Adam Angel Photography

Annapurna Sanctuary, Nepal. Evolving Perspective. Launching the next generation beyond our imagination through experience.

2010-11-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

November, 2009. Looking at the legs of my daughter Asia, I could see that 4.5 years of country living and skiing (from the time she could walk) had built one stout kid. Every time I lead a trip I see our customers enjoying their travel companions and families and can't help but wish that my loved ones were there as well. Was Asia ready to trek in the Himalayas??? Was I ready for what can only be described and "parenting" and "guiding" on steroids..? Only one way to find out...

On my last trip to Nepal I visited a map store in Kathmandu. An Annapurna Sanctuary Trek map leaped off the shelf for some reason that day, and it now sat neatly amongst my other maps here in the home office. The high point of the trek is Annapurna Base Camp at 13,550'. That's almost a thousand feet lower than the summit of Mt. Rainier just over the hill here. If there was a trek that a five year old could do, it would be this one.

Fast forward to October, 2010. 33 hours of travel. PDX-LAX-ICN-KTM. I'm an idiot, what was I thinking? Actually, not that bad. Not the worst travel experience I've had. Of course I've seen some bad shit in my time... Would it be worth it?

Immediately and without pause, everyone that I have talked with says, “She’s too young to remember the trip, why don’t you wait until she is older?" Well, it's all about building a global perspective and living with that perception. This is more important than it sounds, and we've dedicated a whole talk to it at noon on December 2nd at the Roxy Theater in Morton, WA. It is offered through Centralia College's Lyceum Lecture Series and is free to the public. Shanna, Asia and I will be there to show you what we saw, what we learned, and how our perspectives continue to evolve.

See you then.
Adam

Harvest II

2010-09-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

In September of 2008 I wrote a blog entry "Harvest".

Without even looking at a calendar it is apparent when an equinox or solstice in nigh. There is a definitive moment when in total presence and clarity, I stop for a second, and say to myself "Fall is in the air." I can't put my finger on it, and I can't describe exactly what it is, but when it happens... I know. All of the times that I have scented that change in 36 years come together as an annual moment of continuity in my physical existence. This happens every year for each changing of the season, and I have no doubt that my senses are far more accurate than the calendar's interpretation. It is around these events that I feel most alive, and for a while after college and before settling down, these profound moments coincided with traveling. A summer job ends and there is time to roam until the ski season starts. You meet travelers along the way on similar journeys. Now that I am settled into one community, I can experience elements of that change that I haven't experienced since I was the reason for my parents nesting. My parents nested down for the winter in 1972 for me; and from 2005 on.... I nest for my child. It is time to harvest from the efforts of the year. I won't wait until December, I want to have a few months to enjoy the fruits and to ease into a cozy nest for winter with my closest loved ones. I feel this excitement today, as we reach a new plateau with our daughter. This week the whole family will travel together to my old stomping grounds in the Tetons. Again, the circle is coming round.

In one month we will embark on an even greater journey. Shanna, Asia (now 5), and I will journey to Annapurna Sanctuary Nepal. We will post updates to Facebook and this blog, as well as daily location updates using SPOT. SPOT sends our location via satellite and displays it in near real time on google maps for you to follow. We will present images and stories from the trip at noon on December 2nd at the Roxy Theater in Morton, WA.

Adam.

Late July clouds are awesome!

2010-07-31T08:11:00.000-07:00

The clouds have been great this past week. This was shot from the lookout above town. This is a huge 33 Megapixel image. I am going to need a bigger printer! It is available for purchase at AdamAngel.com

Adam

High Resolution Image of Mt. Rainier Summit

2010-07-26T23:21:00.000-07:00

Follow this link to see a high resolution (10,000 pixel wide) panoramic image of Mount Rainier's top!

Give it time to load as you pan around.
http://www.adamangel.com/data/web/Mount_Rainier_Summit.html

Enjoy,
Adam

Huge Gallery Updates!

2010-07-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

Some days ARE better than others. Some days are just cleaning. Some are running errands for materials. Some are spent just imagining how to do a unique, special, and affordable renovation to the gallery. On occasion there is a great sense of accomplishment and reward. I used to think that climbing mountains taught you patience. Boy was I wrong! LIFE teaches you patience.

Today we finished the new steps, and the new (sustainably harvested) African mahogany doors arrived. The large one (without the frame) is 4' X 8'. Now that's a door. The steps are made from solid 4" X 12" lumber and are anchored directly to the outside of the vault wall. I'd bet in 1920, they never planned on that happening!!

Pictured on the steps is Brad Klein. Brad is where the Ideas meet Reality. Thanks for the doors Steve Caskey. After seeing these doors in real life, I hope that the rest of the renovation match their quality.

Kilimanjaro by Moonlight.

2010-07-10T14:25:00.000-07:00

Kilimanjaro by Moonlight from Karanga Camp, Kilimanjaro National Park. June 2010.

Kilimanjaro and African Safari with International Mountain Guides, June 2010.

2010-07-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

Another great Kilimanjaro climb and African safari wraps up with great success. All 12 climbers to the top! The climb always exceeds expectations, and the challenges forge lifelong friendships in short time. Congratulations to Art, Ann, Colston, and Anna Edgerton; Rob and Meredith Elgar; John and Christina Porter; Elizah Mclaughlin, Shannon Smith and Donna Wise. Thank you to all of the local porters and guides who helped us stay healthy and strong on our way to the summit. It takes a special group of people to pull off such a feat!

Work hard then play hard. After the climb we safaried in Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. We stayed at some "off the beaten path" camps and lodges this time, which I think were some of the best lodging experiences I've had on 11 safaris. Good living and good friends all the way. Can't wait to go back next year!

Adam Angel, IMG Guide.

Mount Rainier Updates, Sunrise and Mowich Lake.

2010-06-30T11:47:00.001-07:00

SUNRISE AREA UPDATE:

Mount Rainier National Park Superintendent Dave Uberuaga advises that
Sunrise facilities will be opening on July 2 as planned however, due to
water system issues caused by the cool, late spring, some visitor services
may be limited over the Fourth of July weekend.

Sunrise Ranger Station which is located on the ground floor of the Sunrise
Day Lodge, will open on Friday, July 2. The Ranger Station will be used as
the main visitor contact point this season while the Sunrise Visitor Center
undergoes installation of new exhibits and other renovations. The
renovation project, which is funded by the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is scheduled to be completed by late August. The
Ranger Station will provide visitor information and sales items as well as
Ranger programs.

Concession facilities in Sunrise Lodge will open on Saturday, July 3 and
provide gift sales and limited pre-packaged food service. Once the water
issue is resolved, normal food service will be available to visitors.

MOWICH LAKE UPDATE:

Due to continued cool temperatures and lingering snowpack, opening of the
Mowich Lake road is being delayed until July 9 (noon). Much snow still
remains at the lake and campground and the road into the lake is extremely
wet and soft.

NOTE: Visitors are reminded that a great deal of snow remains on the
ground at the higher elevations of the park (6-8’ at Paradise and Sunrise)
and trails remain snow covered. Lower elevation trails are relatively snow
free. Check at the nearest visitor center or ranger station for current
information or visit the Mount Rainier web page at www.nps.gov/mora and
click on the Hiking and Climbing Quicklink for specific trail reports.

-NPS-

The best time of Year for an East African Safari, Tanzania.

2010-06-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

Just returned from another fabulous expedition to Kilimanjaro and Serengeti. I've compiled the below chart to help you decide when and where to go when you decide go on Safari. This list includes Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Tarangire, and Mahale as well as two categories for Serengeti.
Please click on the image to view it full size.

Edith Creek Waterfall Memorial Day Picture, Mount Rainier National Park

2010-05-31T09:48:00.000-07:00

A few hour break in a two week stretch of major storms. Edith Creek Waterfall over Memorial Day Weekend. Out of the house at 2:30 and back in bed by 7:00.

2011 International Photography Workshops

2010-05-29T15:50:00.000-07:00

In 2011 we will return to Kilimanjaro and Serengeti in February. I will also be leading "The worlds highest trek" to Advanced Base Camp on Mt. Everest, Tibet in April. For more information visit our main website at MtRainierPhoto.com:
Kilimanjaro Climb and Safari Photography Workshop
Mt Everest ABC Trek, Tibet

Hope to travel with you in 2011 !!

Adam

Mt Rainier National Park Openings.

2010-05-28T05:30:00.000-07:00

Stevens Canyon Road is scheduled to open today at 8:00 a.m.

Also scheduled to open today:
Cougar Rock Campground @ noon.
Cougar Rock Picnic Area @ noon.
Ohanapecosh Campground @ noon.
Ohanapecosh Visitor Center @ 10:00 AM (Weekends only until June 12th)
Longmire Wilderness Information Center @ 7:30 AM Daily
White River Wilderness Information Center @ 7:00 AM (Friday & Saturday), 7:30 AM (Sunday-Thursday)

Enjoy!
Adam

HISTORIC PARADISE INN OPENS TODAY

2010-05-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

Mount Rainier National Park News Release
May 21, 2010

HISTORIC PARADISE INN OPENS TODAY

At noon today, Mount Rainier’s historic Paradise Inn will open its doors
for the 2010 summer season. The Inn, constructed in 1917, is a National
Historic Landmark. The building showcases a beautiful lobby and dining
room, 118 guest rooms, a gift shop and café and three huge stone fireplaces
to welcome guests.

In addition to the Paradise Inn, the National Park Inn at Longmire is also
open for visitors. The National Park Inn offers 25 guests rooms, a full
service restaurant, general store and gift shop.

Both inns are operated by Guest Services, Incorporated. Paradise Inn will
be open through early October. The National Park Inn is open year round.

Further information is available at www.guestservices.com. For
reservations call 360-569-2275.

Entrance Fees Waived at Mount Rainier for National Park Week.

2010-04-14T12:41:00.001-07:00

The Secretary of the Interior has announced that there will be free admission to all national parks during National Park Week, April 19 to 25.

Limited Time Companion Special!

2010-04-02T10:50:00.000-07:00

If you don't get the Mt Rainier Institute of Photography newsletter you may have missed this incredible special, so here it is.

Companion Special!

We know that we have one of the best products in Mt. Rainier National Park and want as many people to enjoy the experience as possible. Sign up for a regularly scheduled Mt. Rainier Workshop and receive half price tuition for a companion. If you have a spouse that would like to accompany the group or just need a way to bring down the cost for two people, then take advantage of our Companion Special. Participants must send in their registration forms together, mention the special, and register by April 16th. Not valid with any other offer. Visit www.MtRainierPhoto.com to learn more about our workshops.

Adam

Sense of Place

2010-02-23T14:48:00.000-08:00

I'll never forget one of my first serious forays into the mountains, a question that was asked, and whose answer has eluded me ever since. Perhaps the questions that cannot be answered are the best, as this question has stood the test of time, and been a common thread through my life. Sometimes answering questions with words can feel limiting, and at best I feel I have only alluded to the answer. The question came after a big storm when we emerged from our tents to spectacular lighting, spindrift and winds, creating a light dance in the peaks around us; "How do you explain this to the folks back home?" was put forth. Words fall short, maybe only providing a signpost pointing to what we experienced.

It is for this reason that I gravitated towards photography as a way to show the folks back home what we had seen. Photography is nothing less than "Drawing with light." Light is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength that is visible to the human eye. In physics, the term light often refers to electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength, whether visible or not. Energy can become mass, and vice versa (remember E = mc²). In other words we can become light and light can become us. Is "Drawing with light" the way to show the folks back home what we see on our journeys? Can we relate to light, better than we can relate to thoughts? It's as close as I can get! Another signpost towards the experience.

