears on an island of rocks and mud? What would they eat?

NatGeo (I think) or maybe the History Channel has done a special revisiting the WWII sites in the Aleutians including Attu. Looks very plush with low vegetation. I don't know about proteins, but lots of plant material above the tide lines.

[venchka]

The mail plane or the mail boat. There will be a ticket charge I'm sure. It's probably easier to get to the Backside of Nowhere in Alaska than in some of the more remote places in the Lower 48.

[Robert Hughes]

Speaking of the .375 H&H and a few of God's creatures:
http://www.brenneke-munition.de/cms/97.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=18&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=19&cHash=ae0b878cb5
Look at the ranges he shot from: Hippopotamus: 35 meters ... Cape buffalo: 30 meters ... Lion: 60 meters ...

Almost spitting distance - hardly seems sporting. Maybe the great white hunter should try his luck in Afghanistan, where you don't even see the guys shooting back.

[Greg Lockrey]

Look at the ranges he shot from: Hippopotamus: 35 meters ... Cape buffalo: 30 meters ... Lion: 60 meters ...

Almost spitting distance - hardly seems sporting. Maybe the great white hunter should try his luck in Afghanistan, where you don't even see the guys shooting back.

I know there are issues with hunting and hunters but if it weren't for the hunters paying those high prices for licenses to hunt these animals they would soon be non-excistent. Just look at countries who have hunting verses those who don't. As for shooting a dangerous animal at 30 meters isn't as easy as some would think. First you have to get close eough to make a humane shot. This is why they call it "hunting" and not "shooting". One little screw up from a misfire to a poorly placed shot could mean you will be run over or worse. Me personally have no desire to take one of these animals, but I do hunt more for getting in touch with nature.

[Nathan Potter]

Attu is a birders paradise. I have a friend who has been there recently. You can fly in and stay with the birders. They even have bikes for use in the local area. The interior is mountain country with max elev. of maybe 3000 ft. Roughly a dozen to maybe two dozen non cloudy days a year. Lots of mist an drizzle but really only about 30 to 40 inches of rain a year. (From my birder friend). He says check it out on Google Earth.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[jwaddison]

I understand that there are Kodiak brown bears in the neighborhood. I have a pistol chambered with a .444 Marlin loaded with 305 grain solids, I think it'll handle a bear, it sure handles wild hogs. A 12Ga slug will handle anything you want to shoot at, forget the #7 shot.... you'll just piss him off.
Actually the #7shot is to blind it.

[Greg Lockrey]

Actually the #7shot is to blind it.

If the pattern is right. :)

[jwaddison]

If the pattern is right. :)

True. Another reason to go with the bear spray. But I'd take the shotgun over the handgun. I'm sure some of you are excellent shots (I'm not) but shooting at a charging 800 lb grizzly moving at over 30 mph would be a tough target with a handgun. And, if I recall correctly they have a very small zone where a shot would kill them immediately. Anyway, everybody will choose what they feel most comfortable with, but the people in northern Canada who work around them (tree planters etc) carry bear spray, shotguns or a rifle in camp.

[lenser]

Seriously, would a shot gun blast even penetrate all that thick hair? Seems like unless you hit it dead in the nose and eyes, you would only irritate it with no chance for a second or third shot. I'm no hunter, but my impression is that they are mostly useful for waterfowl and riot control unless you use deer slugs instead of shot.

[Greg Lockrey]

True. Another reason to go with the bear spray. But I'd take the shotgun over the handgun. I'm sure some of you are excellent shots (I'm not) but shooting at a charging 800 lb grizzly moving at over 30 mph would be a tough target with a handgun. And, if I recall correctly they have a very small zone where a shot would kill them immediately. Anyway, everybody will choose what they feel most comfortable with, but the people in northern Canada who work around them (tree planters etc) carry bear spray, shotguns or a rifle in camp.

What you say is true but it is also true that handguns are illegal in Canada from what I understand so they wouldn't carry them in the first place. All I'm saying in my case, a guy who has shot skeet with a handgun (.410) for about 30 years and has hunted ferral hogs that get up to around 250 lbs or so and are well known for their ferrocity and toughness and run 30 mph with the intent to eat you, I could feel confident with my "150 yard sledge hammer". We have bears here in Michigan too, and most of the time they will do all they can to avoid you unless they are injured, hungry or protecting their young. If I was walking in a woods with my camera equipement I would prefer to carry the handgun verses a shotgun with slugs even though I know very well which is more powerful. It's just a matter of logistics.

