Let the canyons seep into your soul. Allow the quiet, the mystery, the chaos to work its way deep into your being, making you calmer, gentler, sweeter.

–Tom Jones, Imlay Canyon Gear

I’ve just returned from a week-long trip to the greater Zion area in southwestern Utah, exploring a number of canyons.  Two of the canyons within the park itself involved some technical expertise, some large rappels, and for my part, a few butterflies in my stomach.  I was, however, able to carry my SLR body and a lens in a Pelican case and take some photos of this area of Zion National Park that few visitors get to see.

The first canyon we descended was Mystery Canyon, which feeds into Zion’s main canyon.  The beginning of the hike is the descent into the canyon itself.  I use the term ‘hike’ loosely–this is basically a controlled fall, with the hiker braking himself on tree branches, roots, etc, while trying to not kill himself.  This descent has affectionately been named the “Death Gully.”

Mystery Canyon, Zion National Park, June 2010

Once in the canyon, the walls closed down around us, leading us through several rappels, ranging from 30-120 feet in length.

Inside Mystery Canyon, June 2010

A canyoneer inside Mystery Canyon, Zion National Park, Utah

Mystery Canyon culminates with two large rappels; the first of which sends you into the icy waters of Mystery Springs, and the second one delivers you straight into the Narrows of the Virgin River, approximately 3/4 mile from the Temple of Sinawava.  Because of its close proximity to the trailhead, you usually have an audience for the final rappel–make sure you don’t do a face plant on the rock!

Because of the high flow through the Virgin River this year, the day we descended Mystery was also the first day the Narrows were open, meaning we were the first group through that canyon this year.  Because of that, we had a significant amount of deadfall to clear, making the going slow.  We left the canyon scratched, battered, and bleeding a little bit, but honestly, it is so exciting to see a beautiful canyon that fewer than 1% of the park’s visitors will ever see.

The next day, we descended Behunin Canyon, which can only be described as BIG.  I’ll share photos from that trip in the next blog post…

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Yesterday, I arrived in one of my favorite national parks: Zion.  Nothing screams summer to me quite like splashing through the pools and climbing on the sandstone in this wonderful national park.  I’m meeting some friends in hopes of descending a couple of technical slot canyons, and despite the ropes, harnesses and dry bags, I’m going to try to throw my SLR in as well.  I’m also hoping to take a day to hike up the Narrows of the Virgin River in hopes of getting some shots of the river, red rock walls, and green spring foliage.  However, that part of the plan may be cancelled…

Due to heavy snowfall in the high country all around the west this winter, all of our rivers and streams are flowing higher than normal; the Virgin River is no exception.  As of 6/9, the Virgin River in Zion is flowing at 190 cubic feet per second (cfs); the park service won’t even let people into the Narrows unless the flow is below 120 cfs.  However, the stream flow rate has been dropping steadily, and I’m confident I’ll be able to get into the Narrows.  Also, please don’t get me wrong; I’d much rather have to scrap a photo trip than have no water in the park.  The drought is far from over in the western US, but every little bit does help.

So, here’s to the Virgin River.  Have a fantastic weekend!

Virgin River, Zion National Park, January 2010

To see all of my images from Zion National Park, click here.

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Despite the fact its one of the more cliché and popular mountains in the Sierra, Mammoth Mountain is one of my favorites.  Why?  For starters, its a very tectonic hill.

Mammoth is a lava dome complex that is known primarily for the large ski area that bears the same name.  Mammoth Mountain was formed in a series of eruptions that ended 57,000 years ago. However, it still produces hazardous volcanic gases that kill trees and have caused ski patroller fatalities in 2006.

In addition to being very active geologically, Mammoth is also well known for its unusually high amount of snowfall–about 400″ annually.  In the summer, mountain bikers take over the mountain, with the Kamikaze downhill run being very popular.

Mammoth Mountain at dawn, May 2010

To see all of my photographs from the Sierra Nevada, click here.

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June’s photo of the month comes from one of my favorite summer places–Mono Lake.  Located at the base of the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains, Mono Lake is one of the few remnants of Ice Age lakes in the West that is still a year-round lake. The lake has persisted for more than 730,000 years, but faces an uncertain future from both natural and man-made causes. The lake is very alkaline and since 1941, has become moreso, due to the diversion of freshwater springs into the Los Angeles aqueduct. By 1982, the lake’s level had dropped 45 feet, exposing something that makes Mono unique: curious brown structures called tufa towers. Tufa towers are deposits of calcium carbonate (due to calcium present in underwater freshwater springs, and carbonate in the lake water).

Over Memorial Day weekend, we visited the eastern Sierra on a family camping trip, and I was able to sneak out to make this image Sunday night.  I haven’t done many star field shots, but this one really captures the essence of the lake for me.  A few months ago, I blogged on just how popular the lake has become with photographers.  True to form, when I arrived to set up this shot on Sunday night, there were at least 40 photographers present at South Tufa, and I got some funny looks as I started setting up while everyone else was leaving.  Soon, I had the entire place to myself, and I could contemplate the cosmos while darkness overtook the landscape.

This is one of my favorite images from the night.

The Ghost Ship, Mono Lake, May 2010

Click here to see more of my Mono Lake photos.