Or, maybe those who have never been will never know, and that is it.
Rene' Daumal, a 20th century French para-surrealist, said it well in The Art of Climbing Mountains, from Mount Analogue

'...What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above.  One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen.  There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up.  When one can no longer see, one can at least still know...'   - Rene' Daumal

Adam

From the vault: 2004 Mount Rainier Circumnavigation Trip Report

2010-02-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Just found this old trip report from 2004. It's been long enough now that I brought it out of the vault...

"A circumnavigation of Mt. Rainier?... I would love to be part of that!" I said to Eric Simonson, when he mentioned that Mt. Rainier Alpine Guides would be offering the trip again in June of 2004. I knew that this trip was a very rare experience and that it had only been successfully guided a few times. It was a perfect opportunity to see and set foot on parts of the mountain that few had walked on before. In the many times that I have been to the summit, I know how easy it is to lock into our objective, Columbia Crest. While this is certainly a worthwhile objective it is only a taste of this wonderful Park. This journey would give us a whole new intimacy with the mountain. I remember the first time I circled the mountain on the Wonderland Trail. I had over 40 summits at the time, and was inspired each day, by our new view of the mountain. It was as if I were discovering a new alpine playground each day. The intimacy of completing a circle of the mountain between 7,000 and 11,000 feet would bring that even closer and immerse us in some of the most exciting and beautiful route finding of my life.

The very first circumnavigation of Rainier was organized and achieved by Hal Foss on the Fourth of July weekend, 1967. His party included Lynn Buchanan and Jim Carlson. The next year he repeated the journey with Joseph "Bill" Orr (Chief Ranger at the time), and seasonal rangers Lee Henkle, Jim Erskine, and Dee Molenaar. Their route began at the White River Campground and exited via the Frying Pan Creek Trail. Our 2004 route would be exactly the same except for we would circle clockwise, not counterclockwise. Additional circumnavigations were made in the following years and the first successful guiding of the route was done on a Rainier Mountaineering Inc. (RMI) Expedition Seminar in 1975 led by Gary Issacs and Dan Boyd. It was 15 years later before another guided attempt was made, and in May of 1990 George Dunn of RMI made their bid on skis. The group reportedly found good conditions for skiing, but was forced to abandon just short of completion due to white out conditions. Mt. Rainier Alpine Guides (MRAG) made guided attempts in July of 1997 (clockwise) and 1999 (counter clockwise) and accomplished the entire circuit over these two attempts, though neither trip went all the way around due to difficulties with crevasses that slowed the groups. For 2004 the plan was to go in June, hopefully taking advantage of the better glacier travel conditions of the "early season". Going earlier was not without other concerns, however, in particular the likelihood of more unconsolidated snow and possible winter snowpack, especially on colder slopes. For this reason we would carry avalanche transceivers and plan our route with avalanche hazards in mind.

The 2004 MRAG circumnavigation began on June 11, considerably earlier than the previous MRAG attempts. From the beginning MRAG owners Eric Simonson and Paul Baugher recognized that such a serious trip needed a very strong team to safely do so much glacier travel. Any group would need to be 100% self-sufficient, and would need multiple leaders to take over when the route finding became too weird and stressful. For 2004, MRAG had put together a team of eleven climbers, two of whom who would need to leave partway around. This group would allow several strong rope teams and would hopefully give enough "horsepower" to push through bad weather and route conditions…and yes, we had both weather and tricky route conditions!

One of the notable things about the circumnavigation is that in theory you shouldn't encounter the harsh high altitude weather that could be thrown at you on a Rainier summit climb. On the other hand, you could be stuck in the cold and wet marine layer that you can usually climb above on trips to the summit. On the 2004 trip, we had both high altitude cold and wind, as well as marine moisture in the form of snow and rain. On the first day of the program, Friday, June 11, 2004, the team met at 8:00 AM at Crystal Mountain Ski Resort. It was snowing lightly at 4500' and we were happy to find a warm dry place to get together and sort gear in the lodge. Co-leading the trip with me was MRAG guide Jason Tanguay from Tacoma, just back from a successful climb of Mt. Everest. Also guiding with us was Anne Keller, from Mazama, WA, a Rainier guiding veteran and very accomplished mountain guide, heli-ski guide and professional ski patroller. Aspirant MRAG guides Steve Shepro and Peter Brosseau completed the guide team. MRAG guide Mason Stafford also joined us for the first three days of the trip, at which time he needed to go down (via the Muir snowfield) to go guide on Mt. Adams.

Our clients included Chelsea (from Poulsbo, WA), Ricardo (from Los Angeles, AC), Brad (from Colorado), Richard (from Seattle), and Linda (from Tacoma). Together they added a lot of "horsepower" to the team, which was so important for safe glacier travel. After introductions, we spent a couple of hours sorting through gear and really trying to lighten our loads, as the planned time of 7 days on the mountain can equal some very heavy packs. As items are taken out of packs and put back into duffels for storage our smiles grew bigger. When we are all done with the preparations, we jumped in the Ashford Mountain Center shuttle van and Larry, the AMC driver, took us to the trailhead, just inside the White River entrance of Mt. Rainier National Park.

We began the 2004 MRAG Rainier Circumnavigation on the Fryingpan Creek Trail. The light wet snow had turned to light rain and had stopped by the time we shouldered our packs. Our hike through forest of Fryingpan Creek was utterly pleasant and it felt good to begin our long anticipated journey. Something about actually beginning a trip does wonders for the anxieties of preparing for them. Soon we had arrived at Fryingpan Creek, where the bridge washed out from the floods of autumn 2003. Before my pack had hit the sandy gravel of the streambed, Mason and Anne were bounding up the creek looking for a place to cross. After several well balanced hops from rock to rock and one or two slightly wet feet we were on the other side. From here we ascended up snow slopes and into the "Summer Land" region of the Park. It was mid afternoon and we would need to ascend some fairly steep slopes to gain our camp at the edge of the Fryingpan Glacier. There we dropped our packs and had a snow school to practice walking on steep slopes and self-arrest with the ice axe. The school was a great refresher and a nice break from being underneath those heavy packs. From the school area we ascended steep slopes to our first camp at 7000' on Meany Crest. The cooling temperatures of the evening along with our gain in elevation gave us our first passing glimpses of the upper mountain. It was the perfect finishing touch to the day.

Saturday, Day 2. Our days begin early and go late, using the extended daylight hours of June to give us an edge on our objective. We woke at 5:30 to good clear weather. The clouds were low, providing us with good visibility for route finding that day. Our route would take us up and over the Fryingpan Glacier, the Whitman Crest, the Whitman Glacier and down onto the Ingraham Glacier. Crossing the relatively benign terrain around the east side of Little Tahoma, we arrived at the steep cleaver that separates the Whitman Glacier from the Ingraham Glacier. Looking over the glacier below us we could see a clear route across to Lower Cathedral Gap. Within 2 minutes we were engulfed by the warming rising clouds that lay so innocently below us earlier in the morning, making us glad that we had received a short view of the route below…at least we knew that the route would "go". We took a good long break here hoping the weather might improve. With no improvement we began the steep and rocky descent onto the glacier, belaying some sections and taking extra care not to trundle rocks upon ourselves. The trip across our first major glacier was an uneventful cruise, and we arrived at the Lower Gap in good time. Crossing onto the Cowlitz Glacier and into a new wind aspect we were treated to a very brief clearing of the clouds. The clearing allowed us to briefly spot our destination, Camp 2 on the Cowlitz Flats at 9050'. Our view was short though, and again we were engulfed in clouds. Picking our way up the glacier to camp we knew that we had put in a solid long day and were right on track. As we pulled into camp the winds began to pick up. With the wind increasing we were quick to pitch our tents and get our kitchen dug. The day began to feel complete as we donned dry socks and sipped our hot drinks in the still increasing winds. Dinner was quick and we were into our bags as the snow began to fall.

There are nights on the Mountain for the best sleep of your life and there are nights for the worst. I won't call this the worst, but I didn't sleep much. The winds continued through the night steady 35 mph gusting to 65. It snowed harder and harder with each passing hour. The days in front of us became blurry and I began making up alternative plans. Scenarios of " this if that, and that if this" went through our heads. Our route the next day would take us around, on and below the now freshly snow loaded slopes of Anvil Rock. As the sky began to lighten and our tent began to warm in the morning the winds continued to blow and it became hard to tell whether or not it was still snowing or if the wind was just blowing what had already fallen in the night. At the time we didn't know it but this was probably the same storm that caused the deaths of two climbers in an avalanche high on Liberty Ridge.

Sunday, Day 3. Upon getting out of the tent we found snow drifted up to 2 feet deep around our tent and the snow loaded slopes below Anvil Rock looked plump and pregnant, ready to go at any moment. We could either sit the day out or change our route. After a slow crawl out of our sacs, a slow breakfast, and a slow pack the team decided unanimously to take the safer route, climbing (and trail breaking) instead up the long slopes of the Cowlitz Glacier to Camp Muir at 10,080'. From there we would be able to cross onto the Muir Snowfield without having to traverse steep avalanche prone slopes below Anvil Rock. It was about this time that the procrastination paid off, and by the time we were ready to start climbing, the skies began to clear. We ascended the Cowlitz and arrived at Camp Muir to find it essentially deserted. The camp holds up to 150 climbers per night during the busy weekends of summer, but the weather had cleared out all but about 7 climbers, who we found huddled in the Public Shelter. Only two tents were left standing outside. There were stories of tents getting "folded" that night, and climbers escaping down the Snowfield at daybreak. While it was very windy and cold, the visibility remained good down to about 9,000'. Our next objective would be an attempt to cross the Nisqually Glacier at about 9,400'. Before we continued on, though, we had to say goodbye to Mason, who would be heading down the snowfield to Paradise with Ricardo. Our number would be nine now: we said goodbye and headed for the Nisqually Glacier as they headed down the Snowfield to Paradise.

Rounding the bottom of Cowlitz Cleaver, Anne was the first to poke her nose into the broken and menacing Nisqually. Trying to stay far enough out of the avalanche danger zone below the Nisqually Ice Cliff and Ice Fall, but staying high enough to hit the only crossing point (~9500) onto the Wilson Glacier, she kept on probing with her ski pole and axe until she became dead-ended and couldn't get any further. We were about a third of the way across before she had to backtrack. Jason, on the other end of her rope turned it around and dropped further down the glacier. A few minutes later, Jason popped a leg into a crack and couldn't find a way around.

Next, I dropped my rope team down even further, losing more precious elevation that we would have to re-gain. From here, on slightly steeper slopes, I was able to contour in-between two crevasse systems and get up onto a convexity in the central glacier. Here the cracks went from following the contours to going against them. I went higher, wallowing in deep snow pockets sometimes up to my waist, but didn't see anything very promising other than a marginal looking snow bridge. Then I went lower and started poking around, only to break through a bridge up to my waist, my feet dangling in the air. Peter, who was right behind me (out-sizing and outweighing me), was a great confidence building "anchor", as I rolled myself out of my predicament to distribute my weight. There was no way that the route would "go" any lower so I kicked back up to the first bridge that I had looked at earlier.

On my belly now, squirming like a worm, I was able to get close enough to the edge of the crevasse to see the integrity of the bridge. It looked very solid underneath, but it was not very wide, and the top was loaded with lots of freshly melting snow that would prove treacherous. On my knees, I moved up to the bridge cutting with my ski pole and adze. After a few minutes of chopping, stomping, removing, compacting, and breathing really hard, the bridge seemed in condition to be crossed…and so it was. From there we ascended ramps until I was again dead-ended about &frac3/4; of the way across. From the top of the ramp I could see a route below that would take us right to our crossing point to the Wilson Glacier. I yelled back to Anne to traverse below me. Fifteen minutes later we were on the cleaver, with the Nisqually Glacier behind us.