[George Stewart]

For those of you who think guns should be avoided, or that spray is adequate, check this video out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CNgwZgoKFc&feature=related

There are plenty of other videos that demonstrate the danger involved with being in areas that have dangerous animals. Also, if there is any wind or heavy rain, spray will be ineffective and will certainly do little to an animal that has the momentum of a 40 MPH charge going for them. Spray is for unarmed people or a teddy bear that one could field goal any way.

Rifles certainly have the edge with respect to power and accuracy but are cumbersome and heavy, unless the intent is to hunt. 375 H&H is the minimum for animals that can kill and eat you. Also, unless shot placement is perfect, it will seldom drop an animal with only one shot.

If I were carrying camera equipment, photographing, and spent time under the dark cloth, I'd recommend a large 5-shot magnum revolver in either a chest or thigh holster - something clear of backpack straps or the waist belt. The cartridge of choice is anything at or above 454 Casull - 500 S&W Mag. being a personal choice. Handguns are smaller and weigh less than rifles, are more convenient (it is with the person all the time), can be maneuvered easier, and shot more rapidly at short range, with great effectiveness.

As far as travel to Attu, the Aleutians, or any remote island, your best bet is a small sailing vessel. You could do this yourself. Get your captain's license and a 30+ foot sailboat, which can be quite inexpensive used compared to new, not withstanding maintenance costs, which will be high unless you do all the work. You should build your sailing experience and knowledge over several years, then just do it. Attu appears to have several good anchorages compared to most islands in the Aleutian Archipelago.

[jwaddison]

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/bear-spray2.htm

[venchka]

...to the Cirque of the Unclimbables. With skills commensurate with the environment. :D

Cirque of the Unclimbables (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://parkerlab.bio.uci.edu/pictures/climbing%2520pictures/climbing%2520photographs/4%2520Mt%2520Proboscis_Cirque%2520of%2520the%2520Unclimbables.jpg&imgrefurl=http://parkerlab.bio.uci.edu/nonscientific_adventures/climbing/climb_canada.htm&usg=__2eIkKe40QCRv-btaSdfXbesLLEQ=&h=800&w=490&sz=74&hl=en&start=5&sig2=HzFYnKvC9pLSpIF401iB0A&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=lr6WR1vOWkEAdM:&tbnh=143&tbnw=88&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcirque%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bunclimbables%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4HPNW_enUS311US311%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1&ei=nIlYS4aGGo-kNeKt_dcE)

Follow that amazing experience with a trip to Auyuittuq National Park...

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/nu/auyuittuq/index.aspx

[Bruce A Cahn]

My camera is heavy, so anywhere on the globe would be near home. Probably a high rooftop in Manhattan.

[Hollis]

Ive shot LF out on Unalaska island. I have a buddy stationed on Shemya island but there is no way you are getting onto that rock as they have X-band radar out there and all manner of other secret military hardware. The Aleutians are pretty epic and getting there is the rough part. I think something like %50 of the flight out to the western islands get called off due to weather (wind, fog, rain, sleet, stuff that doesn't have a name), so, pain in the ass.

To my knowledge there are no bears out there either since there is really no food to sustain a large mammal population and the islands are too small to provide a large enough genetic pool.

To hell with the bears, they are no problem. If you get in the way of my shot Ill shoot you myself.

[Riverman]

Attu is a birders paradise. I have a friend who has been there recently. You can fly in and stay with the birders. They even have bikes for use in the local area. The interior is mountain country with max elev. of maybe 3000 ft. Roughly a dozen to maybe two dozen non cloudy days a year. Lots of mist an drizzle but really only about 30 to 40 inches of rain a year. (From my birder friend). He says check it out on Google Earth.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

Hey Nate. How did your friend get to Attu? I'd read online that they stopped running birders trips there several years ago.

The landscape of Attu may sound uninteresting to some and the weather is obviously pretty awful most of the time. Part of the excitement for me though would be to reach somewhere so remote that few people ever get to see it, let alone capture it on sheets of 4x5. More folk probably reach Everest base camp than somewhere like Attu.

[rguinter]

For those of you who think guns should be avoided, or that spray is adequate, check this video out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CNgwZgoKFc&feature=related

If I were carrying camera equipment, photographing, and spent time under the dark cloth, I'd recommend a large 5-shot magnum revolver in either a chest or thigh holster - something clear of backpack straps or the waist belt. The cartridge of choice is anything at or above 454 Casull...

