Photos: Our favorites from 2022

The year in Alaska was marked by extreme weather, captivating politics and delightful moments of life.

By Marc Lester, Loren Holmes, Bill Roth, Emily Mesner, Anne Raup, Bob Hallinen
Updated: January 5, 2023 Published: January 4, 2023

Blowing snow deflects off the wing of a Cessna 172 during the windstorm at Palmer Municipal Airport on Jan. 2. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Nick D'Alessio, of Remarkable Adventures, leads client Jonathan Janis back to the parking lot, with the Chugach Mountains in the background, after skiing Tincan Mountain south of Anchorage on Jan. 5. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

The Ice Maze at the Alaska State Fairgrounds in Palmer opened in mid-January. (Bill Roth / ADN)

First mate Eben Brown talks with his crew as they break ice from the fishing boat Pinnacle on Jan. 18, in the Bering Sea southwest of St. Matthew Island. Ice from freezing spray can add a significant amount of weight to a boat, changing its stability. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

A crab is on a net of the FV Pinnacle in January. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

The fishing boat Pinnacle makes its way through an ice floe on Jan. 25, in the Bering Sea southwest of St. Matthew Island. The Pinnacle, which is larger than most fishing boats that operate in the Bering Sea, can travel through some unconsolidated sea ice, although at a greatly-reduced speed. An ice floe with pieces like this can damage buoys, increasing the risk of a lost crab pot. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Pinnacle crewman Stephen Jamieson walks to the bow of the Pinnacle through a spray on Jan. 25 in the Bering Sea southwest of St. Matthew Island. Captain Mark Casto generally tries to orient the boat so that the crew is protected from spray and waves when working, contrary to what has been depicted on the television show Deadliest Catch. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

[Into the ice: A crab boat’s quest for snow crab in a Bering Sea upended by climate change]

Dona Re' Shute leans onto the casket of her brother, Paul Charvet, a Navy pilot who disappeared during the Vietnam War in 1967, after his remains were transported to Anchorage on January 26. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Emma Broyles peeks into a ballroom from a Hotel Captain Cook kitchen before being announced at the Miss America Homecoming Gala in her honor on February 26. (Marc Lester / ADN)

[The crowning achievement for Anchorage’s Emma Broyles might be challenging assumptions about what it means to be Miss America]

Children wave Ukrainian flags from on top of a snow berm as people gathered at Town Square Park in downtown Anchorage to stand united with Ukraine on March 2. Speakers shared personal stories about their connection with Ukraine and they sang songs during a candlelight vigil. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Anchorage residents Jen Stansel and Andy Erickson made a sign that reads “Plz sell us your home” and posted it in the front yard of their current Airport Heights home, photographed on March 8. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Cantwell musher Paige Drobny waves to the crowd gathered on Fourth Avenue in downtown Anchorage as she crosses the ceremonial starting line of the Iditarod on March 5. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

MIlle Porsild said both runners on her sled broke just miles after she left Kaltag during the Iditarod. She tends to her team in Unalakleet on March 13. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Lev Shvarts lights the way for his team as they reach Unalakleet during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on March 13. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Members of the Toksook Bay boys basketball team celebrate after defeating Tanana 51-47 in the Class 1A boys state championship basketball game on March 19. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Rosemary Osnas, 7, pushes Zoe Branum, 5, in a chair at Westchester Lagoon during the first day of Spring on March 20. (Bill Roth / ADN)

A bulldozer pushes snow as McKenna Brothers Paving began removing snow on March 28 from the massive avalanche that crossed Hiland Road on the 24th. (Bill Roth / ADN)

A school bus drives along Hiland Road on April 6, through an area that was buried in an avalanche on March 24 in Eagle River. Workers are still working to clear River Lane. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

The sun sets around 8:30 p.m. in Anchorage and falls behind the Tordrillo Mountains on March 29. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Claire Lubke listens to Bishar Hassan’s family attorney speak during a rally in Anchorage on April 1. Hassan was shot and killed by three Anchorage Police officers in 2019. Lubke wore a jacket she had previously made. “I felt like it was fitting,” she said. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