From here Jason led us out onto the Wilson Glacier. Traversing on steep snow slopes above rock cliffs, he placed several pickets to prevent serious problems in the event of a fall. As we cleared the slopes above the cliffs and descended on to the seemingly smooth Wilson, the clouds began to catch up with us again. Reaching Wapowety Cleaver, once again engulfed in full whiteout, we put in our third camp just below the Castle at 8950'. It was late in the day now and the temperature was dropping with the sun. We were glad that we had made such progress today considering the weather, terrain, and late start. Everyone slept well that night!

Day 4 needed to be a big day if we were to have a chance of making it all the way around the Mountain. Waking up at 5:30, camp was broken quickly and breakfast choked down in a businesslike and efficient manner. Today's route would take us over the Van Trump, Kautz, Success, Pyramid, South Tahoma, and Tahoma Glaciers. Some of the terrain would be as difficult as the Nisqually Traverse on Day 3. Visibility was poor, but GPS waypoints pulled from the map would help to guide us from point to point. We knew that we had to cross the Success and Tahoma Cleavers at predetermined points, and Anne had downloaded these waypoints for the day into her GPS. Despite bad weather, the GPS allowed us to move quickly considering the conditions, and we found the waypoints to be within 200' of the actual target…very impressive precision for the scale of terrain that we were dealing with.

On the smaller Van Trump, Kautz, Success, and Pyramid glaciers the micro-route-finding was relatively easy, but when we reached Success Cleaver at 8200' and the weather had still not improved, we knew we would have some real challenges on the South Tahoma and Tahoma ahead of us. We took a good long break to see if we could at least get a glimpse of the South Tahoma Glacier to get a general feel of the layout, other than what we could determine from the aerial photos and topographic map. Whiteout conditions persisted but we had no choice but to press on. Anne began to pick her way across and to retrace the path of the last MRAG circumnavigation to make it here in 1997. Again, conditions became impassable and we switched leads. From the area where Anne was stopped by crevasses, I was able to follow one easy ramp up to 9000' on the Tahoma Cleaver. Here the wind picked up, the clouds dropped, and visibility for the largest and most difficult objective of the day turned perfect. Both Jason and I had been on the Tahoma Glacier before and knew our way around a bit, especially with the improved visibility.

Two days before the expedition, Paul Baugher (Owner MRAG and a pilot) had flown guide Mason Stafford and me around the mountain to take aerial photos of our proposed route. One of the difficulties that we anticipated and that the other parties had encountered was the Puyallup Cleaver. All of us on the flight agreed that from the air the Cleaver looked very do-able in at least 2 spots. The spot that looked the easiest, most straightforward, and most direct was at about 9,000'. This couloir had never be used for the circumnavigation, but we thought that with our attempt being early and the Spring having had many late snowfalls, that it would go. This was our target.

To hit our target on the far side of the Tahoma Glacier, we needed to hold the elevation that we had on the Tahoma Cleaver. Both Jason and I agreed that the easiest way to get the furthest into the glacier was to take the easy northeast trending ramp that rise into the middle of the immense Tahoma, one of the largest glaciers on the Mountain. We hoped that from there we could then pick our way back down to 9,000'. Coming off of the Tahoma Cleaver we lost several hundred feet zigzagging around crevasses before heading back up ramps to the central and severely broken core of the Tahoma Glacier. When we reached the convex and bulging heart of the glacier at about 9,000' things started to get ugly. The sun was out full strength now, and everything was very soft. Now, what looked smooth and easy was not smooth at all. It was hollow and punchy. "Hm...Let's try this....No....How about this?... No... This?... No... OK... let's see... SHIT... Where did that come from?" With no warning or visual cue I had popped through, my legs dangling in the void beneath me. Usually I have a pretty good idea when I am pushing it, but this was totally unexpected. After a long day, I began to wonder if "I am too tired to be doing this right now? Oh well, it doesn't matter because here I am, in it." OK, so I roll my self out and crawl back in my tracks. "OK, if this does that, then if I go around here then it should go and so it does, but man is this soft, OK, what surprise next? Uh, Oh this isn't looking good. OK, I can't go any further….Jason, take it from here!" What a relief that was to have another guide of Jason's caliber to take over the route finding. He reversed us from the dead-end, dropped lower in elevation, and finally found a way to our next camp near the Puyallup Cleaver.

Camp 4 looked good but the glacier was still very soft and we probed deeply into the mush for hidden crevasses before setting up our camp. It was a good time to not glacier travel any more, but there was still work to do. While Peter and Steve stayed back to help the team set up camp, Anne, Jason, and I roped up to go scout out routes and possibly fix lines up and over the Puyallup Cleaver. We walked up to the first ramp that we had scoped from the plane. The ramp looked great from afar, but as we approached, the deep moats became more apparent. Jason began to explore the moats, and when he started talking about using pitons to get out of the moat, Anne and I said "forget it, let's go check out the other options." Two options later, we had found that there was just no way. We would have to drop all the way down to 7400' on the Tahoma Glacier and cross Puyallup Cleaver just above Tokaloo Spire.

Day 5. Day 5 starts early at 5:00 AM to get down the glacier while it is cold and snow bridges are frozen over. Before leaving camp, Jason gives a talk that goes something like "There are two ways to walk, jerky, heavy and clunky or even and light. Walk even and light." Everyone understood him just fine and boy did we make good time! It was so firm that we barely left footprints. The glacier was still in the shade and we "floated" over stuff that would have sucked us in the afternoon before. We were off the tough stuff before the snow even softened a little. Now, "for the record", the easy way to handle the Tahoma Glacier in the first place would have been to come off of the South Tahoma above Glacier Island and then traverse low over to Tokaloo Spire at 7400'. But, then we would have missed all that incredible and educational terrain of the Tahoma Glacier at mid mountain height!

From Tokaloo Spire we ascended steep slopes to the ridge of Puyallup Cleaver and traversed onto the Puyallup Glacier at about 8000'. When we dropped off of the ridge Brad's knee started to hurt. At first we thought that it was just a small bodily rebellion against sustained steep slopes, but we soon realized that this was no passing cramp or tweak. It was here to stay and as the situation began to heat up, so did the mountain. We talked over our options. Pretty much every option included lots of walking. There was just no way around it, or was "around it" the only way? This was pretty much the worst place to get gimped up. Even if we bailed out down to St. Andrews Park to the west, it would still be at least two days hiking out from here, even with two good knees. Fortunately, Richard was doctor in Seattle and was able to give Brad's knee a good examination, after which we decided that from here the easiest option would be to stay high on the mountain, take the three day route "around", and complete the tour. We took loads from Brad to lighten his load and help relieve the stress on his knee, and continued up the Puyallup Glacier. The still clear air this day made us dream of the cold cloudy days we had earlier, and Brad's bum knee reminded us of our situation and how far away we were from help. The day continued to get hotter and hotter. The snow continued to get punchier and punchier. It was getting very slow, and the route to our next rest break was all up hill.

When we got to the next break at 8600' we perched ourselves at the very upper most reaches of the cleaver. From here we enjoyed spectacular views of Sunset Ridge, Sunset Amphitheater and St. Andrews Rock. The still air and warm temps just about put us to sleep. About a half an hour later we "jumped to," and picked our way down through the South Mowich Glacier. This was easy going compared to the previous days and our early morning. The glacier was littered with debris from a bunch of wet snow slides and icefalls. At about 7250' we ascended steep and ultra mushy slopes following both the old RMI and Boulton Gang routes. After post-holing up the slope (sometimes up to our hips) we topped out at about 7600'. Soaked from the mush we regrouped and took advantage of our new perspective to plan our route. We could see a very large open snow slope that had very recently avalanched, leaving a crown. Crossing this slope was necessary, and the area that had already avalanched would be the safest way to go…but we first had to get down to the crown face that marked the boundary between the snow that had slid and the snow that had not. Stepping only a few feet off of the rock ridge onto the snow we heard a soft but definite thud and swoosh as we kicked off a wet slab avalanche down onto the South Mowich below. While it was scary to think that there was still snow waiting to slide, it was actually the best possible occurrence, as it cleared the way down to the crown face that led across the slope. We picked our way down carefully to the slopes that had previously avalanched, and from there were able to traverse onto the Edmonds Glacier and up to a frozen lake at 8280', which became the site of Camp 5.

Day 6 started like the other days... very early. Up at 5:30, we wanted to get a good start so that we could ascend Ptarmigan ridge with firm conditions. Dropping onto the North Mowich Glacier we passed just above Needle Rock, a glacier nunatak at 7400'. From here we continued across the glacier to the base of Ptarmigan ridge at 7200'. The snow was perfect for cramponing and we made very good time up steep and very sustained slopes. The sun finally reached us when we were at about 7800', but the excellent conditions persisted until we hit the ridge at 8680'. From here we continued over to the Russell Glacier where it was very easy going, except for the hot still air. The only difficulty this day was descending onto the Carbon Glacier. Conditions were very soft, and the steep descent was unsure. We also encountered small route finding problems due to rock outcroppings. Once on the Glacier it was smooth sailing all of the way to Curtis Ridge. We camped on the east side of the ridge at 6800' so that we could get a good start on the Winthrop Glacier early the next morning.

Day 7 was uneventful and sweet. Crossing the Winthrop Glacier we climbed up and over St. Elmo's pass at 7400'. From the pass Anne recommended a glissade and we all took to it. It reminded me how important it is for every good trip to conclude with an excellent glissade. When we arrived at the bottom of Glacier Basin we all had big grins on our face as we shed our helmets, harnesses and the rest of our climbing gear. From here we had a satisfying stroll down through the forest to the White River Campground, and civilization. Larry was right on schedule with the van shuttle and soon we were loading up and off our feet for the first time in a week.

It was a great trip that we will never forget.

—Adam Angel, IMG Guide.............summer of 2004

NOTE: Since this trip the Circumnavigation has been attempted unsuccessfully, and with the new Management Plan at Mount Rainier National Park, this trip is no longer allowed due to designated Commercial Free Zones within the park.

Creativity and Adventure

2010-01-06T12:05:00.000-08:00

How often do we put Creativity and Adventure in the same sentence? Not often, but for me they are one in the same. Surviving adventures requires imagining creative solutions on the fly. Producing great images while dealing with variable lighting and subjects, weather and creative obstacles requires the ability to imagine creative solutions on the fly. As a photographer the tools are technical. Mechanical and electrical devices, and the physics of light. Dealing with dynamic snow, ice and weather the tools are also technical. Mechanical ascenders, electrical GPS and the laws of gravity and atmosphere. In the end both require the creativity to bring it all together and proceed to the end.

FEAR, often enters into both endeavors. Obviously one of the above scenarios is a little more deadly than the other, but in both, fear can stop you from achieving your goal. On a mountain fear is your friend. It is the part of you that realizes the objective hazards that always linger, and doesn’t foolishly deny their existence. This enables you to deal with hazards prudently and carry on as safely as possible. Amazingly for some these types of fears are easier to deal with than the deep dark inner fears that limit our creativity. Fears that many of us don’t even know we have, much less understand. The walls that we build to protect ourselves from our fears can be just as treacherous to your life as a weak snow bridge over a giant crevasse. For is leaving in fear living at all?
When time weakens the grips of fear, what is left behind? Your truth, the truth.

As my endeavors begin to come to fruition truth is the only constant. Strangely, my experiences, be they on a mountain, behind a camera, renovating a historic property, or trying to be a good husband and father, all hold the same lesson for my life. It is the realization of this unifying truth that makes my evolution as an adventurer and creator possible.

