Double Rainbow at Eagle’s Point Buttress
A brilliant double rainbow breaks over the Red River Gorge from Eagle’s Point Buttress after a heavy summer storm, spanning the landscape as the storm clears.
Photograph © Ryan D. Lewis. All rights reserved.
The story behind the photograph
On July 19, 2025, Ryan camped near Eagle’s Point Buttress while testing gear for a Sheltowee Trace thru-hike he was already preparing to undertake. The evening was extremely hot and rainy. After a heavy rain, he kept a campfire going and watched a group of hikers descend the mountain as the weather cleared quickly. He called home to say goodnight to his daughter Lilianna and was speaking with his partner Charlee as he walked onto the lower overlook. A brilliant double rainbow appeared over the clearing landscape, and Charlee urged him to get off the phone and photograph it. The resulting panorama became his signature image. Ryan experienced the rainbow not as a call to begin the Sheltowee Trace, but as a deeply personal assurance that he would be able to complete the journey he had already chosen and was preparing for. He later completed the thru-hike.
- Photographed
- July 19, 2025
- Location
- Clifty Wilderness, Red River Gorge, Kentucky