How do you imagine that you’d look after climbing to the top of Mount McKinley, the tallest peak in North America? How would you feel once you finally managed to make your way back to the base camp? Anchorage-based photographer Tim Remick, a climber himself, attempts to summarize the experience in a series of large-format, close-up portraits that he snapped mere moments after his subjects’ return from the top. The journey’s toll on their bodies is evidenced by their wind-chapped cheeks, blood-shot eyes, and sweaty brows — but there’s also a common thread of endurance that unites these images.
“I wanted to document that point where the human body goes past exhaustion, where people hit that wall and push beyond it,” Remick told MSNBC. “There were all sorts of responses based on the environment, the weather, whether their experience was positive or negative. It was all reflected in their faces.” Click through for a few of our favorite photos from the project, and head over to Remick’s website to check out the entire series, which is currently on view at the Anchorage Museum.
Photo credit: Tim Remick
Photo credit: Tim Remick
Photo credit: Tim Remick
Photo credit: Tim Remick
Photo credit: Tim Remick
Photo credit: Tim Remick
Photo credit: Tim Remick
Photo credit: Tim Remick
Photo credit: Tim Remick
Photo credit: Tim Remick