There will always be an argument when someone mentions carrying guns into wilderness territory. So let me tell you a few facts about the black bears I have experience with in northern Maine.

They will track you through the woods. I know this because it happened to me in 1995 while I was bushwacking to the top of a hill about 3-miles off the nearest logging road. The bear was deliberately following my trail. One can only guess what for. I was able to scare it away with a couple of warning shots.

They can exceed 35 mph running. I know this because I chased one with my Landrover down an old logging road a couple of years later. He was the size of an original Volkswagen Beetle. My speedometer read 35 and he was leaving me behind. I couldn't go any faster over the old road without breaking something. I was pushing my luck at that speed as it was just to check how fast he could run.

I never walk anywhere in those woods anymore without my 454 Casull magnum which I carry in a crossdraw holster. It was the most powerful handgun available at the time I bought it although now there are .475 and .500 caliber models that are bigger. I make sure I am able to draw quickly even with my camera backpack in place.

If anything has to be left behind to save weight I take something out of the camera pack.

I load my own ammo with hard-cast 325 grain bullets and I practice with it before hiking.

And after that incident in 1995 I no longer hike in the woods alone.

Bob G.

[csant]

Norway's Svalbard archipelago would be another interesting place to shoot LF.

Most definetly, it is. Here a few samples, the full series (and higher res pics) over at Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/csant/sets/72157622349224498/):


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2426/3900712013_cdcb5b8c9b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/csant/3900712013/in/set-72157622349224498/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2596/3922423514_c623cc14b9.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/csant/3922423514/in/set-72157622349224498/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3463/3965920105_abaf8f49cb.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/csant/3965920105/in/set-72157622349224498/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2513/3896756261_e55f519104.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/csant/3896756261/in/set-72157622349224498/)

I was working there for three months, and lugged around my feather-light 5x7. Consider that in addition to arctic (warm) equipment and all photo gear, you always carry a rifle, too (against polar bears). Great fun.

[evan clarke]

If the pattern is right. :)

Yes, and some bears can still smell you from miles away, don't need their eyes. Six heavy rounds from a revolver is a better bet and you'll need good crampons for your shoe to keep you from slipping in your own waste.:D EC

[Riverman]

Most definetly, it is. Here a few samples, the full series (and higher res pics) over at Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/csant/sets/72157622349224498/):


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2426/3900712013_cdcb5b8c9b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/csant/3900712013/in/set-72157622349224498/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2596/3922423514_c623cc14b9.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/csant/3922423514/in/set-72157622349224498/)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3463/3965920105_abaf8f49cb.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/csant/3965920105/in/set-72157622349224498/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2513/3896756261_e55f519104.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/csant/3896756261/in/set-72157622349224498/)

I was working there for three months, and lugged around my feather-light 5x7. Consider that in addition to arctic (warm) equipment and all photo gear, you always carry a rifle, too (against polar bears). Great fun.

These are epic. Wow!

[Nathan Potter]

Hey Nate. How did your friend get to Attu? I'd read online that they stopped running birders trips there several years ago.

The landscape of Attu may sound uninteresting to some and the weather is obviously pretty awful most of the time. Part of the excitement for me though would be to reach somewhere so remote that few people ever get to see it, let alone capture it on sheets of 4x5. More folk probably reach Everest base camp than somewhere like Attu.

He flew in by charter plane. I say recently but I think that was about 1998. Some people still come by boat on special nature charters but there is no place to stay I believe. I think if you have loads of money you can arrange a charter flight to bring you there and drop you off but you'll now need to camp with a tent. It'll be a backpacking venture for a designated time, then you'll need to be picked up. The cost is in the plane, being 1500 miles from, say Anchorage, it needs to be a substantial craft capable of 3000+ mi. round trip so cost is very high and is best reduced by a group venture. The runway is paved and about 6000 ft. in length. Check Alaskan charter services. Remember it is hard to work photographically even in mid summer - mean is about 42F in Jul and Aug and death by exposure is a reality due to the mist and drizzle keeping everything wet. Miserable - from my similar experience on the Greenland coast and Baffin Island. Hell of an adventure though I'm sure.

Nate Potter, Austin TX

[cjbroadbent]

...sea.

[Jim Michael]

Looks like there was an expedition (http://www.sikumi.com/attu.html) there in 2006.

[Stephane]

Going to Svalbard in April with snow scooters and again next summer with helicopter. Hehehe! I think I will take my 4x5 for the first trip and the sinar 8x10 on the second!

[Riverman]

I'm jealous Stephane. Be sure to post some images after your trips!