Solo Hiking 40 Miles to Photograph a Disappearing Glacier

See the ongoing Olympic Peninsula photo project at: brianwlackey.com/olympic
In late August, I solo-hiked the ~40-mile Hoh River to Blue Glacier Trail in Washington's Olympic National Park and did a lot of landscape photography along the way. It was one of my favorite trips in a while, but definitely a tough hike.
---------
INFO
- Website: brianwlackey.com
- Photo/Outdoor Gear I Use: brianwlackey.com/gear
- Newsletter: brianwlackey.com/newsletter
- Fine Art Prints: brianwlackey.com/prints
- Instagram: / brianwlackey
- Image Licensing: www.gallerystock.com/
- Email: [e-mail]

[@lowwhistler_]

Thank you for taking me somewhere I'd never be fit enough to go myself. Awesome video as always...

[@laurakarreman]

Yessss!! Mesmerizing video that combines all your strengths in an epic way. Loved the first picture of the sooty grouse: magical. I was NOT prepared for those stairs. Yikes. That glacier had better be worth it, I thought, and I'm so happy it was! Then I started thinking that it might actually be not the only time in your life you'd be climbing those stairs after all...Life can be ironic...

[@mikepenney5726]

Good for you to be able to hike that far to see and photograph the top of the peninsula... I wish I could do that but that's the way it goes... I am working on a book or two about the park. The first one will be about Lake Quinault area...

[@cindynichols27]

Whoooo. That was just amazing. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Strangely peaceful throughout, despite being a journey with all of the anticipation a journey brings--the Departure, the Struggle, the Big Obstacle, the Revelation.
I know zip about photography, but it's a blast watching you at work. My God. Gorgeous, absorbing pictures.

[@BrianLackey]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed following along :)

[@robertleuang5176]

Awesome photography. The best part is doing what you enjoy so much and taking us along with you. Keeping it simple may be what I treasure in the work you do. Thank you Brian :)

[@jurepecar9092]

Looks like a nice hike. Sadly no glaciers of this size left in Slovenia, but you're right, plenty of gorges ;)

[@BackcountryRenegade]

Nice Vid Brian. One of my favorite hikes

[@willandwont]

Commenting for the algorithm. This channel deserves more views.

[@evgenygorshkov9893]

Hi Brian ! Great video and beautiful photos !!!

[@juanitakelly3082]

Wow! Thanks for taking us along.

[@CapricornCourtney]

Awesome. One of my favorites.

[@BrianLackey]

It was a great trip :)

[@hughstaughton]

Some beautiful shots and a great video Brian! I live in Vancouver BC - I often shoot across the Straight at the Olympics - such pretty mountains!

[@JCinAZ87]

I loved this video. Such a beautiful place. Cheers from the Sonoran Desert 🏜 Tucson, AZ.

[@BrianLackey]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@sarahinscotland]

I loved this video. It had everything! Your images were so creative as well, which speaks to your trained eye, since you were moving at a decent pace, and then shooting through changing conditions. That's my favorite way to do photography as well, but very challenging. I checked out the website and your collection of Olympic images is already showing how diverse the region is! Gorgeous..thank you for documenting it along the way for us.

[@BrianLackey]

Thanks Sarah :)

[@CashClarity]

Cannot wait to visit ONP. Have wanted to for years, now more so than ever after seeing its beauty through your lenses.

[@BrianLackey]

it's a pretty special place :)

[@fairwayfrank]

Brian, this is a top-notch video. Very enjoyable. Very interesting. Very entertaining. Your detail images along the way are wonderful and a great way to tell the story. I try to do similar when out wandering. They're not 'banger' landscape images, but thoughtfully composed and well-exposed. Something I would label as professional snapshots, if I had to. But together they create the story and the whole is much more than the parts. I hope I'm explaining this coherently, or, at least, sort of. The big take-away here for me is both your photography and videography are showing consistent growth, as is your overall story-telling. It takes a great deal of effort to make these and your work is much appreciated. I am left wondering if you pushed yourself to get up early the next morning and hike back up for sunrise. Maybe that's the next video.

[@BrianLackey]

Thanks Frank :) No, but the next day I did hike the full 17 miles back to the car in one go. My feet were very sore for a few days afterwards, but it felt great to sleep in my own bed again after a few nights on the ground.

[@darrenjennings]

Hard work gave great results😎

[@annie7395]

Petition to make it grice? in the merriam-webster

[@georgecarpenter4126]

That view HAD to be worth the effort !

[@BrianLackey]

Absolutely