Adam

Print Permanence.

2009-12-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

100 years from now, will our successors know what a jpeg is? Will they have optical disk readers? Flash cards? What's beyond digital?

I am constantly amazed at the number of people who are happy to let all of their images sit on their computer, in "cloud" storage, or on decaying CDs and DVDs. While electronic delivery is awesome, incredibly useful and makes a constantly evolving and transformative veiwing experience possible, it is simply too complicated. The infrastructure that is needed to experience this media is extensive, and will someday prove to be impermanent.

A well crafted print on the other hand made with archival materials and stored in a conscientious way can last for centuries and is dependent only on our successors having eyes and the sun (and a planet suitable for life). This is why it is worth mastering the craft of print making, and vigilantly producing prints regularly to record the world as we see it. Taking the final step and seeing your image made "real" in print form is not as far as it seems.

To learn more about Fine Art Printing Workshops visit the Mount Rainier Institute of Photography at www.MtRainierPhoto.com

New Digital Photography Workshops and Kilimanjaro, Serengeti, Ngorongoro 2010

2009-11-05T15:34:00.000-08:00

2010 schedule update.

I will be leading the International Mountain Guides Kilimanjaro Climb and Safari in June, 2010. There are still spaces available at the time of this writing. Contact me or check out http://www.mountainguides.com/kilimanjaro.shtml for more information.

We are in the midst of overhauling MtRainierPhoto.com, but couldn't wait to tell you about some of our new workshops in 2010. These workshops are in addition to the Rainier Workshops already posted at MtRainierPhoto.com.

They include:
The ever popular comprehensive 3 weekend series "Digital Process and Print"
- March 13th - 14th, March 27th - 28th, April 10th - 11th.
Download the PDF brochure.

Digital Camera Basics (*NEW) - January 9th, 2010.
Download the PDF brochure.

Studio Lighting & The Portrait (*NEW) - January 10th, 2010.
Download the PDF brochure.

Black & White Intensive (*NEW) - January 16th-17th, 2010.
Download the PDF brochure.

If you sign up for "Digital Camera Basics" and "Studio Lighting and The Portrait" together receive $25 off.

Progress on the Gallery has slowed down as we have become busy with other projects, but is still creeping along. If you are passing through Morton, shoot me an email and I will give you a quick tour of the future gallery.

Adam

Phil Ershler's 25th Everest Anniversary

2009-10-20T11:54:00.001-07:00

Eric Simonson and George Dunn have written a wonderful tribute to Phil Ershler's 25th Everest Anniversary. October 20, 2009 marks 25 years since Phil made the first American ascent of the North Face of Everest. Read more about it here.

Phil was and is a great mentor to me. He gave me my first gig as an international mountain guide and continues to be an inspiration and an advisor.

Thanks Phil!

Adam

50th anniversary poses new challenges for Serengeti

2009-08-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

By Wolfgang H. Thome, eTN Africa | Aug 22, 2009

The Serengeti National Park just celebrated its half century anniversary amid reports on the growing challenges for the national park by human encroachment, demands for concessions by lodge developers and increased tourist traffic into the park.
Unlike in the Masai Mara Game Reserve, the Kenyan extension to the Serengeti ecosystem, there are substantially less lodges and tented camps located in the Serengeti, a standard wildlife conservationists intend to maintain for the long term benefit of the park

Click here for the rest of the story.

Mount Rainier Flight Photos

2009-08-20T17:06:00.000-07:00

We had a great evening flying around Mount Rainier.

Adam. Checking out the scene.

The approach.... looking good.

Tahoma Glacier, Sunset Amphitheater and the Puyallup Glacier at sunset.

Thanks Jenni!

Flying off into the sunset.

Mount Rainier Flight

2009-08-19T09:03:00.001-07:00

Tonight IMG Guide Jenni Fogle is flying us around Mount Rainier! We plan to take off around 7:30 and shoot in the late light. The weather forecast looks good and we are really looking forward to it.

Jenni flies KC-135’s and Global Hawks for the Air Force Reserve and is a climbing guide in Alaska, Washington, and California.

I can't wait!
Adam

Travel Portraits, “Another Reason To Visit The Himalayas, and East Africa.”

2009-08-17T08:52:00.001-07:00

Need some basic tips for making great travel portraits? I've recently posted a free PDF download titled Travel Portraits, “Another Reason To Visit The Himalayas, and East Africa.”

Nothing overly detailed here, just a short primer to help you get started. Enough to give you a little inspiration (and bravery) to make portraits of strangers, and a little technical guidance. It's broken down into 3 sections:

Part 1 “The Approach”
Part 2 “Equipment”
Part 3 “Making the Image”

You can download the article here.
I look forward to traveling with you.
Adam

Mount Rainier Gallery Renovation Continues..

2009-08-16T15:52:00.000-07:00

I love the smell of acetylene in the morning....

Brad Klein (aka SkiPig) is the mastermind behind the gallery renovation and the one who convinced me pick up a hammer again. He is the one who made me realize that all of this was possible....

Brad is the ultimate socialite and networker. In the past month he has found free scaffolding, and a friend with an acetylene torch. The scaffolding has been scabbed together and works great. The torch arrived with an operator who works for beer. Somehow things come together at just the right moment. Not very fast, but progress nonetheless. Just about right for an out-of-pocket project. Dennis (he likes Sierra Nevada Pale Ale) started cutting this morning and put in a couple of hours before running out of O2. Hopefully we'll be able to finish up the boiler removal next weekend...

Here are some pictures of his handiwork...

The first cut...Pipes not seen for almost a century...
It's OK, his mustache will protect him from the sparks!
Piece by piece, Brad and Dennis reverse the original maker's handiwork from almost a century ago.

We also just received the request from Mayor Jim Gerwig and the City of Morton for our portion of the match portion of a sidewalk grant. A grant which will redo 60 feet of sidewalk along the south side of the building. That project should occur next summer if everything falls into place.

Adam

The Photographer's Ephemeris - BETA

2009-08-07T22:11:00.000-07:00

I simply cannot remain quiet anymore. I must sing it to the world. One of the best pieces of software living on my computer these days is "The Photographer's Ephemeris." Stephen Trainor offers the Ephemeris for free, and it is a Beta version. i.e. "THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND." Take it from me, it works great and is a simple joy to use.

From Stephen's website:

Landscape photographers typically wish to plan their shoots around the times of sunrise/sunset or twilight, or alternatively when the moon is in a particular place in a particular phase.
While times of sunrise etc. are readily available on various sites on the internet (direction of sunrise etc. less so, but still readily found), there are fewer programs available which combine such information with a topographical map allowing the photographer to match the astronomical to the location.
A typical use might be to determine when the sun will set along the axis of a mountain valley, or when a full moon rise will rise across a lake.
The application uses Google Maps providing users the ability to select a location and determine the time and azimuth of sunrise or sunset for a given date or dates.
The software displays the combination of the key data together with a topographical map, courtesy of Google, in one program for either Windows or Mac.

I use it daily and cannot imagine going back to the days of compiling this information myself.
Thank you Stephen! Click here to visit his website and download the program. Please support his project!
Adam

News from Arusha and Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

2009-07-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

Pertinent news for the region of Tanzania that we visit.

BY ADAM IHUCHA, ETN STAFF WRITER | JUL 23, 2009
"Arusha, Tanzania (eTN) – Drought in Tanzania’s northern highlands has reached deadly proportion, killing nearly 100 cattle in Longido and wildlife along the sprawling borderline of Kilimanjaro and Amboseli National parks." Click here to read the rest of the story.

BY ADAM IHUCHA, ETN STAFF WRITER | JUN 24, 2009
"Arusha, Tanzania (eTN) - As the impact of the ongoing economic crisis hits Tanzania's fragile tourism industry, nearly 1,160 breadwinners have lost jobs." Click here to read the rest of the story.

Adam

Updated photos of the future Mt. Rainier Photography Gallery

2009-07-15T14:41:00.000-07:00

Not pretty yet, but pretty empty. Moving along on the Gallery. Time to start putting things back in........

Still on the two year plan!!!
Just received some free scaffolding from Pat Hart. Thanks Pat!

Adam

June 2009 Kilimanjaro Climb

2009-07-10T09:28:00.000-07:00

Absence does make the heart grow fonder. Three years after my last Kilimanjaro expedition I returned with a fantastic group of IMG climbers to go to the top once more.The hiatus renewed my excitement in the mountains, wildlife, and people of Tanzania. The specialness of the region was more apparent than ever to me this time. My understanding of this place, fortified over previous expeditions, gave it a certain familiarity, the kind of familiarity that relaxes you. North Central Tanzania is a fertile, vibrant, organic place. Kilimanjaro sustains it’s rivers during the dry seasons. Our journey takes us from the mountain top glaciers to the heart of one of the most amazing ecosystems in the world, the Greater Serengeti Ecosystem. As a photographer, I returned with a new eye, as a climber I returned with a renewed desire to stand upon the “Roof of Africa.”
Our local staff of 45 porters, cooks, and guides worked hard for us on the mountain. We arrived in each camp to the smell of fresh coffee and popcorn, our tents already set, and washing water soon on the way. Our team made it to each camp in record time and was very proud of their effort. (That was until I pointed out that their average age was about 25 years younger than our typical climb!! Then it didn’t seem so impressive…..:-)
We had great weather the whole climb and the scenery was as good as it gets. All 12 of us made it to the top in good style. Congratulations, Thea Handelman, Mary Grendell, Ashley Ryniak, Suzzane Weinstock, Steve Huff, Dan Talbert, Helen and Charles Frohlich, Jonathan Halata, and Bill and Will Bavinger for making to the top, Uhuru Point. I won’t forget it.

Safari was a blast as usual and a more than adequate reward for the sweat left on the mountain during our climb. Oh, and what happens on safari stays on safari…………..
~Adam Angel

Kilimanjaro, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire 2009

2009-06-13T10:55:00.000-07:00

We are leaving for Tanzania tomorrow and will return the on the June 28th. I'm looking forward to the trip and will post images when I return. All emails (to info@mtrainierphoto.com) and phone calls to the Mt. Rainier Institute of Photography will be forwarded/answered to/by my apprentice, Greg Lund. While Greg might not have all the answers, (because I know that you can think up some pretty tough questions) he can answer many of your basic questions, and if he doesn't know the answer he will parlé your question to me, via my almost daily satellite phone contacts.

All emails to Adam@AdamAngel.com will be answered as soon as possible by me, but that might not be until end of June or early July.

Adam

Paradise Valley Road Open

2009-06-06T10:12:00.001-07:00

The Paradise Valley Road is open today for the 2009 Summer Season on Mt. Rainier.
Stevens Canyon Road is anticipated to remain closed until the end of July.

Adam.

2010 Kilimanjaro Photography Expedition.

2009-05-28T17:42:00.000-07:00

For 2010, we plan to offer a "Photographer's Extension" to International Mountain Guides' regularly scheduled June Kilimanjaro Expedition. The price and length is yet to be determined, but please contact us if you are interested in more information as it becomes available. East Africa offers one of the best environments in the world for an enriching cultural and wildlife experience. This is the only photography workshop in Tanzania that features a summit climb of Kilimanjaro with an experienced high altitude climbing guide and professional photographer. Please contact Adam if you want to be added to the Kilimanjaro contact list.

Chinook Pass opens Friday, May 22 at noon.

2009-05-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, Chinook Pass will open Friday, May 22 at 12:00.
Providing some of the best views of Mt. Rainier from the east side of the mountain, it's a sure sign that summer is on the way here in the park! One of my most popular images was made on Chinook pass, but don't expect to see the ground up there for a long time yet, there is still almost 13 feet of snow!!!!

