Several months ago, my friend Chris approached me at the climbing gym, psyche-level at an all-time high. "Dude, we need to recreate the Bishop magic, and I need you there!" Of course, I give a verbal, purposely half-committed, "Sure, that sounds fun! I could get down." I mean, Bishop was a lot of fun. And I love climbing. But October was several months away, and I am a chronic non-planner. "How about Joe's Valley?" Chris continues, confirming that, with my half-ass commitment, there would be at least three of us going. Little did I know this was just the start of amassing an entire crew of Portlanders to head out to the Utah desert. I am not sure how a random group of 15 people all got off of work the same random week in October. With different jobs and life activities, I thought it would be impossible to reunite everyone. I believe this shows how the sense of adventure ties all of us together.
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Hoh River Trail to Blue Glacier, Olympic National Park /
“I think we’ll do 15 miles the first day,” I announced looking up from the wilderness map. “But the first 13 miles are REALLY flat,” I continue in hopes of quelling the looks of skepticism that Hanna gives me from the adjacent couch, “Don’t let the mileage scare you: we’re reasonably fit people, we’ll be fine.” I think I also said this to reassure myself that the trail I picked would be doable in a three day weekend. I will admit – 15 miles in a day seemed like a lot. But with the time constraint, I couldn’t figure out how else to spread out the mileage. Surprisingly Hanna doesn’t seem phased by the proposed expedition. “It’ll be fun!” I exclaim. All summer, we’ve been talking about doing a backpacking trip. I hadn’t been out in the backcountry since the Enchantments and was itching for some adventure time before winter sets in. And Hanna, just moving to the Northwest, was ready to explore her new home.
Read More4th of July in the Enchantments /
My prior experience in the Enchantments was several years ago, when me and Temo "tried" to climb Dragontail Peak via Serpentine Ridge. Little did I know that Dragontail Peak was only the start of a whole chain of alpine lakes and towering granite peaks, known collectively as the Enchantments. I have long desired to backpack up to the Enchantments to both climb some of the famous routes there and to photograph the beautiful scenery. But for the longest time, the permit system in place to protect this fragile landscape kept this desire from becoming reality. Early this winter, I circled on my calendar the day the lottery opened for permits, and signed up as soon I could. I was miraculously awarded a pass for the 4th of July weekend to the Core Enchantment Zone, which is the most coveted permit as it allows camping in all of the other zones.
Read MoreGear Upgrade! Rolleiflex 2.8E - Test Roll /
Sometimes I have to stop and say to myself, "Ray, don't you think you have enough old crusty cameras?" Short answer is Yes, I do probably have too many. But at least I shoot with most of them in my rotation. With replacing carpet, refurnishing my house, and other miscellaneous expenses that have come up over the last few months, I have indeed been really good lately about not buying unnecessary stuff. But I came across a deal I couldn't refuse.
Read MorePhotographers and Cemeteries /
After a couple of months of unseasonably dry weather, the Pacific Northwest winter rains have finally began to come down. And as a result, my motivation and inspiration for photography have both gone into hibernation. This is pretty typical of the winter though. To be honest, I would rather keep dry and warm in the comfort of my home, rather than out shooting in the wind, rain and cold. Then add the fact that it gets dark at 4:00, so after work shooting is out of the question. But I have felt stuck. This is painfully evident by the fact I've been on the same two rolls of film for a couple of months now.
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