I really enjoyed last night here in Anchorage. I got to go to the World Eskimo Indian Olympics, and cover the opening ceremonies, thanks to the wonderful hospitality all-around for this leg of my trip by Shelly at the Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau. If you're visiting Alaska, make sure you check out this organization to help you figure out your trip. Anchorage is a great place, with plenty to do (as you'll see in these pics, and the ones in the last two blog entries).

I enjoyed capturing images of these beautiful tribal peoples at this particular event, as they proudly came together to dance, play music and compete in village games. One of the most amazing events was the blanket toss, where they gather 50 people to hold the ends of a big leather blanket and throw competitors high in the air. Its purpose in the villages is to sight over the horizons for whales to kill for food (since there are no trees in the Arctic north coast). Here the purpose was just for fun, and the competitors would do flips and leg-kicks for the crowd.

Check out some of the images...