A military honor guard presents the American flag to Anne Garland Walton, Don Young’s widow, at Young’s funeral service at the Anchorage Baptist Temple on April 2. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Kevin Hansen’s dog team is transported to the ice and starting line of the Kobuk 440 in Kotzebue on April 7. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Musher Ryan Redington struggles to wake up after a short nap and begins getting dressed to head back onto the Kobuk 440 trail from Ambler on April 8. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Musher DJ Starr arrives in Ambler and begins feeding his dogs as the moon rises over town shortly before midnight on April 8. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Anchorage Police move to apprehend an individual at the Hotel Captain Cook on April 15. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Jeri White sits with her husband, Anthony White, as they sing during a memorial for Jeri White’s daughter, Raechyl Blackshear and their granddaughter, Jayla Blackshear, at Lighthouse Christian Fellowship in Anchorage on April 28. The memorial was held by friends and family of Raechyl and Jayla who were found dead in their home in mid-April. Jalonni Blackshear, who is married to Raechyl, is suspected in the killings. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Vance Zuehlsdorff, left, and John Paul Huffer, a certified Wim Hof Method instructor, cold plunge at Barbara Falls near Eagle River on May 1. (Bill Roth / ADN)

[Into the cold: Strangers find community while plunging into frigid Alaska waters]

Two excavators work on May 9 at a landslide that buried the Lowell Point Road Saturday night in Seward. The excavators are working to create a ramp to the top of the slide, estimated at 200-feet high and 300-feet wide, so that its stability can be determined before more significant debris removal can begin. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Graduated West student Bianca Popescu smiles from beneath a pile of leis outside the Alaska Airlines Center after the ceremony on May 9. Three hundred and seventy students graduated West High School on Monday. About 2,400 students will graduate from the eight largest high schools this year, according to ASD. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Candidates for U.S. Congress participate in a debate on May 12 in Anchorage. From left: Nick Begich, John Coghill, Christopher Constant, Al Gross, Jeff Lowenfels, Sarah Palin, Mary Peltola, Josh Revak, and Tara Sweeney. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

A helicopter drops water on a fire on the Anchorage Hillside on May 22. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Municipal Manager Amy Demboski and Mayor Dave Bronson listen to testimony during public participation at the Anchorage Assembly special meeting on AO 2022-60 on June 1. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Dustin Darden, left, was removed from the Anchorage Assembly Chambers during public participation during a special meeting on AO 2022-60 on June 1. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Skye Idano, 12, hauls a king salmon up the bank that he reeled in while fishing at Ship Creek near downtown Anchorage on June 12. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Larry Tunley, inside his tent at a camp in Davis Park on June 17, said he prefers to camp outdoors. “I’m just free outside,” he said. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Miss Juneteenth Pageant contestants Sentha Wright, second from right, and Amaya Murphy, right, react after Oumie Hydara was awarded first place in the essay category of the competition on June 18. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

[Miss Juneteenth Pageant empowers Anchorage’s young Black girls as they compete for chance at national crown]

ASAP Ferg throws water at the Sundown Solstice Festival in downtown Anchorage on June 19. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Firefighters battle a wildland fire north of Dowling Road in Anchorage on June 23. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Quincy Adams, a captain of the Aaluk Crew, soars during blanket toss. Whaling crews and residents of Utqiagvik celebrated successful bowhead whale hunts during Nalukataq on June 24. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Robert Akpik III watches from the knee of his father, Robert Akpik Jr., during drumming at dancing in Utqiagvik on June 25. (Marc Lester / ADN)

[The spirit of the whale: Utqiaġvik celebrates Nalukataq with feast and dancing]

People listen to a speaker and hold signs as they attend a rally and march for abortion rights on June 25. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Three Arctic terns fly in front of the setting sun, made red from wildfire smoke, at Potter Marsh on June 28. One of the terns is carries a fish and another a dragonfly. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

After being told to move by law enforcement officers, a woman rests on the sidewalk on the corner of H Street and W. Fourth Avenue in downtown Anchorage on June 30. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Mike Lindell, the executive of a pillow company and a prominent Trump supporter, mingles outside the Alaska Airlines Center before speaking during the Trump rally at the Alaska Airlines Center on July 9. (Bill Roth / ADN)

People cheer for Donald Trump as he speaks during a rally on July 9. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Former President Donald J. Trump prepares to enter the Alaska Airlines Center stage during the July 9 rally. (Bill Roth / ADN)

A sign reading "Lost everything, need cash" on a wagon is near a tent site at the Centennial Campground on June 27. (Anne Raup / ADN)

A female black bear and two cubs look for food inside a tent on June 29 at Centennial Park in Anchorage. The campground was abruptly chosen by Mayor Dave Bronson's administration as a sanctioned area for camping by people experiencing homelessness, despite its proximity to bears and its relative lack of resources as compared to the previous mass care site at the Sullivan Arena. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

