Portrait 9: Loud Cloud

His name is Loud Cloud. His adventure is life. He’s one of several who will make repeated appearances here, and hopefully throughout my life. We hiked 500+ miles of the PCT together - as much as I hiked with almost anyone. We also have loose plans to climb mountains in the PNW together in the future.

This photo really captures how Loud Cloud lives. The rock upon which he’s perched is a place where nobody else dared go. I won’t say he’s fearless. I will say that his assessment of situations is drastically different from mine. He looks exceptionally comfortable in a situation that would have me shaking in fear. I have dozens of absolutely amazing shots of him, and I’m really excited to get more. It’s not just getting incredible photographs of him that excites me. My adventure would have come to a crashing halt in the Sierra if it weren’t for Loud Cloud and Samwise. These two guys helped me through situations where I was genuinely scared. Seeing these guys with more experience and knowledge run right through those areas with a calm confidence helped me tremendously with overcoming my own fears and pushing onward.

To me, that’s what trail became. I started hiking to find some beauty in a messed up world. I started on the PCT to see a lot of beautiful mountains. I did not expect to meet so many beautiful people.