For Chinook Pass telemetry click here.

Adam

Ken Burns, The National Parks, and America's Best Idea.

2009-04-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

Last night over 2000 Washingtonians and I had the privilege of attending a presentation at Benaroya Hall in Seattle. The presentation, hosted by KCTS 9, was an splendid evening with Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan who discussed and presented clips from their upcoming epic documentary The National Parks, America's Best Idea. I knew that Burns made wonderful films, but after listening to him speak and gaining a smidgeon of insight on his world view, I am further impressed. Ken is truly a visionary, not just in the media of film, but in humanity, and as he said last night, these documentaries are ultimately about us. He confessed that he has been telling the same story about us over and over again, just with different packaging.

I must tell you that I left the presentation last night profoundly re-energized about the magnitude and importance of our National Park System. I will certainly carry this with me this summer as we explore Mt. Rainier National Park photographing its wonders.

The documentary is 12 hours long and airs this fall on your local public television station. The series will be available in High Definition (As Ken said, "5 times better") and is available on DVD and Blu-ray. From the 6 short excerpts that were shown last night, I plan to add this series to my collection. You can pre-order The National Parks, America's Best Idea from channel9store.com and save 25% with this promotional code: NPBURNS. The offer is good until 9-15-09 and cannot be combined with other offers.

You can also hear a "Weekday" interview with Ken Burns here.

See you on The Mountain this summer.

Adam

Kilimanjaro Climb and Safari 2009. Tanzania, East Africa.

2009-01-18T12:03:00.000-08:00

I have added another Kilimanjaro trip to my schedule this year with International Mountain Guides. The trip will depart on June 14 and return on the 28th. This expedition will not be a photography workshop, it will however include many of the same exciting elements. If you have any questions please drop me a line 206-497-9660, or shoot me an email, Adam@AdamAngel.com. Again, for those of you who I have talked with, you know how excited I get about this trip. This will be my 10th expedition to Kilimanjaro and Serengeti, and I remain excited. This is truly the trip of a lifetime. As of January 18, 2009 there are only 5 spots left.

Adam

Past Accolades for Kilimanjaro Climb and Safaris. Tanzania, East Africa.

2008-11-09T12:27:00.000-08:00

"I wanted to let you know what a tremendous experience this was for us and how pleased we were with the whole IMG program from start to finish. From the initial contact with you (Eric Simonson) and Phil Ershler, through the whole trip planning process, to the expedition itself, everything was highly professional and first class in every respect. Your personal communications to me by email and rapid response to any questions or concerns in advance of the trip were greatly appreciated. The local arrangements through the Keys Hotel and the assistance of and experience with the African guides, cooks, and porters were beyond expectations. I also cannot speak highly enough about Adam Angel. Not only did he do a great job coaching us through our progressive trek into high altitude, but he also became a wonderful companion and friend, and undoubtedly greatly facilitated the camaraderie that quickly developed amongst the climbers.

I don't know when I may get another chance to climb, but when I do, you can be assured that if at all possible, it will be with IMG. It appears that you set the standard in guided mountaineering, and I thank you for making possible this once in a lifetime experience for my son and me."

—Michael B.

"We had an incredible experience on our trip. The climb was awesome! IMG had everything well organized from the excellent accommodations before and after the climb to the coordination of the porters and cooks on the climb. Adam was a pleasure to climb with. He took a personal interest in each person achieving their goals for the climb and did everything he could to help make that happen. He had a great sense for when he needed to provide specific direction to the group and when it was okay to let the group just experience the mountain. Hope we have the chance to climb with him again. We look forward to our next adventure with IMG."

—Rob & Julie L.

"What a fun trip. And all I have to say is who ever thought up the porter concept was brilliant. It's not bad strolling up and down a mountain when you don't have to schlep your own stuff. Seriously, Tanzania is an amazing country. Kili is a beautiful mountain and the safari was just the right length of time. I also very much enjoyed climbing with Adam Angel. He's a very nice guy and excellent tour guide. The group was lots of fun and got along very well. Just a wonderful trip all the way around."

—Monica R.

"I just wanted to send a short letter to thank you and Adam for a excellent trip to Kilimanjaro. Adam did a great job throughout the climb and I would definitely recommend IMG and Adam for anyone wanting to do a climb."

—John S.

"I think I should first speak of Adam, for without his expert guidance and leadership, our climb could have been quite different and not as successful... at least for me. Although I have done some climbing, I was perhaps the least experienced of the group. And although I had trained religiously for months, I was not prepared for many of the challenges that confronted us. Adam was there for me and everyone, for every step of the way.

Not a headache was to go by without him knowing about it. When they did occur, Diamox was not the preferred cure; rather going back to the basics of breathing and drinking. He talked about what we should wear each day and how often we should snack and drink water. He instructed us as to the use of our poles: how long or short they should be or if we needed one or both. And when I encountered some problematic spots on the Baranco Wall or wherever, he was there to get me safely to the next point. By the time we had reached Barafu Hut, he had laid the groundwork: he had instilled so much confidence in us of his abilities as a leader. Little did we know how important that confidence in him was for us to reach the summit.

I know that Adam spoke to you about the wind and the less than perfect conditions on summit night. Regardless, Adam was unbelievable. He was decisive. He shouted out instructions all along the way: to eat, to drink, to breathe, to rest step and for me to stand up straight. He was quick to have our packs taken off and carried by a Chagga, when we were being carried and thrown down by the wind. And he yelled encouraging words that we were doing so well and that our bodies could do it and not to let our minds tell us it couldn't!! And because of his leadership and good judgment, no one was hurt, and we reached the summit safely.

All in all, it was an experience of a lifetime. And I thank you for including me in the group."

—Susan G.

Photoshop CS4 for October 08 Workshop Participants

2008-09-23T13:14:00.001-07:00

Well Folks:

The Photoshop gods have decided to release a Photoshop update pretty much during the workshop. The upgrade is from CS3 to CS4. That's either good or bad timing depending on how you view glasses half full of water. I am excited about the upgrade and know that CS4 will GREATLY enhance, improve, and speed our digital workflow. I've been looking carefully at the updates and they are very exciting. Lot's of WOW factor! It's a whole new world. Again, this is a significant upgrade that will shake up and improve the way we work on images.

So, here is the plan. If CS4 is available by the time the workshop starts, I will teach the new CS4 tools and techniques. So no matter what version of Photoshop you currently have, either plan on upgrading to CS4 if it is available, OR simply download the 30 day free trial and install it just in time for the workshop, so that you can follow along during the workshop with your 30 day free trial.

Remember if you are only planning on using the trial, Do not install until the workshop begins, so that you can make sure to have access to it during every weekend of the workshop.

I would think that it will be ready by the workshop, but in the event that it isn't, you will need CS3. Note that they have disabled the CS3 free trial!

Here is the link to the webpage where you can be notified when the new version and trial becomes available.

http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=cs4_notify&loc=en_us

I will be shooting in the Tetons from Sept. 24 to October 5th, so I might be hard to reach......

Adam

Harvest

2008-09-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

Without even looking at a calendar it is apparent when an equinox or solstice in nigh. There is a definitive moment when in total presence and clarity, I stop for a second, and say to myself "Fall is in the air." I can't put my finger on it, and I can't describe exactly what it is, but when it happens... I know. All of the times that I have scented that change in 36 years come together as an annual moment of continuity in my physical existence. This happens every year for each changing of the season, and I have no doubt that my senses are far more accurate than the calendar's interpretation. It is around these events that I feel most alive, and for a while after college and before settling down, these profound moments coincided with traveling. A summer job ends and there is time to roam until the ski season starts. You meet travelers along the way on similar journeys. Now that I am settled into one community, I can experience elements of that change that I haven't experienced since I was the reason for my parents nesting. My parents nested down for the winter in 1972 for me; and from 2005 on.... I nest for my child. It is time to harvest from the efforts of the year. I won't wait until December, I want to have a few months to enjoy the fruits and to ease into a cozy nest for winter with my closest loved ones. I feel this excitement today, as we reach a new plateau with our daughter. This week the whole family will travel together to my old stomping grounds in the Tetons. Again, the circle is coming round.

Rainier Mountain Festival 2008

2008-08-31T08:31:00.000-07:00

I plan to be at the Rainier Mountain Festival on September 13th and 14th, 2008. This is a fantastic occasion to reconnect with colleagues, clients, friends, AND make new friends. I don't plan to be tied down to a booth, but will be roaming around with information on next year's Mt. Rainier Photography Workshops. There are plenty of events for all ages, so bring the whole gang. See you there!

Adam

Summer on Rainier......

2008-08-19T23:07:00.000-07:00

August 19^th. Pouring rain. Snow Level on Mt. Rainier down to 6500’. Summer still hasn’t really arrived. Since moving to the Pacific Northwest 13 years ago, I haven’t seen a summer like this. It is weather like this that creates the unmatched beauty of the NW. The trees are so big. The rivers so wild. The glaciers unmatched in the lower 48. This is the price we pay for the staggering beauty that unleashes itself when the sun does come out. So for this week, when I thought I would be shooting pictures of wildflowers and dramatic alpenglow on Mt. Rainier, I turn the camera down and shoot the finer and often overlooked detail of Mt. Rainier National Park. One morning last week I went to a favorite shooting spot in the park. I arrived an hour before sunrise and stood there with 4 other photographers in the cold fog waiting for it to lift. It never did, but I talked for hours with a photographer from the east side of the mountain, which turned out to be enriching as making a good image…. That didn’t stop me from trying though. Like my experiences climbing the mountain, Rainier does what it wants, and whether or not it fits in to my agenda it is always spectacular.

Rainier Digital Photography Workshops 2009

2008-08-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

Join us on Mt Rainier for fun, excitement, achievement and camaraderie. Containing more glacial mass than the rest of the Cascade Volcanoes combined, there is is no mistaking Rainier as the pinnacle of Cascade Grandeur. Get to know Mt. Rainier National Park intimately with experienced instructors who have a deep knowledge of the park. This is our home mountain. Nobody can match our knowledge, access, or facilities of, to, and around Mt. Rainier National Park.

Our Rainier Workshops originate at the studio of Adam Angel Photography in historic downtown Morton. We provide private van transportation for all shooting excursions, and gourmet fare along the way. For the Master Class (long class), field excursions are followed by image critiques, photoshop instruction, as well as fine art printing techniques at the studio. The Shooter’s Class (short class) is for the more experienced photographer who is looking for field instruction, logistical support, and more time in the park shooting with good folks.

Please visit www.MtRainierPhoto.com for more information.

Mt. Rainier Institute of Photography

2008-08-19T17:46:00.000-07:00

Mt. Rainier’s greatness inspires greatness in us. Ten years ago I came to Mt. Rainier to become a climbing guide. Somehow as a young adult I knew that Mt. Rainier would teach me many lessons and take me further than I could imagine. Climbing Mt. Rainier led to travels around the world, and ultimately to the desire to articulate the “sense of place” that I encountered on the world’s great mountains. Photography became my vehicle to show the folks back home what I had seen. What’s interesting to me is that this path didn’t lead to the places that I thought it would. It led me on a journey of self discovery, personal growth, and creativity.

Today, my goal for the institute is to foster personal growth in concert with nature’s grandeur through creativity. The workshops that we offer take advantage of my knowledge of the mountain from it’s icy top to it’s lush and ancient bottom. They incorporate a nice blend of shooting time in the field and of classroom and lab instruction. All of this is packaged together in a fun, inspiring, memorable, and educational workshop. I look forward to spending time with you on Mt. Rainier during the summer of 2009! ~Adam Angel

Please visit www.MtRainierPhoto.com for more information.

