These pictures were taken in Guadalupe National Park while Alex, Vlad, and Abe were on their Great American Road Trip. This particular shoot has the rare appearance of all three. You'll notice all of the pictures are dark because we were just beginning a couple month long tradition of showing up to hike just a bit too late.

Picture 1

The Final Ascent: When hiking across a ridge that has sheer drops on either side, it’s usually a good idea to use all of your limb. Vlad is kind enough to demonstrate this technique for us (he always seemed to be the first to volunteer for the sketchiest shoots).

Picture 2

Standing atop the Spine of the World: Guadalupe is a unique peak, because it juts out all by itself in the middle of extensive plains. On top of it in the evening, there seems to be no world below- just a cloudy abyss.

Picture 3

Gaining Some Perspective: Making his way out onto a tree limb is a recently recovered Abe. Earlier in the road trip he gained some perspective on the shortness of life when he was in a pretty solid car wreck.

Picture 4

Death’s Fateful Finger: For when the bell tolls all must answer, and death will stand at the door, and direct the path to that next great adventure, even as the soul of man shudders to think what fate might lie deeper into the shadows.

Picture 5

And God was not in the Quake, but a Still Small Voice: We probably should have hearkened to at least some voice, because we started our hike up Guadalupe much too late. The sun was already setting when we began, but still, a late sunset atop the tallest peak for hundreds of miles in every direction is still a treat.

Picture 6

Stationed in the Crow’s Nest: For land lubbers, there are few chances to crawl into the crow’s nest of a ship, so instead you have to make your own nest sometimes, and where better than on the side of the tallest mountain for hundreds of miles around.

Picture 7

To Conduct the Symphony of Nature: The entire world waits with silent expectation before the drop of the first note. But what will this next symphony be? Will it be a major key full of hope, or a cacophony of the a-tonal?

Picture 8

The Mountain Ape Hangs Out: Just a short apology about all the hair, but we have always thought Abe might be one of the closest relations to the early Australopithecus. It translates to some hardcore hair, and a musculature that looks an awful lot like a monkey’s