A Mount Rainier Sunrise Engagement Session | Noble Knob Trail, Washington

Mar 19

Some sessions require a little more commitment than others. This one required an alarm set before the sun had any business being up, a trail, a pair of heels stuffed into a hiking pack, and a very good dog.

Nichole and Ash were absolutely worth every bit of it.

The plan was simple and a little ambitious — hike Noble Knob in the Mount Rainier area before sunrise, get to the top while the light was still doing something magical, and make some photographs that looked like exactly where we were. Noble Knob sits in the William O. Douglas Wilderness east of Mount Rainier and delivers one of the most stunning panoramic views in the entire state of Washington — open meadows, wildflowers, and Mount Rainier filling the sky in a way that genuinely stops you mid-step every time.

We made it to the top just as the light started to break. Worth it. Completely, entirely worth it.

Nichole had done the hike in her hiking boots — the only sensible choice — and somewhere near the summit she swapped them out for heels. The kind of small, committed detail that makes a session feel like it was thought through with real intention, and the kind of thing that photographs beautifully against a mountain backdrop at golden hour. Practical to the trailhead, a little magic at the top.

Nichole and Ash — thank you for getting up before the sun with me and hauling your heels up a mountain. It was one of my favorite mornings in a long time.

Location: Noble Knob Trail | Mount Rainier Area, Washington