Stills with Carson Baldiviez

Kennecott Mine

I remember family bike trips to Kennecott when I was a kid. The only thing on my mind was how much I hated biking. I couldn't care less about some abandoned 14-story brick red behemoth. Just sitting there holding strong for 100 years was no big deal to me. S’mores and hot dogs couldn’t come any sooner. Same old buildings, same old town. A childish mind immune to the bigger picture. Looking back at old photos and reminiscing gave me the idea to head back in 2016. I explored with a different perspective, a new view on the place.

You see photos of Kennecott time and time again, but being there is just different. I explored each level of that old building, learning and feeling the energy like a kid in a candy store. Still stocked full with machinery, the smell of oil made it feel like it was running just yesterday . I came across this view on a whim, peeking through the bushes on one of the few old mountain roads. As I pushed the branches out of the way I knew I was seeing the mine in a new light. 

The Wrangells

No other plane ride will make you feel smaller than a flight around the Wrangells. Hanging out with these giants is an experience that both humbles you and scares you at the same time. Ice fields and glaciers create a rainbow-road of curves and never-ending crevasses.

Coming up to this lake of a recently calved glacier I was immediately intrigued with the creamy mocha color the dirt and melting glacier had created. The pilot took a hard turn and allowed for this bird's eye view of the glacial lake. Like a painting, the colors and curves will always stick in my mind as it was something I had never seen before.

Born and raised in the mountains surrounding Anchorage, Carson Baldiviez is a two-time champion for eating ice cream in the state of Alaska. When he's not at his family's bakery, The House of Bread, you can usually find him cooking BBQ pizza, avoiding tomatoes, or on Instagram @belowthy.