August 2021

Anna and Roger had a vacation planned to Ashford, WA and wanted to visit Mount Rainier. While I offer several options for the Mountain Portrait Experiences, we chose a 16-mile round trip trail in the northwest corner of Mount Rainier National Park. The destination sits at over 8300 feet, stands up over a glacier, and overlooks a dozen ice blue snowmelt ponds, also referred to as tarns.

Once at the summit, Mount Rainier towers over and takes up the view to the Southeast. While the trail may seem long, it offers rewarding views, curvy mountain streams, snow fields, waterfalls, and unending beauty along the way.

The view of Mt Rainier from our Destination

Joining me on this adventure shoot was my friend and assistant, Geo. Anna and Roger chose the add-on option for a backup guide/second photographer to their experience after seeing some previous shoots that included a second shooter. This offers a different viewpoint with an emphasis on the guided adventure aspect. It also allows us to occasionally overcome difficult lighting conditions with off-camera light.

Some of our first views of Mt Rainier at sunrise after hiking trail in the dark.

This photo adventure is one of my Airbnb Experience listings. If you’re unfamiliar with these, Airbnb Experiences are activities that individuals can book during their stay in any given place, and the activities are led by local hosts. I have been hosting Airbnb experiences for a couple years now and thoroughly enjoy meeting new people and helping others explore this incredible region of Washington’s Cascade Mountains. You can find booking information here: Airbnb Experiences with Ross

After making our way through 2.5 miles of tree covered trail in the dark and 3 miles of open alpine meadows and curvy mountain streams, we now approached the snow climb. Anna and Roger had been looking forward to getting on some snow and the mountain didn’t let us down. First we had a few snow fields to climb, then a glacier known for being one of Rainier’s safer, or more benign.

Larger snowfields can become the path of least resistance when wearing traction such as microspikes

Glacier travel can bring along with it the most dangerous features mountains have to offer. I was on this same glacier one week prior to this trip and making note of every change. I could see evidence that the large sheets of ice had moved, starting to form a crevasse, and moulins (water tunnels in the ice) had enlarged. Our time on the glacier was short and we quickly moved onto rocks.

Crevasses (left) and Moulins (right) are two reasons why glacier travel is so dangerous.

An important note regarding adventure hiking in a group with varying skill levels is that communication is key to ensure all have an enjoyable experience. This includes pre-trip discussion and planning, check-ins on the trail, and discussing comfort levels on the ascent.

Not only do I enjoy photographing my adventurous clients and capturing memories on mountains and summits, I take my role as a guide seriously and do my best to maintain a balance of challenge without anyone feeling pushed or overwhelmed. I don’t want a client to look back on their experience and feel anxious or as though they didn’t have fun. I am mindful in determining our pace, amount and length of breaks, the overall destination, and how far we push ourselves to reach the summit.

Because I find this all to be incredibly important for a successful and enjoyable mountain experience, it involves talking through hesitations or goals, skill level, and can also mean that half-way through, we decide to take an alternate route to a different destination. While my goal in a group situation is to have the group stick together, sometimes a situation can arise where splitting up will ensure everyone has their best experience.

While we had all packed helmets for the scramble portion of the trail, halfway up a steep and annoyingly lose rock field, it became clear to me that the group would do better going separate ways for a bit. Anna and I hiked down and found a great spot for Anna to take a break (with another incredible view of Rainier), then Roger, Geo, and I scrambled up the rockface. We hit the top, descended back to the break area, and Anna was fully recharged and stoked to finish the hike! This split allowed both Anna and Roger to have a great experience, and Geo and I were happy that everyone got what they wanted out of the trip!

A sustained class 3 rock scramble to our destination

Geo and Roger enjoying the views from the top. And a random selfie from the hike out.

Back when we were messaging and planning this trip, Anna found out that she was pregnant and wanted to make it a surprise to tell Roger on the summit. The hike was still a couple weeks out, so I wasn’t too surprised when she told me that she was unable to keep it a secret that long and told Roger ahead of time. They did, however, bring along a nice handmade announcement board that I photographed here.

Making our way down, we encountered mesmerizing views. Despite the smoke from late summer wildfires, we were able to capture much of the Park’s beauty while on the trails.

Adding a second photographer offers the ability to get photos with your guide. Photos by Geo Wong.

Once we got off the trail, Anna and Roger headed back to Ashford, where they were staying. Geo and I stopped in Buckley, WA and grabbed burgers and fries from Jubilee Burgers, a trailer we spotted in a parking lot. That food was the perfect post-hike meal and I will likely visit again after future hikes!

I had a great time with Anna, Roger, and Geo. Each experience like this teaches me something new, and I love getting to know new people and sharing with them the outdoors. I appreciate when clients take the time to leave feedback regarding their hike and overall experience, and will include Anna’s review below.

Ross is amazing!!! We are super happy we found him and cannot wait to recommend him to our friends! He is super knowledgeable about the mountains and hiking in general, well prepared and super accommodating! He took us on an amazing hike that we didn’t even dream of and took awesome photos and videos of us that we will be cherish forever!
-Anna

and even more…

Me standing on a sub-peak of Echo, photo by Aaron Wilson

I had mentioned that I was in the same place a week earlier. I came here with my hiking buddy Aaron to check the conditions and attempt a larger loop with a few more destinations.

The view north from Observation and a look at the Spray Park area we hiked in from.

In future posts, I’ll cover more Mountain Portrait Experiences, what goes into planning a day hike (long or short), and what gear is important to consider and bring (always the ten essentials, minimum!)

A note for those interested- gear used on this trek:

Trekking Poles, microspikes, helmets, ice axes, stove for hot drinks and meals, packs, a range of trail runners to hiking boots, clothing layers for varying temperatures, sun protection, and food/snacks. Emergency shelter and first-aid were taken but not used.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this post. If you want to chat about booking a guided Mountain Portrait Experience please get in touch by email or instagram @rossjamesphoto or @antonahillphoto

Day Hike Adventure Photography in Mount Rainier National Park

and even more…

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