Twerk (Tommy Corey)
Story and Photos by Tommy “Twerk” Corey
As I look over the jagged Washington mountains, I’m trying to find something profound to say about this photo project that, to be honest, started as a joke.
Hiker Trash Vogue is an editorial style photo project featuring portraits of long-distance hikers pretending to be high-fashion models. The twist? Everyone is actually dirt-covered and unshowered.
I was in Wrightwood (Mile 369) taking a zero day in a house with eight other hikers. I suggested that we all grab a piece of gear and have a hiker photo shoot. There were fuel cans, sleeping bags, trekking poles and water filters. Everyone took their turn being dramatic for their individual photo. I posted the thread to Instagram, and what happened next shaped my hike into something I never expected.
Before I knew it, I would be in the middle of a climb, a dense forest or crossing a river and a random hiker would stop me to ask if I was the “Hiker Trash Vogue” guy. Beyond recognition, people have taken the time to tell me what HTV has meant to them, and how they interpret the project itself. Many have said that it captures the true nature of the trail — the people. This has been a photographer’s dream come true because I feel like people (especially hikers) are feeling the spirit of my work.
The most rewarding part of this whole experience has been hearing hikers say “You made me feel beautiful,” which is something I didn’t know I could accomplish for people who haven’t showered in weeks. While the first few sets of HTV were facetious, it’s come to teach me something extremely valuable: The views make the trail intriguing, but it’s the people who make this experience so damn beautiful.
Mule and Olaf.
Redback.
Pony (Rachel Coffey).
Salty (Matt Robbins) and Potter (Paige Stockman).
Meech (Mitch Ryland) and Hooch (Charles Shugrue).
Liz and Zane.
Guumy (Ian Sherrow).
Guumy (Ian Sherrow) and Hiker Box (Connor Hoffman).
From left: Blue (Alex Lowing), Game of Thrones, Vice (Sarah Wallace) and Radio (Rob Ford).
Dang & Big Spoon.
Coho (Hope Spargo).
From left: Thor, Happy, Machine, Drippy, Pickle, Snocket and Ritz and Meth Head.
Blue (Alex Lowing).
Nick and Tiahnna.
From left: Blue (Alex Lowing), Grateful Dad (Bob Patterson – trail angel) and Snocket (Nicole Gatlin).
From left: J-Man (Nick Johnson), Sam Martin, Neo (James Fell), Heaps (Ayesha Cording) and McGuyver (Katie O’Brien).
Snocket, Matt Corbett and Roo (Sarah Spurgeon).
From left: Pickle (Dylan Tonkin), Ritz (Tyler Gatlin), Easy Company, Blue (Alex Lowing) and Snocket (Nicole Gatlin).
Mowgli (Christian Duran) and Huck (Brandon Holmes).
Twerk (Tommy Corey).