Tundra Slumber

This photo was taken near Toolik Field Station, a research camp located on Toolik Lake between Deadhorse and Fairbanks in Northern Alaska.

The Land of the Midnight Sun may be most famous for its big bears and immense landscapes, but sometimes it’s the small quiet moments that leave a lasting impression. One day in late August while hiking over the spongy Arctic terrain near Toolik Lake in northern Alaska, I found a sleeping red fox snoozing on a bed of vibrant late summer tundra. This is one of my all-time favorite photos in part because of the gorgeous fall-like colors, but even more because I’m not sure I’ve ever captured a picture of an animal that seems so at peace in its surroundings. I got my photos and continued on my way, and left the fox to its dreaming.