One of my photographic mentors was the great skier, alpinist and adventure photographer, Carl Skoog. I’m fortunate to have skied, climbed and worked with Carl. In 1996, as part of an Outdoor Research sponsored ski mountaineering trip to the wilds of the St. Elias mountains of Canada, I spent several weeks with Carl and two others, the late Ron Gregg and another friend, Bill Hartlieb. We had a grand adventure and Carl’s sheer joy at being in the mountains was infectious. Here are a few photos of Carl from that trip.
Photographing Renata Chlumska's 2005/2006 "Around America Adventure" /
In 2005, my friend Renata Chlumska set out on a big trip. For 439 days she circumnavigated the lower 48 states of the USA by human power using a kayak and a bike for the most part. I was fortunate to shoot photos of Renata at several points along the way. Some of the photos are favorites of mine! Here’s a selection.
A winter sunset /
Yesterday’s sunset was cool, crisp and calm - pretty nice for January in the Pacific Northwest! These were shot from the east side of Bainbridge Island, looking at the Kitsap Peninsula and the Olympic Mountains, just after the sunset. As the sunset progressed, the light changed subtly and the alpenglow began to color the ridgelines. It was low tide and the gulls were hauling clams into the air and dropping them on the beach to crack them open. Other than their cries, it was quiet; a good moment on planet earth!
Mount Constance.
The Brothers.
Mount Jupiter
The summits of Mount Buckhorn.
A January paddling day at Burrows Island /
Slipping into a drysuit and then into the cockpit of a kayak is a surprisingly warm and comfortable combination, even in winter. That’s what we did this past weekend for a circumnavigation of Burrows Island, near Anacortes. A stop for a hot lunch at the lighthouse (fondue!) and a short hike was very nice.
A few favorite images from 2022 /
At the end of every year, I post 10 images on Instagram that are among my favorites from the past 12 months. Here are the 2022 selections in no particular order.
Andy Towne, adventurer extraordinaire, was a bit jet lagged on this day. After some cycling in Seattle and a late return to our island on the ferry, he seemed to have lost the ability to speak and was gesturing for his before-bed tea.
Mount Constance and the Bainbridge Island ferry on a summer’s evening.
Andy Towne makes another appearance in this year’s favorites. Here he’s about to belay me through an exposed section of our October climb of Mount Stone in the Olympic Mountains.
Arbutus trees on Clark Island (San Juans) and Mount Baker in the distance.
Red Fox kits on San Juan Island.
Late autumn light on Bainbridge Island. Kate Garfield is my life and adventure partner and she’s always able to find the special places wherever we go in the world.
Ravens over the summit of Mount Stone. They waited until we had vacated the true summit and then checked to make sure we left no trace.
Gina Gotch and Ted Steudel out for a spin at the edge of Clark Island.
Near the end of a February circumnavigation of Indian Island (Salish Sea), we had to walk the boats through the low-tide shallows. Fantastic light for a nice long stretch of time!
Early summer waves on Rich Passage, Bainbridge Island.