People listen to comments during the Northeast Community Council special meeting about the sanctioned camping for people experiencing homelessness at Centennial Park Campground on July 14. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Evidence markers are placed around the scene of a shooting in Centennial Park campground on July 20. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Fishing boats wait for the next commercial opening on July 12 at "The Y" in the Naknek-Kvichak district near Naknek in Bristol Bay. This year around 1,500 fishing boats worked to catch nearly 60 million salmon in Bristol Bay. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

From left, Sofia Dixon, Cecilia White, and Eliza Williamson pick fish from a setnet off of Pederson Point on July 14 in the Naknek-Kvichak district near Naknek in Bristol Bay. Dixon is co-director of Whoop Dee Doo, a New York City-based performance art organization, White is a geologist and science writer, and Williamson is an architect. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

A brown bear fishes for salmon in Pick Creek near Lake Nerka in Wood-Tikchik State Park on July 21. During periods of abundance, bears will sometimes "high-grade" salmon, eating only the eggs from the females and brains from the males. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Sockeye salmon gather in Lake Nerka near the mouth of Sam Creek on July 22 in Wood-Tikchik State Park. Tens of thousands of salmon will gather in the lake at the mouth of their natal rivers before they make a push up the river to spawn. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Salmon swim at the mouth of "C" Creek in Little Togiak Lake in Wood-Tikchik State Park on July 21. The name C was given to the creek by University of Washington researchers since the creek does not have an official USGS place name. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

[The salmon mystery of Bristol Bay]

Ida Norton, left and Alexis Savage, right, and dozens of other protesters yell in front of the police department Aug. 5, calling for justice for Fred Lee. The protesters are asking for police to reopen the case on Fred Lee's death. (Anne Raup / ADN)

Workers began dismantling the iconic sign on the front of the 4th Avenue Theater on August 4. The owners of the property, Peach Holdings, plans to redevelop much of the downtown block on which the theater sits. Developers say they hope to incorporate the characters of the original sign in the future structure. (Marc Lester / ADN)

The 4th is removed from the 4th Avenue Theatre sign on August 9. It was the last neon panel removed as the theater is prepared for demolition. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

The partially-demolished front of the 4th Avenue Theater on Oct. 24 in downtown Anchorage. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Ten-month-old Addilyn James peers out from a voting booth as her mother Brittany James cast her ballot at St. Patrick's Parish in Muldoon on Election Day, Aug. 16. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin greets supporters and waves to motorists on the Parks Highway in Wasilla on August 16. (Marc Lester / ADN)

U.S. Senate candidate Kelly Tshibaka and Star Wars character Chewbacca wave to motorists on Election Day on Aug. 16. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Kelly Tshibaka spends a moment with her husband, Niki Tshibaka and son, Josiah, before a forum begins for U.S. Senate candidates in Anchorage on September 1. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Just after being sworn on the floor of U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Mary Peltola stands with, from left, Amanda Kapsner, Sage Kapsner, Kavaeny Kapsner, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Gene Peltola Jr., Rep. Peltola, Kaeli Peltola, Job Nelson and Eugene Peltola III stand for a ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on September 13. (Marc Lester / ADN)

[Peltola sworn into office as Alaska’s new U.S. representative]

Tanisha Charles gives her 10-year-old daughter Palmer a kiss as they looked at the landslide damage to their apartment for the first time together on Sept. 14. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Sen. Lisa Murkowski expresses her appreciation for U.S. Capitol Police Officer Tomel Burke after Burke escorted Murkowski through the Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C., on September 15. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Chris Vincent takes a break from chopping wood at a campsite on Sept. 26, at Centennial Park campground. Vincent has a home in Glennallen but came to Anchorage to help a friend who has been staying at the camp. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

