A Far Off Place in the National Park System

photo of the week for Saturday, 2010, January 2
Photographer: QT Luong

Deep in the Brooks Range of central Alaska, the Arrigetch Peaks that lie within Gates of the Arctic National Park cup the headwaters of the Kobuk River. According to the National Park Service, the name of the Arrigetch Peaks comes from the Nunamiut word for "outstretched fingers."

Naval Lieutenant George Stoney explored the mountains in the mid-1880s. This is how he described the Arrigetch Peaks, which are located in the park's southwestern corner:

They appear in every conceivable way and shape: there are rugged, weather-scarred peaks, lofty minarets, cathedral spires, high towers and rounded domes; with circular knobs, flat tops, sharp edges, serrated ridges and smooth backbones. These fantastic shapes form the summits of bare, perpendicular mountains.

You can find more of QT Luong's national park photos at his website, www.terragalleria.com/parks.

On the Web: www.nps.gov/gaar