Photographer Ian Tuttle was driving when he saw three backpackers resting under a tree near the Pacific Crest Trail in California.
He pulled over. Did they need water or a ride somewhere? Maybe a beer? Just the beer, the hikers told him. And so Tuttle ended up spending the next hour with them, talking over beers and taking their photos.
As Tuttle resumed his drive, he had a lingering thought: “How amazing it would be to meet more of these hikers.” He understood the allure of the arduous trail; he himself had once taken a long journey by bike across the country — an experience he calls “indelible.”