There’s something magical about starting a hike before sunrise. It’s not often that I can convince someone to hike in the dark with me, so I was absolutely thrilled that Benny, Rusty, and their person were all up for a wild adventure in the dark to watch the sunrise from one of my favorite mountains in Acadia National Park. We started our hike with headlamps, but the sky was slowing growing brighter as we made our way up the mountain. Benny and Rusty weren’t bothered by the darkness – they were excited to be on an adventure!

Benny and Rusty enjoyed reminding us all that small dogs can still be impressive hikers, and then we saw a sunrise from the summit that was absolute magic. The view was beautiful but Benny and Rusty are even more amazing!

Even more special to me were the kind words that I received from Benny and Rusty’s mom:

“I’ve been following @dogsonadventure photography on Instagram for awhile now. When I found out we would both be in Acadia National Park at the same time, I knew the stars were aligned. We had a 3:30am wake up time and met Blue in the trailhead parking lot. Headlamps guided our way up Gorham mountain to catch sunrise at the summit. Blue was so patient during this whole experience. She knew exactly how to handle Benny’s behavior. He went from wanting to take a chunk out of her ankle to sitting for her within 30 mins. Benny and Rusty were troopers hiking in the dark and good boys posing for their portraits. Rusty even managed to get his bud lambchop in a few pics. I’m so proud of them. This was a monumental moment for me because I was alone. No man friend or boyfriend to accompany me in the dark. Although I love doing things solo and find it empowering , I never ventured into mountains alone at nighttime. This experience not only left us memories but opened up a new path for the 3 of us to take on bold new adventures.”

This is exactly why I do what I do – not only to capture portraits of dogs, but to bring dogs and their people on amazing adventures and to help people find new places and new experiences with their dogs.

Are you and your dog up for an amazing adventure? Would you like to plan something unique and amazing for your dog’s portraits? Contact me, and let’s plan a wild adventure for your dog’s portraits. I know some amazing places throughout New England or you can sign up for the mailing list to be the first to hear about future travel plans.