George Kehm sits on a cot after arriving at the Sullivan Arena from Centennial Park campground on Oct. 1. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Priscilla Hunter claps after participating in an invitational dance with her grandson Katilluq during the "Honoring Our Ways of Life: Celebrating Who We Are" event at the Moseley Sports Center on Indigenous Peoples Day on Oct. 10. Hunter, who is Yup'ik originally from Hooper Bay, said she was "honored to be at the celebration because they changed it from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day" and that her grandson "gets to learn about his culture even though he is young." Her sister Geraldine Tall is seated at left. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Wind turbines spin on Fire Island on Oct. 13. Cook Inlet Region, Inc., which owns most of the island, built the 17.6MW project a decade ago and is looking at options to triple the power output. The 11 existing turbines produce about 2% of the annual power generation at Chugach Electric Association. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Model Quannah Chasinghorse and her boyfriend, Reservation Dogs star D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (not pictured), sign autographs and pose for photos with fans on Oct. 17, 2022 at the Elders and Youth Conference at the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Ket'acik Dave Nicolai, right, laughs as he teaches a group from Juneau how to make string figures on Oct. 17 at the Elders and Youth Conference. At left in red is Kaley Hoyle. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Rep. Mary Peltola is hugged after her keynote address to the Alaska Federation of Natives annual conference in Anchorage on Oct. 20.(Marc Lester / ADN)

Bull moose eye each other before starting to eat on the same bush. The pair of bull moose alternately browsed on vegetation and sparred with each other Oct. 23, in an east Anchorage neighborhood. (Anne Raup / ADN)

Geese stand in tall grass near Merrill Field Airport on Oct. 26, while feeding after the recent snowfall. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Violet Jopp, 10, raked leaves in the fall to make money and help her neighbors. Photographed on Wednesday, Oct. 26. (Bill Roth / ADN)

A Fairbanks team official confronts a security guard over a fog horn that sat next to the team’s bench during their hockey game against the Anchorage Wolverines at Ben Boeke Ice Arena in Anchorage on Nov. 4. The Wolverines defeated the Fairbanks Ice Dogs 6-5 in overtime. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

The moon rises in this view from 5th Avenue near downtown Anchorage on November 5. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Rep. Mary Peltola greeted supporters gathered at 49th State Brewing after initial 1st-choice results for the ranked choice general election were posted on Nov. 8. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Sen. Lisa Murkowski talks with her parents, Nancy Murkwoski, left, and Frank Murkowski, an election night gathering at Williwaw Social, November 8. (Marc Lester / ADN)

In a lighthearted moment, Alaska House Rep. Laddie Shaw, right, looks from behind Gov. Mike Dunleavy after Dunleavy jokingly stepped in front of the much shorter Shaw when the two lined up for a photograph at the conclusion of the Veterans Day ceremony. Shaw is Navy veteran who served in Vietnam. The Alaska National Guard hosted the Veterans Day Ceremony at the armory on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on November 11. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Michael Mott, of Eagle River, visits the memorial for his wife, Juanita Mott, at Fort Richardson National Cemetery on Veterans Day, November 11. The Motts, who were married for 33 years, met at Hahn Air Base, a U.S. Air Force installation in Germany. “We loved being in the service together,” he said. Mott said he has been visiting the cemetery multiple times a week since Juanita died in December 2019. He comes no matter the weather, he said, including recently when it was minus-6 degrees. “I was perfectly comfortable,” he said. Mott said he reflects on their closeness when he visits. The two never fought for as long as they were together and would often end the day laughing, he said. “It’s peaceful,” Mott said of the cemetery. “I get that opportunity to be close to her.” (Marc Lester / ADN)

Liam Laybourn, a student at Sitka High School, leans into strong winds while standing on the upper deck of the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry LeConte as they pass Haines while sailing on the Chilkoot Inlet on Nov. 13. According to the AMHS, the ferry was named for Alaska's southernmost tidewater glacier and entered into service on May 24, 1974. The LeConte Glacier is located at the end of Frederick Sound, about 18 miles southeast of Petersburg. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Neighbor Nicholas Volanski keeps candles lit at a memorial for Jersey Miller, 16, who was shot and killed on a quiet residential street on Nov. 15. (Bill Roth / ADN)

[3 teens planned to rob 16-year-old Anchorage boy before he was fatally shot, charges say]

People watch as a UPS Boeing 747 cargo jet takes off from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport at sunset on Nov. 25. The cargo jet is on its way to Ontario, Canada. (Bob Hallinen Photo)

Traffic on Gambell Street flows past a blue shipping container where a woman was found dead nearby on Halloween. Photographed on Nov. 29. (Bill Roth / ADN)

[24 people believed to have been homeless died outdoors in Anchorage this year]

Fourth graders Jimmy Oyagak, left, and Mark Pausanna, right, dance with Santa Claus as drummers in the Nuiqsaġmiut Dance Group play in the background during Operation Santa Claus in Nuiqsut on Nov. 29. The dance group performed for volunteers and service members as a way to show appreciation for the event and children cheered for Santa Claus to join them. Operation Santa Claus is a humanitarian program that brings holiday cheer, books and presents to two rural Alaska communities each year. Nuiqsut, a rural community located in the North Slope Borough, was selected as one of the communities this year. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

