Personal - Family trip to Rainier National Park

This particular trip was something I had been looking forward to for a while. My wife and I had set aside the time months and months in advance, and I was so excited to take her and my youngest son to Rainier for the first time. As we got closer and closer to the date, however, the weather started to look more and more sketchy - and sketchy it was. The day we arrived it was pouring rain. So we setup our tent (From DOD Outdoors) in the rain, then got all our bedding setup inside. It was about 37 degrees - in August.

Personal - Hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail and Rainier

it doesn’t take too long when looking at my personal blogs to realize that I love being outdoors and hiking. Every summer I try and find a time where I can get out and get some nature time. I love doing it with my family a lot, but I also really enjoy doing it with friends. In this case, I had the chance to go hiking with my friend Zach Nichols, who is also a very talented photographer. Any of the photos of me, for example, were taken by him. This particular trip didn’t go quite the way we planned, with a couple of changes as we drove to the trail head, but man, what a beautiful trip. The Pacific Crest Trail is one of the worlds best, going from Mexico all the way up to the Canadian border, and while we only spent a single day on the trail, we ran into some people that had spent over 150 days hiking the trail. Very cool.

Personal: Trip To Mt. Rainier National Park With My Oldest Son

When I was a kid, my father took me on a camping trip - just him and I - when I turned 11. He did that with me and all of my brothers. So of course, as my oldest son (Isaiah) got closer and closer to that age, I was talking with my wife about this particular trip. Setting aside photographing weddings and engagements for a bit, and just spending a couple of quality days with him I felt was well worth it. I wanted it to be special, just some great times with both him and I. Consider how great of a time I had at Rainier National Park last time I went, it was one of my top choices for taking Isaiah. We ended up getting a great spot at Cougar Rock Campground inside the park, just 20 minutes from Paradise.

Personal: Mt. Rainier National Park

Earlier this year I had a wedding on the western side of the state of Washington, and I took that opportunity to head out that way a little early to hike with my friend and fellow photographer Zach Nichols. He’s not only a talented wedding photographer but also a great landscape one (really you should check out his instagram page - especially if you like mood Pacific Northwest photos) Anyway, while there I had the chance to do some hikes alone, but also with him. I’m super pumped to be able to share some of my favorite photos from that trip.

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Brent Looyenga is a Spokane wedding photographer based IN SPOKANE WASHINGTON and Coeur d’Alene Idaho area. He loves people and specializes in wedding, engagement, family and senior photography. You can like Looyenga Photography on Facebook or follow them on Instagram.