I just returned from a raft trip to Alaska. We had a great time, but one of the big surprises for me was what camera I chose to shoot many of the photos with.

For our family vacation this year we went on a raft trip in Alaska led by our friend Rick French at Pack Paddle Ski (www.packpaddleski.com). We flew into Anchorage, then drove to McCarthy, which is in the middle of Wrangell St. Elias National Park at the end of a 60-mile dirt road. From there we were ferried by bush plane to the tip of the Chitina Glacier, where we'd pump up our rafts and get on the river for the 100-mile trip.

Those of you who know me wouldn't be surprised to learn that I took along a pro-series digital SLR with 70-200 2.8 lens, 17-55 2.8 lens, 1.4 converter, strobe, extension cable for strobe, remote release and a small tripod. I also took a little 6MP point-and-shoot for snapshots. I had 26MB of CF and SD cards, and to back-up my images an Epson P-2000. In addition to all of that, I brought along extra batteries for everything, and used a Lowepro Dryzone Rover to keep everything safe.

The trip went great and all the gear performed without a hitch. The surprise for me was how much I shot with the little point-and-shoot. As one of the raft guides, my job was to sit in back and steer, call directions, and watch for problems on the river (which channel to take, avoid sandbars and logs and such). We were getting splashed and rained on at times. With only a couple of hundred dollars invested in the point-and-shoot, it was easy to justify keeping it out, in a little Lowepro neoprene case strapped to the gear in front of me. On shore, I could always have it in a pocket, again regardless the weather (or how much other gear I was carrying at the time). Some of those photos are used with this story.

I did shoot a lot with the SLR as well, but at only times when it was convenient for me (and it), and when I had a scene I really loved. Those photos are the ones I'll print big, and hopefully sell some as well. For the rest of the photos (like these) that little point-and-shoot was the perfect solution, both for ease of use and ease of mind. As I always tell people, it's not the size of the camera, but what you do with it!