SUMMER DAYS ON ICE

Watching sunrise on Mount Logan, Kluane National Park, Yukon

In the calm pre-dawn hours of our second day, everyone woke and gathered together for the grandest of light shows. A hushed church-like reverence took hold of the group as the tip of Mount Logan turned a fiery pink. As we hopped from foot to foot to stay warm, rosy alpenglow descended the north face of Mount Logan and bathed surrounding peaks in warm light. An eager fellow who bounded around with excitement, Portmann had set up with his camera away from the group. Calmly walking back to us after the sunrise, he had a look of pure contentment on his face. "It's a kind of religious experience, you think?" he wondered aloud.