In 1882, during the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway through the Canadian Rockies, the first non-indigenous person to view Emerald Lake was a legendary guide by the name of Tom Wilson. He had stumbled upon the lake completely by accident while tracking some of his horses that had gotten away. He named the small gem of a lake for the color of the water. Unlike the equally beautiful blue color of nearby lakes like Moraine, Hector, Bow, and Peyto, the color of Emerald Lake is different, due to the rock sediment that is suspended in the glacial water and produces a green spectrum when reflecting sunlight.

The color of Emerald Lake is most spectacular in July and August when the glaciers containing the sediment melt somewhat in the summer heat. July and August are also busy times with tourists flocking to the area. This image was created at the end of December, a much quieter time at the lake, but also a time with an abundance of snow but open water. Photographed at dusk, with the illuminated lodge reflected in the water, the beauty of the solitude of Emerald Lake is revealed... read more

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In May, 2017, two skiers, bolstered with the confidence of their professional mountain guiding backgrounds, and nearly 5 years of planning, executed the first continuous ski traverse from Snoqualmie Pass, Washington to the Canadian Border. Traveling as close to the crest of the range as possible for the duration of the trip, the pair spent 34 days on snow and covered over 275 miles of the roughest and most remote mountain terrain in the lower 48 without once deviating to the comforts of civilization.

I was fortunate to be invited to join this journey, already in progress, for a week-long trek in the remote Glacier Peak Wilderness before departing home while the intrepid explorers pushed north to Canada. My work from this trip would eventually help land this story on the front page of the Seattle Times newspaper, and would serve as a bedrock in my photographic study of snow textures, glaciers and subalpine trees... read more

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