Our Wonderful Rain Forest

The rain forests of the Pacific Northwest never cease to amaze me. I hope you enjoy these shots from the forest in the Hoh River Valley.

-Tyler

 

Joffre Peak, BC

Do you remember my first backcountry ski trip? Because I'll certainly never forget it.  The terrain around Keith's Hut is some of the coolest easy access alpine terrain that I've ever seen!

Mt Hood

I recently had the pleasure of climbing my first volcano here in the Pacific Northwest.  I had a few days off around the 4th of July and decided that I had to do something great.  I jumped on board with a few friends that were planning to climb and ski Mt Hood, and then do the same on Mt Adams.  Unfortunately I only had enough time off to do Mt Hood.  It was very odd to start from a ski resort parking lot and pass snow cats building jumps at 4am, but the climb was amazing.  And I have to admit the feeling of skiing groomers past kids and families with my climbing pack on my back felt pretty good.  Mt Hood had no fall zones, fairly steep snow, a knife ridge, and a beautiful summit view, I couldn't have asked for more.  Here's another one from the Point and Shoot, the night before the summit bid.

Enjoy.

Smith Rocks State Park, OR

I recently had the pleasure of getting to check out Smith Rocks State Park.  As a climber, I've dreamed of climbing here quite some time now.  As a photographer, I couldn't wait to see the amazing rock formations glow from the morning light.  As a person who enjoys the outdoors for the solitude, I was very disappointed.  Crowds aside, this place was pretty amazing.  And the land management does an amazing job at keeping it from being destroyed by the crazy amount of people that wash over it daily.  Although I only got a taste of the climbing there, I was pretty impressed, and it felt like a lot of the climbing I was used to in Tucson.  I can't wait to go back on a true climbing trip and get to sample many more of the classics there.  In the meantime, enjoy a couple of snaps that I took with the Point and Shoot.

Enjoy

Cerise Creek BC

This might be one of my favorite photographs that I've ever taken.  The Cerise Creek area is an amazingly beautiful and accessible place for skiing, hiking, and climbing.  I've been there twice in the past year and would go back again in a heart beat.  This photo faces one of the sources of Cerise Creek, the Anniversary Glacier.  The glacier is perched between Mt Matier and Joffre peak, both excellent climbs.  The glacier itself offers 2500+ ft of wonderful moderately pitched skiing that drops you off at the door step of a spectacularly simple backcountry hut.  Enjoy

More from Vantage

Enjoy.

More From the P&S

Years ago, when I first started getting into climbing, and started dreaming about the possibilities, this was what I imagined.  Hanging onto the side of what appears to be an unforgiving wall of granite, taller than a building, with nothing but a beautiful expanse of nature, as far as the eye can see.  Basically, my dreams were of Galen Rowell photographs.  This is at the top of an ultra classic line called Godzilla located on the Index town walls, just outside of Index, Washington.  But who cares?  This photo isn't about the climbing, it's about filling your life with beauty and constantly finding new ways to appreciate it.

Get out there.


-Tyler

Finally! An update..

Man, I have very unfortunately let this blog go to the wayside.  Life continues to go on as I struggle with my desire to photography and its competing with my desire to just let life happen.  Sometime photographing seems like a labored and arduous process, and sometime it's the only thing I could want to do.  My digital SLR has been broken for a few months now, and I've been using a point and shoot instead.  The lower quality of image has really forced me to try even harder when taking a photo.  The camera is a lot less lenient when it comes to poor lighting and contrast.  I've definitely loved the low stress and playfulness of having a point and shoot.  I've never really owned one before.  So hopefully I'll keep up with uploading some of those photos, as well as stuff that I shot with my DSLR before it broke.

For now, enjoy this photo from climbing at Frenchman's Coulee, outside of Vantage, Washington.

Keith's Hut

Gertz Engagement Photos

This past summer I had the pleasure of going to Banff to shoot some lovely engagement photos of some of my best friends. Here are a few of my favorites.

Enjoy

Tyler Gates
Good Life Photography