New Website www.MtRainierPhoto.com

2008-08-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

The Mt. Rainier Institute of Photography has posted the new website at www.MtRainierPhoto.com.

This launches the beginning of Adam Angel Photography's Digital Workshops in Mt. Rainier National Park. These workshops in the park will be operated under a Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) administered by the National Park Service. The CUA has not been issued yet, but we anticipate receiving one sometime in September/October. We have gone ahead and launched the websites, so that we will be available in the search engines when it is time to start workshop registration. In the mean time, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. See you in the mountains.

Adam

Autumn Workshop Update 2008.

2008-08-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

Only 3 Spots left.

The digital era has brought new levels of photographic control to photographers. However, there is more than ever to know about digital capture, processing and printing. This 6-day digital workshop will cover everything you need to know to build a solid base for your path as a photographer.
Learn the most up-to-date processes for professional image capture and printing.
Capture high quality images, process them using the latest tools, and print them on some of the finest printers available today.Please see our detailed schedule for a full list of topics to be covered.

Download detailed information in the client access area at www.AdamAngel.com
Simply type “workshop” in the password area.

Space is limited to 6 students.

Dates:
October 18-19, February 25-26, November 1-2, 2008

Please feel free to contact me with any questions about the curriculum or equipment requirements.

Kilimanjaro Climb and Safari Photography Workshop 2009. Tanzania, East Africa.

2008-07-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends of International Mountain Guides and Adam Angel Photography:

After much planning, scrutiny, patience and determination to make something great, we have finally created a fantastic Kilimanjaro Photography Workshop! This is the trip of a lifetime to one of the Seven Summits and is an industry first. This one-of-a-kind trip features a summit climb of Kilimanjaro and an extended Photographic Safari and Workshop in Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We've taken the already popular and proven success of the Kilimanjaro programs run by the world famous International Mountain Guides, and tailored it to photographers. The trip will feature your own private camera porter on the climb, and an extended safari re-engineered for photographers to maximize shooting time and opportunity. And much much more.

"Join long time Kilimanjaro guide and photographer Adam Angel for a once in a lifetime expedition in Tanzania. East Africa offers one of the best environments in the world for an enriching cultural and wildlife experience. This is the only photography workshop in Tanzania that features a summit climb of Kilimanjaro with an experienced high altitude climbing guide and professional photographer. Photography Workshops offer a great chance to increase your photographic knowledge and skill in a stimulating environment. They are also great portfolio builders. Many safari companies offer photographic tours or climbs of Kilimanjaro, but none can offer the expertise and experience that IMG and Adam have on the mountain and on safari."

Please visit International Mountain Guides for detailed information on the Kili Photo Workshop. After you have had a chance to look over the information please feel free to give me a call with any questions that you might have.

I hope that you can join me and the fantastic people in this fantastic place on a fantastic journey to the roof of Africa.

Adam

Into a Kingdom and out of a Republic. Mt. Everest, Nepal, 2008

2008-07-02T21:21:00.000-07:00

Tibet 2008. Nepal 2008. A wise man once said “Everyone likes Adventure Travel, right up to the point that there’s some actual adventure.” We didn’t have any outrageous adventures on our trek to Everest Base Camp in Nepal, but we did a few weeks before we departed for the Kingdom of Nepal and Tibet. A “wrap” of this trip would not be complete without a little history of the fiasco that went down before we departed the U.S. Years from now this will be known as one of the years that Tibet was “Closed to foreign tourists.”

On March 11^th we received the final word that all of Tibet was shut down due to safety problems in the region. Luckily for us, Eric Simonson was able to put together a FANTASTIC alternate itinerary, that I dare say was one of the most enjoyable trips I have led for IMG.

The entire group met in Katmandu, and did the usual tours of the city, a great deal of which included people watching…….

The trek was very similar to the regularly scheduled IMG trek to EBC, but with a great variation/extension up to Gokyo. The trail to Gokyo is far less traveled than the usual route and was cleaner, smaller, nicer, and the most memorable part of the trip for me. The view of the impressive South Face of Cho Oyu was only matched by the beauty of the lake (Dudh Pokhari) at Gokyo.

The second highlight or our trek extension was the tough journey over Cho La. Cho La in literal translation means “Lake Pass,” but in our experience it was more like “kicks ass.” In order to get back on track to Everest Base Camp it is necessary to traverse the lower Ngozumpa Glacier and Cho La to get to the Khumbu Valley. I put this pass in the category of the Great Breach of the Baranco Wall on Kilimanjaro… It has all the grandeur and views of steep alpine climbing, but with the safety of a trail big enough to place a barcalounger.

Those of you that that have heard of Cholatse (6,440 meters/21,129 ft, first climbed April 22, 1982 by Vern Clevenger, Galen Rowell, John Roskelley and Bill O'Connor) can figure out the peaks name if you know that “tse” translates to “peak.”

The group that IMG had put together was truly a pleasure to accompany, and they all deserve accolades (for different reasons) for making the trip a success and a joy.

Congratulations to Tom and Jan Hunter, Jay Marionowits, Shari Keller, Gabby Fredman, Jim Skelding, and Tracy Holland for making it to Everest Base Camp in good style.

Lastly, Nepal was a Kingdom when we entered. The elections on April 10^th made it that we left a Republic. People of Nepal, after years of uncertainty and even civil war under a monarchy, we wish you the best!

Digital Photography Workshop, October 2008

2008-05-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce another Digital Workshop beginning in October of 2008.

The digital era has brought new levels of photographic control to photographers. However, there is more than ever to know about digital capture, processing and printing. This 6-day digital workshop will cover everything you need to know to build a solid base for your path as a photographer.

Learn the most up-to-date processes for professional image capture and printing. Capture high quality images, process them using the latest tools, and print them on some of the finest printers available today. Please see our detailed schedule for a full list of topics to be covered.

Download detailed information in the "client access" area at www.AdamAngel.com

Simply type “workshop” in the password area.

Space is limited to 6 students.

Dates:
October 18-19, October 25-26, November 1-2, 2008

Please feel free to contact me with any questions about the curriculum or equipment requirements.

China shoves the olympic torch right up Tibet's.........

2008-03-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

I leave in a week for a trek in the Khumbu Region of Nepal. We were originally scheduled to trek to Advanced Base Camp on the North Side of Mount Everest in Tibet. After a year of planning and money spent we were recently told the following:

Days after receiving this letter, violence broke out in Tibet. The demonstrations that led to the violence are the result of a half-century of brutal occupation, oppression and (if you look at the numbers) genocide. The olympic torch will be run through Tibet and as part of the Beijing, China Olympics. It doesn't take much imagination to see that this is a slap in the face for Tibetans and that by sanctioning these games we are in fact sanctioning this human rights violation. The International Olympic Committee even had the vision to account for this and stated "if human rights are not acted upon to our satisfaction then we will act." They have failed over and over to stand by their original statement. As a result the IOC has Han Chinese blood, Tibetan blood and the blood of the military on their hands. That is shatteringly unfortunate. As a long time fan of the Olympics, I will never see them the same way.

I strongly urge the IOC to fulfil its pledge that it would ensure that China improved its human rights record in the run up to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games:

April 2002 the IOC said: the IOC is a responsible organisation and … if human rights are not acted upon to our satisfaction then we will act. But on April 25 2007, when pressed on issues of China's stance on human rights in Tibet, the IOC said: We are not in a position that we can give instructions to governments as to how they ought to behave.

* Despite previous promises, the staging of the Games in Beijing has not improved human rights in China and Tibet
* Free and unrestricted reporting from China and Tibet was a condition of the Games being awarded to China. Yet foreign journalists now need special permits to go to Tibet and are under surveillance there
* Without free reporting, China is given license to hide its systematic human rights abuses in Tibet

Time is running out for the IOC to act.

* I demand that the IOC forces China to drop its insistence on special permits to journalists and commit to remove any surveillance of journalists and their interviewees. That is the least that we should expect from the Olympic Committee.

Despite the way this editorial might read to you, the Olympics have been a positive experience for me this year in that they have been key in highlighting an unethical regime's human violations and the funding of crimes against humanity. They have also shown how our financial support and political malaise have contributed the the problem. This could still turn out well.......

Thank you Spielberg and Sarkosy!

Adam Angel.

DROBO!

2008-03-03T17:34:00.000-08:00

Some of you may know that I had a pretty major hard drive error earlier this year. Low cost external hard drives are an economical solution UNLESS you have a drive failure. Then you will pay big bucks to have the data recovered IF it can be recovered. As a replacement solution I was looking into building two small servers, one at my home and and one at the studio. I remembered reading about a system called DROBO, which is a small economic home style server with two to four hard drives. Anyway, to make a long story short I bought two and am using them now. They are incredible! So here is the pitch, I am now a "Drobo Evengelist."

How would you like to have infinitely expandable data storage that is bone-dead simple to use and keeps your data protected even if a hard drive dies? If you're interested, you need to check out the Drobo storage robot (go to http://www.drobo.com). Photographers, your digital archive is going to be HUGE eventually, plan ahead before you lose any of your valuable images. Make sure to watch the demo video below!

They are offering a $25 rebate to friends and family. That’s an additional $25 off their already great price of $499.

If you are interested in buying one, go to http://www.drobostore.com and be sure to use this special code: EVANGEL so you get the $25 instant rebate. The $25 rebate expires on June 30^th, 2008.

Custom ICC Profiles and Pro Printing Services

2008-01-16T20:08:00.000-08:00

In conjunction with the 2008 Digital Photography Workshop, we are adding Custom ICC Color Profiling to our list of Pro Services. These high quality profiles will ensure the accuracy of your unique printer/ink/media combination. Our standard profile service will employ a large 1728 patch color target, with larger targets available. In addition, for those of you who have your prints made here, I am updating the studio printer profiles that will be available to you for soft-proofing.

Targets and instructions for Custom ICC Profiles are available for download here.
The current "Pro Price List" is available for download here and includes a link to the targets.

We look forward to continuing our relationship with you this year, and hope to serve you even better in the new year.

Adam

Andy Mahre skiing our local hill, White Pass, WA. Enough Said.

2007-11-18T16:04:00.000-08:00

Kangshung Face, Mt. Everest Trek 2008 changes back to ABC

2007-09-28T17:45:00.000-07:00

It's no secret, the Chinese Mountaineering Authority (CMA) loves Eric Simonson. Those of you who have been following my travel plans for the next year know that instead of the usual Mt. Everest Advanced Base Camp trek that I usually lead in April, we were planning a trip to the remote East Face on Everest for 2008. This was due to a trekking restriction placed by the CMA (for 2008) on trekking groups going to ABC. The Chinese will be running the Olympic Torch to the Summit of Everest and feel that it is in their best interest to limit extraneous traffic during that time. We have however been granted an exception to be there, and of course consider ourselves lucky to have the privilege of being there during this historic event. To view updated information on the 2008 trek please follow this link to the website of International Mountain Guides.
Advanced Base Camp Trek, 21,000'. Mt. Everest, Tibet 2008

Livestrong Challenge

2007-09-28T17:30:00.001-07:00

The weekend of our 100 mile ride is upon us, and we are very excited. Shanna and I have been training very hard and are in top shape.

The weather forecast calls for:

wind gusts as high as 21 mph.

Looks "sporting."

Together we raised $1625.00 for the Livestrong Foundation.
Thank you to all who supported our fund raising efforts.
A special thanks to Denise Weise who will accompany us to watch Asia while we ride. What a lifesaver.

Wish us luck with the weather.
Adam

Digital Workshop 2008 Update

2007-09-22T15:02:00.000-07:00

Only 3 Spots left.
"Early Registration" Ends Oct. 5th
Last chance to save $300.

