Bill Hatcher Photography

Mountain Biking across Alaska circa 1996

 

These are images are from a National Geographic magazine story I shot in 1996. My mission was to document three adventurers Roman Dial, Paul Adkins and Carl Tobin as they mountain biked the length of the Alaskan Range. They started at the Canadian border and rode 775 miles to Lake Clark in Western Alaska. The trip took them 7 weeks. I joined them on four segments of the trip. I photographed the start as well as the last week of the trip plus I joined them during the major mountain and glacier crossing sections of the trip. I utilized Alaska bush planes to rejoin the group.

The biggest challenge was actually riding and shooting. I would alternate riding in front, to the side or if I wanted to capture the landscape they were riding into I would hold back as they rode into the scene. Probably the most anxious moments on the shoot were the glacier crossings. Falling into a crevasses when riding across snow covered glaciers was a deadly hazard. In the photo below Paul has just stepped into small crevasse. He is tied to the other cyclist as well as to me. Notice how the rope is tight on Paul, If he plummets further a tight rope will keep us from being jerked off our feet. If he does fall into the abyss and our light 7 mm rope does not snap when shock loaded we will try to arrest his fall and then haul him back to the surface. On the trip I fell into two crevasses and I only needed to be pulled out of one crevasse. Romans advice was I should step more softly.

Another danger were the numerous river crossings. It's bad enough to fall during a river crossing and to be swept down river. This did happen to me once, but because the water is glacier melt and the air temp is in the 40's hyperthermia is going to set in fast. When I lost my footing on one river crossing. I heard Roman yell for me to hold onto my bike. If I lost a grip on on the bike it would be lost in the rapids. As soon as I made it to shore a bonfire was lighted and I was warmed up. During that particular swim I drown my Nikon f4 camera and the 24 mm f2.8 lens. I was left with one more camera body, my back-up body, and two lenses a 70-150 zoom and a 16-35 zoom. I didn't swim anymore rivers so the single body lasted until we reach our next supply 5 days later.

  What is amazing about this trip is it was my first trip to Alaska. The landscapes I passed through probably see a a handful of visitors a year if even that. The trip pressed all my buttons. The vast landscapes, the adventure and to roll through this country on a bike was truly extraordinary. 

 

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I have to hand it to these three adventurers they lead me with their extensive wilderness knowledge and strength safely through one of the most dangerous wilderness regions in North America. We had mishaps, Paul previously frost bitten feet were made worse by having constantly cold wet feet. The condition made it difficult for his to walk during the last few days of the trip. I lost nearly 15 pounds of body weight as I couldn't get enough calories with the freeze dried food and energy bars ration. Roman and Carl suggested I bring more snickers bars next trip.

It was also on this trip that I learned a lot about light weight packing, packrafts for crossing rivers and the importance of good organized logistics to keep everyone healthy and to insure a successful expedition. You go out into this country unprepared and inexperience you will suffer the consequences. Despite all of the hardship and the many long climbs with the bike on our back we did get in miles and miles of great mountain biking. What I didn't realize at the time was this thing we were doing, Roman called it "hell biking" was to become a popular world wide adventure activity. In 2018 it's got a catchier name, bikepacking and there are gear manufactures who sell to the growing number of people who chose to travel this way. I can say that this trip was maybe my second or third hell bike trip and 

 

today, 22 years after this trip I am still bike packing. Today my bike is a full suspension carbon fiber and I have a slew of specialty light weight gear to stash my goods for long over-night bike adventures,  but that's simple progress. What I really enjoy is with the passing years I have never lost the will to get out there and suffer to see beautiful new country.

 

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Recent Works in the Summer of 2015

Summer is winding down and my photo shoots have been as diverse as always. This is a selection from some some of those shoots, as well as recent published materials. Looking at the photos reminds me that the best part of the work is visiting new places.

 

Outdoor Photographer                                                     Science

 

Arizona Highways 

 

 

Sonoran Institute

 

 

Bob Brown Foundation

This is an on going pro bono support for this group's forest campaign in Australia, a place I have spent many months on magazine assignments.