The moon rises over Interior Alaska and mountains in the Alaska Range, photographed from the cockpit of a C-130 on Nov. 29. Denali is visible in the background. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Assistant state veterinarian Sarah Coburn, left, swabs a duck, held by Sheila Pontier, at Pontier’s home on Nov. 30 in Wasilla. The sample will be tested for avian influenza, a highly-transmissible virus that has already been detected in some of Pontier’s other birds. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

[‘This is totally unusual’: Highly pathogenic bird flu still spreading in Alaska, state veterinarian says]

A moose crosses a snowy field on the Anchorage Hillside just after sunset on Dec. 1.(Marc Lester / ADN)

Kadeen Sanford holds his son, Shiloh Sanford, as Shiloh listens to his mom talk to him through an interactive sound display at the Anchorage Museum during First Friday event on Dec. 2. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Tess Sprau snowblows her driveway as new snow keeps falling on Dec. 7, in East Anchorage. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Swirling snow is visible in lanes as motorists travel southbound on Minnesota Drive during moonrise on Dec. 8. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Jamal Wheeler looks at his apparently frost-bitten fingers while walking to a hospital along Tudor Road on Dec. 9. The temperature was 7 degrees F that morning. (Anne Raup / ADN)

An East High School skier has frosty lashes at the finish line of the high school cross country ski race at Kincaid Park on Dec. 10. The race was held in single digit temperatures. (Photo by Bob Hallinen)

Snow is piled on an EasyPark garage in downtown Anchorage on Dec. 15. (Marc Lester / ADN)

Zachary James navigates heavy snow on the sidewalk along W. Benson Blvd. in Anchorage with his dog, Major General, on Dec. 13. James, who is visually impaired and has a broken foot, was dropped off by a bus about a mile away from his destination, the Alaska Center For the Blind and Visually Impaired. "They need to do a better job at cleaning the sidewalks 'cause someone might end up getting hurt," he said. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Duke the dog takes a tumble as he chases sledder Colson Petersen down a hill at Oceanview Bluff Park on Dec. 15. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

Snow is plowed in the Sullivan Arena Parking lot around one vehicle which remained buried on Dec. 16. (Marc Lester / ADN)

People spend time inside the warming area of the Sullivan Arena, many sleeping on the concrete floor, on Dec. 16. (Marc Lester / ADN)

[Anchorage’s Sullivan Arena shelter is full. As temperatures plunge, homeless seek refuge in a crowded warming area.]

Palmer's Selene Farris competes against her teammate Kaylee Paulson during the Alaska wrestling state championships on Dec. 16. The Palmer High School mascot is the moose, and the mat they are wrestling on is from Bartlett High School, where the mascot is the bear. (Loren Holmes / ADN)

People stand near the Christmas tree at Town Square Park in downtown Anchorage after taking pictures on winter solstice, Dec. 21. (Bill Roth / ADN)

A pigeon looks at a person resting on the concrete outside the Sixth Avenue entrance to City Hall on Christmas Day, Dec. 25. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Large flocks of Bohemian waxwings travel through Palmer on Dec. 28. The birds feed on mountain ash berries and other fruiting trees. (Marc Lester / ADN)

People watch New Year’s Eve fireworks from downtown Anchorage on Dec. 31. (Emily Mesner / ADN)

Marc Lester

Marc Lester is a multimedia journalist for Anchorage Daily News. Contact him at mlester@adn.com.

Loren Holmes

Loren Holmes is a staff photojournalist at the Anchorage Daily News. Contact him at loren@adn.com.

Bill Roth

Bill Roth is a staff photojournalist at the Anchorage Daily News.

Emily Mesner

Emily Mesner is a multimedia journalist for the Anchorage Daily News. She previously worked for the National Park Service at Denali National Park and Preserve and the Western Arctic National Parklands in Kotzebue, at the Cordova Times and at the Jackson Citizen Patriot in Jackson, Michigan.

Anne Raup

Multimedia editor Anne Raup has been with ADN for 26 years, both as a staff shooter and an editor.

Bob Hallinen

Bob Hallinen has been a photojournalist in Alaska since the 1980s and has traveled extensively all over the state. He retired from the ADN in November 2018 after 33 years at the newspaper.