The digital era has brought new levels of photographic control to photographers. However, there is more than ever to know about digital capture, processing and printing. This 6-day digital workshop will cover everything you need to know to build a solid base for your path as a photographer.

Learn the most up-to-date processes for professional image capture and printing.
Capture high quality images, process them using the latest tools, and print them on some of the finest printers available today.

Please see our detailed schedule for a full list of topics to be covered.

Download detailed information in the client access area at www.AdamAngel.com
Simply type “workshop” in the password area.

Space is limited to 6 students.

Dates:
January 12-13, February 2-3, February 23-24, 2008

Please feel free to contact me with any questions about the curriculum or equipment requirements.

Kangshung Face, Mt. Everest Trek 2008

2007-08-23T14:37:00.000-07:00

I am excited to announce that I will lead a 27 day trek to Mt. Everest's Kangshung Face in the Spring of 2008. The trip is organized by Eric Simonson of International Mountain Guides. Only a handful of trekking groups and expeditions penetrate this remote area each year. This is a great trek, culminating with an overnight stay at Kangshung Base Camp and the opportunity to climb to over 19,000 ft. We are really looking forward to visiting this much less traveled side of Everest. The trek will also include the incredibly scenic Rongbuk Monastery, and Base Camp on the North Side of Mt. Everest.

Everest has three faces. The Kangshung is the least visited and arguably the most beautiful and serene.

Our journey to the Kangshung travels the impressive Lhasa–Kathmandu "Friendship Highway," to Gyantse and Shigatse to Shekar. In Shekar we will meet our Nepalese Sherpa Dendi, and his entire crew that will take impeccable care of us along our trek. From Shekar we travel by jeep to Kharta where we will meet our Yak drivers and begin our trek. We begin in the typical Tibetan alpine desert of Mt. Everest's rain shadow before descending into the subtropical forests of willow, scrub juniper, and rhododendron created by India's summer monsoon. We enjoy icy views of Makalu, Lhotse, Lhotse Shar, Phetangtse, and Chomolonzo.

Our return circles back to Kharta where we drive to and spend a night at the fabled Rongbuk Monastery, beneath Everest’s North Face. We will also travel to Base camp and up to the toe of the East Ronbuk Glacier. We then return to Kathmandu.

This trek will be of special interest to photographers.

Digital Workshop 2008

2007-08-22T15:42:00.000-07:00

Full, stay tuned for workshop announcements

We are pleased to announce our first Digital Workshop beginning in January of 2008.

The digital era has brought new levels of photographic control to photographers. However, there is more than ever to know about digital capture, processing and printing. This 6-day digital workshop will cover everything you need to know to build a solid base for your path as a photographer.

Learn the most up-to-date processes for professional image capture and printing.
Capture high quality images, process them using the latest tools, and print them on some of the finest printers available today.

The Music of Nawang Khechog featured at AdamAngel.com

2007-06-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

(From NawangKhechog.com)
Nawang Khechog is a Grammy nominee and one of Tibet's formost world music composers and musician. He is also one of the first Tibetan musicians to be able to break into international world music scene with his original and authentic musical compositions (solo and collaborative albums) to be distributed around the world through different record labels.

Nawang was a monk for 11 years and studied Buddhist philosophy and meditation with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and many other Tibetan masters. He also lived as a hermit, meditating in the Himalayan foothills for several years under the guidance of His Holiness.

He aims to utilize music as a means to inspire non-violence, compassion and spirituality and for the freedom of Tibetan people. In the last few years, there have been some signs of interest from PRC governement for the future of Tibet by inviting the delegations of HH Dalai Lama and Tibetan Government in Exile in Tibet and China. "I hope", says Nawang, "this is a genuine sign of PRC government's interest in resolving the tragedy and suffering of Tibet. It is hard to trust but it will reveal its true face by year 2010. If this is genuine, negotiation and dialog is best for both sides
interests."

Nawang has produced five albums by himself and co-produced two albums with Kitaro and Peter Kater-'Karuna'; a solo album, and 'The Dance of Innocents ' with Peter Kater on piano, ' Wind of Devotion' with R. Carlos Nakai (the most prominent Native American Flutist) ' In a Distant place ' with R. Carlos Nakai, William Eaton (one of the world's great designer and builders of unique guitars ) Will Clipman (a leading percussionist). This album , they not only recieved the Grammy nomination but they also got three prestigious nominations from the 'Nammy Awards' (the Native American music awards) 'the Record of the Year',' the Best Instrumental Recording ' and 'the Best Duo or Group of the Year '.
He also wrote and performed the music for the New York play, 'Road Home' directed by award winning director, Lawrence Sacharow and played by Martin Luther King Jr's daughter, Yolanda King, and other actors. (This is a multimedia play, filmed by Academy Award Winner Barbara Kopple and written by Academy Award Winner James Lecesne). He has played on Kitaro's Grammy nominated albums 'Mandala' and 'Enchanted Evening' and toured with him extensively in the US, Japan, Canada, Brazil and South East Asian countries.

Nawang has performed at Carnegie Hall, Universal Amphitheater, Radio City Music Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, The Pentagon, World Peace Festivals, numerous schools, Art Galleries and RFK Stadium, just to mention a few.

He has collaborated with Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, Kitaro, Trey Anastasio [Phish], Ustad Sultan Khan, Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma, David Bowie, Michael Stipe (R.E.M.), Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (nephew of the famous Qawalli singer), Natalie Merchant, Peter Kater, R. Carlos Nakai, Paul Winter, Allen Ginsberg, Patty Smith, Steve Gorn, and performed in the same concerts with U2, Pearl Jam, Taj Mahal, Beastie Boys, Ben Harper, R.E.M., Alanis Morissette, Bjork, Sonic Youth, Billy Corgan, Moby, Dave Matthews, Herbie Hancock, Tracy Chapman, KRS-1, Sean Lennon and A Tribe Called Quest.

He has also performed many times at the prestigious yearly concerts of Tibet House, New York, benefit & Tibetan Freedom Concerts. Nawang also supports and participated many times with Peacejam Programs, an organization with twelve Nobel Peace Laureates on their Board of Advisors dedicated to youth education and greater human values.

Nawang's music has been used in various documentaries, most recently for part of the sound track of Hollywood's major motion picture 'Seven Years in Tibet,' directed by Jean Jacques Annaud and starring Brad Pitt. He also worked as a Tibetan Assistant Director and played six different acting rolls for the film.

He has also worked at a wide range of causes and organizations, ranging from Schools, Prisons, Buddhist Centres, Interfaith Services to the numerous benefit concerts for AIDS, Environment, Peace, and many Tibet support groups, as welI as the US Tibetan Re-settlement Projects.

Nawang was born into a nomadic family in Eastern Tibet, on a high mountain plateau, where trees can not grow and the wind whispers through the grasslands. He learned about life's lessons and survival at an early age. When he was only three years old, a yogi meditator convinced his father that it would be devastating for their family to remain in Tibet, so they fled the land. The family travelled thousands of miles to India on the backs of yaks. Following a treacherous three year journey, the yogi's prediction came true in 1959, when China took over Tibet. Nawang's family still suffered - most of his family, including his two younger sisters perished in the hot climate of India.

In 1981, Nawang met Leslie Christianson, they married and had two beautiful children, Sangye (son) and Tenzin (daughter). Now, they are grown up as two bright and beautiful children. While they were together in Australia, they helped to establish and became founding board members of Australia Tibet Council (ATC) with other Tibetans and Australians who were dedicated to help the situation in Tibet. Meanwhile Leslie became the first founding National Director for ATC and worked hard and effectively to make the ATC the most powerful Tibet support group in Australia. Nawang toured throughout Australia performing and educating Australians for the Tibetan cause and suffering. He also twice presented the first and second 'Five Point Peace Plan' for Tibet by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawk. After eight years of thier marriage,they seperated in 1989 but now both are re-married since 1997. Nawang's spiritual friend and his wife Tsering Youdon has finally able to immigrate and join him in USA, after three years of immigration waiting period.

In 1991, he was invited by Tibet House, New York and the co-founder and actor Richard Gere, for a North American tour. Nawang toured numerous cities by giving concerts and speaking out about the situation in Tibet to audiences, radio stations and newspaper journalists during the 'International Year of Tibet' Celebration.

In 1992, Nawang opened the Earth Summit Precom meeting at the UN General Assembly Hall. He also performed for many openings for the public address by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Nawang is a self taught musician. His music springs out of his feeling and life experience as a world traveling, Tibetan nomad. He plays a veritable United Nations of native instruments - including Tibetan long horn, South American Mayan Ocarinas, Australian Aboriginal Didgeridoo, and Tibetan and Native American flutes - as well as more familiar African drums, and other cymbals and bells. He also performs the ethereal and other-worldly sound of Tibetan, Mongolian and Tuvan overtone Chanting and the Universal Horn. This is Nawang's newly invented instrument, a combination of Tibetan long horn, Aboriginal Didgeridoo and American Trombone.

Tibetan multi-instrumentalist, Nawang brings the beauty of his and other countries' ancient ritual sounds to a modern audience with original compositions created with an ear towards uniting old and new in an all-encompassing whole.

Having spent more than thirty years in India as a Tibetan refugee, Nawang now seeks strength and tranquility in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Living in a town, at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, he looks to the splendor of nature as a continual source of inspiration. Nawang's experiences shape and permeate his music.

Livestrong Challenge

2007-06-10T10:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
As some of you may know, I am participating in the LIVESTRONG Challenge in Portland, Oregon on September 29-30 to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

At age 25, Lance Armstrong was one of the world's best cyclists. He proved it by winning the World Championships, the Tour Du Pont and multiple Tour de France stages. Lance Armstrong seemed invincible and his future was bright. Then they told him he had cancer.

A combination of physical conditioning, a strong support system and competitive spirit took over. He declared himself not a cancer victim but a cancer survivor. He took an active role in educating himself about his disease and the treatment. Armed with knowledge and confidence in medicine, he underwent aggressive treatment and beat the disease.

Lance Armstrong's victories in the 1999-2005 Tours de France are awe-inspiring, but the battle against cancer has just begun - not just for him, but for all cancer survivors and people just like him who think cancer could not affect them.

Today, there are more than 10 million people living with cancer in United States, and it is estimated that close to 1.3 million more will be diagnosed this year alone.

Although there is no cure, progress has been made. It is important to continue progress toward beating this disease. My goal is not just to participate in the LIVESTRONG Challenge, it is a distant second to my goal of raising $1000 in support of the fight against cancer by the end of September, 2007.

If you have been affected by cancer, or you care about this cause, please consider donating toward my fundraising goal. You can make a donation by sending a check made out to the Lance Armstrong Foundation to Adam Angel PO Box 1270, Morton, WA. 98356, or you can donate online at http://portland07.livestrong.org/adamangel.

Thank you in advance for your support. Together, we can make a difference.

Sincerely,
Adam

Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support Lance Armstrong Foundation

Adam Angel

IMG Tibet Trek 2007 Trip Report

2007-06-05T15:24:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you take nine folks over sixty years old and four youngins (under sixty) to over 21,000 feet in the Himalayas? You get an email from one of them after the trip recommending that we,

“might explore placing an ad in one or another senior publication as seniors have the time and many have the resources to afford this kind of trip and our group certainly proves that it can be done safely, if probably more slowly than if there were more thirty somethings and fewer geezers.”

I must admit that I really got a kick out of this as I sat in my comfortable chair in my comfortable office sipping a freshly brewed Americano and reading my emails several weeks after recuperating from the trip. As we were reminded of several times, Tibet is the Wild Wild West of the East, but it is also a gem. Traveling in Tibet is hard, rewarding, frustrating, pleasant, colorful and intriguing. It’s heights circean. The people are the soul of the landscape, and it is refreshing to say that in the way that they will never know what it is like to be us, that the same is true of us of them.