 

 

 

 

 

Possum on a Wire

Possums might be a common thing in Australia, but like so much of the wildlife I've seen on my travels around the country I find them to be a strange and delightful sight. On a walk last night I saw a couple running on a power line. I ran home to get my camera and the little guys were still up there when I got back.

On a technical aside I would never have thought of making this photo in the film days.For this I used a Nikon D3s ISO 10,000 1/20 sec f 2.8, the lens was a 70-200 VRII shot at 92mm handheld. The focus is set for the nearrest possum. The possum are illuminated by a sodium vapour street light. The clouds are illuminated by a bright moon.

Sea Kayaking on the Shoalhaven River, NSW Australia

This weekend Melanie and I had two free days and the weather called for rain. We decided the best avenue for exploration was to see some new country from our sea kayaks.  Melanie and I headed south from Sydney 2 hours to paddle the Shoalhaven River Gorge in Morton  National Park.

Paddling a kayak on the quiet reservoir waters of Lake Yarrunga past stands of dead trees is not normally my idea of high adventure, but we have wanted to check this place out since last year when we paddled the Kangaroo river, the major tributary to the Shoalhaven. This was an overnight trip, but it took only a

On Assignment: A look inside My Mountain Biking Photo Bag

I am packing now for a job next week in Western Australia. I am excited about this trip because it will be my first time in that country. Deciding what photo gear to bring for this shoot is tricky because the assignment includes a week of pedaling 400 km off pavement on trails with no support vehicle. Will I ever I do a photo assignment that was actually easy? The big challenge on this assignment is I will have to carry all my own gear. My solution is

Arapiles: Favorite Rock Pile

The best trad rock climbing in the world has to be in Arapiles, Australia. I am just back from my second visit to "Raps" where I spent a week climbing the easy grades. It's the rock quality and natural lines that make Arapiles so exceptional.  From the distance Arapiles doesn't look like much more than a pile of slag, But up close, I mean really up close, you'll find nearly every square millimeter of this pile to be beautiful, at least to the eyes of a rock climber. This time around I spent the non-climbing moments in the  morning and evenings wandering around the place, exploring the crags and photographing good looking rock. Yep, I was wishing I could climb grade 25 (5.12) so I could power-up up some of Arapilies finer climbing lines. Maybe on my next visit.

A bird pauses under the north face of Death Row Pinnacle

Mesa Arch Canyonlands

I am working on a story about adventuring in Canyonlands. I was looking for an opening spead shot that kind of says it all about this amazing park. I didn't need to look further than Mesa Arch at sunrise. I got there before the photo crowds and despite the evening rain the morning was clear and sunny. You gotta like that.

Window to the world

I have heard that the eye is the window to the world, but I know it's often a camera that enables those sights to be shared. One of the things I enjoy most as a photographer is being witness to some incredible places. 

Storm building in the Trango Towers, Northern Pakistan

After the high water on the lower Franklin River, Tasmania, Australia.

The wind in the Eastern Sierra Mountains, California.

Rocky Mountains, British Columbia, Canada.                            South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Arizona.

The Headwall West Buttress, Denali, Alaska

The Maze, Canyonlands, Utah

West Coast, South Island, New Zealand.

Granite boulders of Catavina, Mexico.

Rain storm in the New Zealand Alps.

 

New Photography Column: Australia Geographic Outdoor Magazine

My first photo column for Australia Geographic Outdoor is in the winter July/August 2011 issue of magazine. This will be a regular column that focuses on photography in the outdoors. I look forward to sharing more photo adventures and techniques in the upcoming issues of Outdoor. 

 

 

Photo of the week: Murrumbidgee River

Sea kayaking upstream on the Murrimbigee River past a big red gum tree lining the bank near Gundagai, New South Wales. In places the strong river currents would grab the bow of the boat. Going upstream was a practice of eddy hopping to avoid fighting the strong currents in the main stream. Paddling down stream was much easier, you just needed to watchful and not wrap the boat on submerged logs. Photo was made using my Nikon D-3s with the 24-70 2.8 at 24 mm.