treading light adventure photography blog
recent climbs, adventures, and anything else i feel like sharing
Search This Blog
Monday, October 6, 2014
Fetch....
Friday, October 3, 2014
Chill
Duke loved chilling amongst the forest. I used to walk through this stretch of green with him often. I carried a camera and would often stop and geek out on a single composition for hours. Often times I completely forgot Duke was even with me, and then I remembered and would scan around in a momentary panic. He would be a few feet away, chilling, watching for danger at my back, soaking in the earth, the green. Just like this....
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Humility
One of my favorite humbling moments for him was in the Olympic Mountains of Washington. The 3 of us sauntered to the top of Mt. Ellinor to find a good gathering of Mountain Goats roaming about. We of course put him on his leash and kept him well away from the Goats. More out of respect for their habitat than for his sake. However one of the large momma Goats and her Kid decided they were going to walk right up to Duke and Gina in the middle of a switchback on the trail that backed up against a vertical step of rock. Neither of them had a retreat path. I was quite nervous of what a momma Goat may do to Gina and Duke considering her Kid was right behind her and they were in the way of progress. I was also concerned how Duke may react. Well, as momma approached, Duke backed up, rolled over and showed full submission to the impressive beast encroaching. He knew, this was her terrain and respect was the best tact.
Another time, while visiting my parents in Michigan at my childhood home, my mother in law Barb and I walked him down to the swimming hole of my youth. It was on the Sturgeon River which has steep undercut banks and a swift current. Duke was attempting to drink, catch a fish, see his reflection, something, when he slipped face first into the drink. Unable to get any purchase with his paws and pull himself out, I ran over and yanked him out by the scruff of his neck. He was breathing heavy and completely soaked, but within moments, Duke seamlessly moved onto his next curiosity. A friend who was with us said "He will never forget what you did there, you are now best friends for life." If that's the case, I've pulled him out of more holes than I can remember making us best friends several lifetimes through.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
In The Snow
The time Duke, Gina, and I walked through a snow storm somewhere near Trillium Lake. Duke was always up for anything from backcountry skiing to high winds to canoeing, riding in a bike trailer, ripping through the woods chasing us on our mountain bikes, swimming in the Clackamas, or just chilling on the couch...
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Thanks Buddy Duke....
This guy loved sand. He would never venture into the ocean until recently, but he always loved sand. Whatever, rolling, running, diving, digging, sleeping, chilling, all of it, all good. Duke's energy around this stuff was contagious. As adults, we often times forget that rolling around in the dirt is completely rad and Duke never let us forget.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
The Chillest Oregon Stampede ever......
Rad folks, 124 miles, 9454' of elevation gain, 11 hours on the bike, 8 hours chilling, 19 total hours out, 60% Gravel, and Rad Folks......
|
CLICK HERE to see the whole story. 40 miles from the end, beers and burgers called. |
We talked for about 15 minutes trying to figure out which way to turn before seeing the MAPS box 5' from us, doh! |
Desert Sun |
keep on keeping' on 2 wheels |
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Oregon Outback Bikepack 2014
'merica, bikes, whiskey, good times... |
Aaron and I rode through mostly high desert from Klamath Falls, Oregon up to the Columbia Plateau where the Deschutes and Columbia Rivers Converge. Brian joined us for the second half in Prineville, OR. He lifted our spirits and tired bodies the rest of the way all while hammering some of the hardest climbs through the Ochoco Mountains. We camped out for 6 nights and rode 7 days carrying everything we needed to survive including a fair amount of whiskey to ease the pain in our arse's each night. Wooooeeeee.....
Aaron, me, and Brian, solid crew... |
Thursday, July 17, 2014
North Trask Bikepack.....Again (with a Rad! crew this go)
Crushing Silos mid-ride |
Click any of the pictures or the link above to see all of the pics from this kick-ass overnight ride. If you so desire....
Smitherman, and a bike with a kickstand |
Kevin and his new ECR |
Top o' the hardest climb of the day. 90ish degrees F didn't help much. |
Thursday, May 15, 2014
North Trask River Bikepack
Last August I packed up the rig and set out after work from my studio in PDX towards the Oregon Coast via the North Trask River route. It was exceptional, peaceful, everything you could want from a last minute bikepack. But only better.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)