Beijing, China:
We begin our trip in Beijing, the future home of the 2008 Olympics. The air is a bit cleaner this year as they try to prepare for the athletes. They still have a long way to go in this regard, but when they are serious about something they really seem to go for it. We made our usual visits to Tienamin Square, the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall, and I am reminded of what a great place this is to start our journey through China. Understanding Beijing a little bit preps your mind for the socioeconomic situations that you encounter in Tibet’s cities. Our visit here is short and sweet, and we are all eager to begin our journey to Lhasa tomorrow. We lay our jet lagged bodies in bed early in preparation for our early flight tomorrow morning, only to wake up at 3 AM and lay sleepless in our beds until it’s time for breakfast.

Lhasa, Tibet:
Walking up the jet way I turn to the person behind me who is trying to mask how short of breath they are on this seemingly benign walk through a normal looking modern airport. I must admit that I am sucking wind too. They look back at me with a look that says, “I am out of breath but there is no way in hell that I am going to be the first to admit this to my guide.” After we retrieve our bags, we are met by Big Dawa, our local guide, friend, and super good guy. Dawa was born in Lhasa in a small home in the shadow of the Potala Palace. (The homes are no longer there as they have been replaced by the Chinese with a monument.) Dawa is the guy who makes it all happen for us our entire time in Tibet, and is an authority on Tibetan history and religion. He is at our side all of the time except for when we are trekking or are above base camp. Even then he is in communication and ready with a jeep to help us out if need be.

Lhasa is a visual cornucopia. The markets, the Barkhor, the Palace, the people, the Jokhang Temple, just aim your camera and shoot. Like taking pictures on Safari, it is like shooting fish in a barrel. The colors, textures, and subjects are as good as it gets in this regard, and this is one of the reasons that I return. It does not disappoint.

The jeeps:
Well, they are not really jeeps, they are Toyota Landcruisers, and they are our home for a few days on our way to Tingri. Our overland journey will take us through Gyantse to the Pelkor Chode Monastery and the exquisite Kumbum Chorten, to Shigatse and the Tashilhunpo Monastery, on to our first trekking camp in the outskirts of Tingri. This leg of our journey allows us to acclimatize, relax, take lots of pictures, and see how the other half lives so to speak. Even though the road is now mostly paved, it is still a wild landscape and the road is beginning to pothole already. I think in a few years when the potholes will be large enough to swallow jeeps, we will be wondering if this is better than dirt roads.

Tingri:
Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh.............
Finally, we are out of the jeeps and ready to walk. As we drive into camp we are met by Dendi. Dendi is also a regular on these trips and a welcome sight. Dendi is the head honcho and will be with us all the way to ABC. He and his entire crew, have driven over from Katmandu with our gear and provisions. He makes the logistics, sherpas, cooks, and yak drivers tick like a swiss watch..........most of the time. There are a lot of variables in this neck of the woods and Dendi is a great improviser. He gets the job done, and everybody likes him at the same time. That’s why he gets paid the big bucks. After a couple of nights at our Tingri camp and a 4 hour acclimatization hike we begin our journey towards Everest. Today the scale of Tibet sinks in. We can see our destination from our Tingri camp, but it takes ALL day to get there. It is good to finally be walking.

Rongbuk:
We get our first grand view of Everest’s impressive North Face from our camp at the Rongbuk Monastery. It is the kind of place and time where, most of the group just stands there looking for long periods of time at the mountain. Watching the light change on the mountain as the evening matures, I usually take about 100 photos this evening. All the same photo, just different light on the mountain. This is the moment that many of us are reminded why we are here, not just to work hard on the trail, but to experience something bigger than us.

Everest Base Camp:
It is very cool to arrive at base camp having walked there, rather than arriving in a jeep fresh from the hotel. It just feels good. By now the joy of just getting here is starting to become familiar and our minds start focusing on the hard days ahead getting to ABC. Some people wonder how they will do, others wonder how the others will do, and some are still just trying to get rid of that nagging headache. Three nights at Base Camp should give us all a chance to catch up with ourselves and get a fresh start as we begin our journey to the highest place on the planet that you can go without climbing.

Camp 1:
Well rested and antsy to get moving again we begin our journey up the moraine to camp 1. Our cozy base camp has to be broken down and the yaks loaded for the first time. This is no small task for our sherpa and yak driver team. Figuring out the loads and making it to camp takes a couple hours longer that it takes us. This allows us to take a nice slow pace and take long breaks to soak in the view. We get fantastic views of Pumori and the other peaks surrounding Everest, until the clouds come in. We arrived in camp an hour before the yaks and in the snow. Bundling up we wait for them to arrive. When they arrive, the sherpa team is quick to set up the mess tent and serve us hot drinks and snacks while they continue to set up our sleeping tents. We are tired, but these guys work so hard to keep us happy and healthy. We will spend two nights here to get ready for our huge move to camp II.

The trail to Camp II:
The “Serac Highway” has to be seen to be believed. The combination of gravity, cold temperatures, wind and sublimation have shaped the ablation zone of the East Rongbuk glacier into Nieve Penitentes on steroids. This is a very long day with varied terrain up to Camp II at 20,000’. For a large part on the day, we travel on a medial moraine up through the seracs with views of Everest’s summit and ultimately our camp at the top of the moraine amongst these giants.
The weather is good and our team is in as good a shape as we can expect, so we plan to go to ABC tomorrow morning.

ABC:
When we awake the next morning the weather is fantastic. Sun, gentle breezes, and a killer view await us and the group is quick to get going this morning. (So fast in fact that one climber went for several hours with a pair of sunglasses in their boot!!!) We had perfect weather all the way to ABC and our Sherpa team took excellent care of us. All fourteen of us made it and were graced with a spectacular view of a recently snow dusted Mt. Everest. Tired as we were, the view that day of the mountain and the looks on our faces will remain in my mind.
On the way down it began to snow and some of us towards the back had quite a good little snow storm to descend in. In varying degrees of exhaustion, we trickled back into camp to be nursed back by our still attentive sherpa team. It was a great day and all down hill from here so to speak.

Return to BC:
We returned to Base Camp to celebrate our success and had one big final meal together as a group. Several folks would be departing for Khatmandu tomorrow morning and the sherpa team made us a chocolate cake to celebrate with. (We also had a case of Lhasa Beer to help.) The rest of us would retrace our steps over the next few days back to Lhasa, where we would take the new train back to Beijing. Good Job Team.
Finale:
Congratulations to the Team!
Don Ross
Jay Causey
Jay Halfon
Scott Skinner
Monica Rimai
Nicole Areson
Robert Shapiro
Chris Shapiro
Tom Novick
Dick Taggart
Peggy Taggart
Sam Nay
Steve Atlas
and me................

Adam Angel
IMG Guide.

New Limited Edition Collection on the way.

2007-03-25T13:02:00.000-07:00

Almost a year has past since I travelled to Tibet, and with another departure so close I am finally feeling the excitement. Simple put, Tibet is a stunning place. The sights, smells and experiences are old, organic and real. Tibet's open spaces lend themselves to extrospection and thoughts about how we as individuals fit into this universe. It is no wonder that Tibet is a magnet for spiritual pilgrims from all over the world. Here I get to blend all of my loves turned hobby turned jobs together. Trekking and climbing with wonderful people, exploring new cultures, and photography. This year I am very excited to offer a new Limited Edition Portfolio. Because Adam Angel Photography is a very small boutique operation, my limited edition prints have always been limited to 5, period. This protects you the art lover and investor, and rewards you for having interest in my artistic vision in these early years. This year I will be adding an all inclusive portfolio. As usual, each of my ten best photos will be available in a limited edition of 5 in one size only (20" x 30" for Tibet 2007). However, I will also create 5 limited edition portfolios containing the whole series of 10. The images will be smaller than the regular LE size.

Each portfolio series will be printed on 100% cotton 13" x 19" Museo Silver Rag™ paper with an Epson 7800 Ultrachrome K3 Inkjet Printer.
Each image will be numbered, signed, and given the same meticulous care that the larger prints receive.
The images will be presented in an archival anodized brushed aluminum storage and presentation case.
All prints will be interleaved with appropriate heavy duty tissue papers.
Each case will include two sets of white cotton gloves for handling the prints.
As usual, shipping is on the house via Overnight Express Mail.

I will return from Tibet at the end of April and expect to have the series ready by the end of July. This portfolio will be priced at US $995.

Vitality Vs. Vanity, "Advice for the common man."

2007-02-27T12:13:00.000-08:00

During the short and cold days of winter, it can be hard to prepare adequately for long journeys to remote and inhospitable locations. All of life’s usual demands are still lining up in the morning for your immediate attention, but you are tasked with putting something extra in the bank. Energy, that you can cash out on your journey when the stresses of travel catch up with you. You have to get in shape, but by shape I don’t mean just physical fitness. In order to thrive well for long periods of time on strange foods, water sources, sleeping situations, and different physical stresses ranging from sitting on an airplane for 24 hours to carrying a backpack in the snow at 21,000’, you need to build up your constitution. So, to the 13 of you that will be traveling to Tibet this April with me (International Mountain Guides), this is the time to do just that.

By now you have all been training at the gym, on the trails, at pilates, etc. You have done your homework and it has paid off. You are in great shape and feeling VERY excited about your impending trip to Tibet and the highest place on earth. Your task now is to change modes in your training. If you hit the gym or the office too hard right now, you risk starting this trip over-trained and over-stressed. Integrative Medicine Guru Dr. Andrew Weil has coined a phrase that has changed the way I see fitness. His philosophy is “Exercise for Vitality, not Vanity.” A month before any long trip, be it physically stressful or not, I take this to heart. When I go on a run, I run with the goal of coming home feeling better than I did before the run. I am not trying to improve my time, or lengthen my run. My goals are to get the blood moving healthily, clear the mind, and to not risk injury. Interestingly, it is often during this time that I end up having some of my most inspiring runs. Even if I have not met my previous training goals, “Exercise for Vitality” trumps all else with trip departure so close. Simply stated, build your constitution, and don’t risk overtaxing and depleting your body while trying to reach a training goal. In addition, I make sure to get as much sleep as my body needs and to eat well. We heal physically, mentally, and emotionally when we get adequate sleep and eat wholesome foods. They are an integral part of building vitality.

New Website Posted

2007-02-13T14:21:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new website for Adam Angel Photography at www.AdamAngel.com.

The new website features a dramatically enhanced viewing experience, an easy to use shopping cart, and an up-to-date news blog with current information about photo projects and expeditions. The new "Client Access" area is very straight forward and a pleasure to use.

All old client access areas have been terminated and will only be restored upon request.

New Web Site On The Way.

2007-02-01T16:24:00.000-08:00

The new year is underway, the snow has been flying, and we have been busy here in the Northwest. The huge snowfall and good weather has enabled many good days of skiing and for those of you who know Asia (my 21 month old daughter), a new skier has been born. She is amazing as the youngest kid at White Pass.

Thank you to everyone who worked with the studio this past year. You helped make 2006 our best year yet. It was a pleasure to work with each and every one of you. For those of you that traveled to Tibet and Tanzania with me please stay in touch until we meet again. Those that I met in Savannah and Mendocino, you were a real inspiration. Some more than you know.

We've been working hard this month to get our new web site up. (Thank you Jan for giving me a kick in the pants!) I anticipate that we will go live with it sometime early next week. It will offer easier navigation, enhanced presentation, and a much easier to operate client access area and shopping cart. I have also added many great features to our BLOG. You can find up-to-date information about events at the studio and plans for travel with International Mountain Guides. Feel free to explore.