The winter season finds Aaron Mulkey in the mountains surrounding Cody, Wyoming, on a unique quest. His sought-after treasure? Hidden waterfalls frozen in time, which he conquers using nothing more than ice axes, his agile body, sheer strength, and an unyielding spirit.
Documenting the journey of such a daring ice climbing explorer proved to be an exhilarating, albeit challenging, privilege. Wyoming's landscape, renowned as one of the premier ice climbing regions in the US, presented us with a stunning spectacle.
The waterfall Mulkey had chosen to scale was nestled on the sheer face of Pilot Peak, accessible only through a 40-minute snow-shoe trek from our vehicles. Our team of five hauled sledges laden with rope access kits, cameras, tripods, sound equipment, and a drone. Navigating through the knee-deep snow without a clear path was strenuous, especially with a sledge that had a knack for flipping over or getting entangled around trees. Despite the exertion, the breath-taking scenery and the eerie silence of the snow-covered fir trees made every moment worthwhile.
Upon reaching the cliff face, we were dwarfed by the towering 40ft waterfall. The sound of trickling water echoed around us, but the source was hidden behind a massive wall of ice frozen in time.
As Mulkey embarked on his climb, he kicked his legs to engage the front points of his crampons into the ice. Then, swinging his axe above his head, he sent showers of ice splinters cascading down. Almost effortlessly, he ascended the frozen waterfall, quipping that 'it’s all in the legs' as he disappeared up the icy vertical wall.
His anchor strikes varied, sometimes hitting a bleached white patch of ice that splintered and tumbled down, other times finding a perfect blue pocket that secured his climb. His climbing partner, Justin, managed the rope through a belay system on the ground, providing a safety net in case of a slip. Justin was also tasked with keeping Goose, Mulkey's enthusiastic Labrador, entertained.
To capture Mulkey's ascent, our rope-access specialist, Tim Fogg, rigged a separate rope system for our camera operator, Ted Giffords. The duo, along with their camera gear, used carabiners and pulley systems to position themselves parallel to Mulkey.
Finally, with our ropes cleared and our team tucked away amongst the trees, Doug Gardner controlled a drone to film Mulkey. The aerial perspective perfectly framed Mulkey against the vast wilderness – a solitary figure clinging to a chunk of ice tumbling down a cliff face, dwarfed by the colossal Rockies. It was an unforgettable experience, a far cry from my initial work on a film about the muddy Mississippi!
Learn more about such adventures here.