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A friend of mine told me about a small patch of Mariposa lilies that are currently blooming in the local foothills.  Mariposa lilies are fairly widespread throughout western North America, and can be white, yellow, purple, bluish, or streaked.  Regardless of the species, they are magnificent little flowers.  In our “local” patch, there are two species blooming, Palmer’s Mariposa lily (Calochortus palmerii), and the desert Mariposa lily (C. kennedyi).  Over the last few days, we’ve visited this patch a couple of times, hoping to find non-windy conditions; despite the spring gusts in southern California’s high desert, I managed to get some decent shots.  Hope you enjoy them!

Palmer's Mariposa Lily (C. palmerii)

Desert Mariposa Lily (C. kennedyi)

To see all of my Mariposa lily images, visit my new Mariposa lily page here.

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Last Friday, after stopping at the Antelope Valley to photograph poppies, I drove down the 14 freeway to Vasquez Rocks County Park near Santa Clarita.  I’ve always wanted to visit this park, but its always been slightly out of my way.  I’m glad I stopped.

Vasquez Rocks was set aside, in part, because of its unique geology; the rocks were uplifted as a result of activity in the Elkhorn Fault (an offshoot of the San Andreas fault), and with time the erosion of sand away from the sandstone left rocks that jut out of the ground at very picturesque angles.  The sandstone has a variety of mineral deposits, giving it unique colors.  In addition, I found a rich lichen diversity, and enjoyed taking detailed shots of it.

Several examples of the lichen present at Vasquez Rocks

In addition, Vasquez Rocks’ proximity to Los Angeles has made it a popular filming location for several movies and TV shows, including Star Trek, Zorro, and MacGyver.  Because I visited in midday, I wanted to focus primarily on intimate compositions (like the lichen above) or contrasty black and white shots; fortunately the clouds were on my side in providing an interesting sky.

Otherworldly

In addition to the great scenery, the upside of stopping here is that the rocks didn’t move in the wind!

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Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Channel Islands National Park, located off the southern California coast.  The park consists of five islands–Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, San Miguel, and Santa Rosa–each one with a different ecology and endemic species.  For my first trip out there, I chose to visit Anacapa Island, as it is the most accessible from the mainland, and it has a very unique ecology from the other islands (its geologic origins are different from the other islands too).

Coreopsis blooms on Anacapa Island, April 2010

We almost didn’t arrive on the island, as landing is difficult on Anacapa, and the presence of a large swell almost prevented them from dropping us off.  Luckily, the ocean smoothed out by the time we arrived in the landing cove, so we were able to get off and walk up all 153 stairs to the island.  As I had hoped, the Coreopsis, or tree sunflower, blooms were going strong (the only place you find these flowers is on Anacapa Island and a small patch of land on the mainland).  However, joining us in our relative solitude were ~50,000 nesting Western Gulls.  Have you ever shared a small space with that many gulls?  If you haven’t, its…ummm…noisy.  :-)

Western Gulls on Anacapa, April 2010

With only 1.5 miles of hiking trails, Anacapa is an easy island to scope out for potential photo compositions.  I spent the afternoon looking for intimate compositions on the island before the sun went down.  With gulls everywhere, it was only natural to include them in my shots.

About 1 hour before sunset, the wind started blowing.  While not bad at first, by the time we walked to Inspiration Point for sunset, it was a full-blown gale.  With wind gusts at nearly 50 miles per hour, how do you keep your tripod in place?  Make a friend anchor it, of course!

How to anchor a tripod in the wind

By the time the sun went down, and we arrived back at camp, the wind was blowing significantly harder: I’d guess it was sustained around 45-50 miles per hour, and gusts were nearly 65 mph (it bent and broke some of our tent poles).  We used guy lines to better secure our tents and went to bed.  It is difficult to sleep when your tent is continually hitting you in the face and chest.  After a few sleepless hours, I got up to a beautiful, windless sunrise over the Pacific.

Anacapa morning, April 2010

The photo above shows the water house and the light house on Anacapa (along with a whole bunch of our “friends”).

After packing up and hauling our gear down to the dock, it was time to head home.  Despite the smell and constant sound of the nesting gulls, and the hurricane-force winds, it was a very rewarding visit to Anacapa Island, and I look forward to visiting the rest of the Channel Islands in the near future.

To see all my photos from Anacapa Island, click here.

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A few posts ago, I threatened to share more of my agave images from my winter project.  Here it is half a month later and I haven’t had a chance to post more (I gotta shake this day job!), so I decided to share another agave, Agave attenuata, for my April photo of the month.

Agave attenuata, January 2010

This image was processed similarly to the ones I shared previously.  In this one, I like the way the edges of the leaves are almost highlighted from the backlit conditions; a small amount of fill flash with a diffuser filled in the shadows.

Hope you’re enjoying spring!

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For the last week, my parents have been in town visiting.  I was able to sneak away from work on Friday and take a three-day weekend, so we decided to go to the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park.  Driving down there, our two-year-old repeated “Amnal Pak” about 500 times, so we knew it was a good way to spend the day.  At the park, all of the usual suspects were out, and I got some interesting abstract shots of a few different animals.  My real hope, however would be that the Epiphyllums in the botanic garden would be be in bloom, but we were a little too early (save for one flower, below).  Such is life; their annual butterfly exhibit opened on Saturday, so it gives me an excuse to go back!

Desert Bighorn Sheep, March 2010

The lone blooming Epiphyllum, March 2010

On Saturday, our local airport hosted an air show, and in the afternoon several F-18 Hornets flew over our house; I was able to catch one as it made a low pass.

F-18 Hornet in flight

On the way to San Diego, I had a chance to look for more wildflowers, and as others have reported, it doesn’t look like much is happening this year.  There are a few small patches of poppies and other flowers here and there, but for the most part, things simply didn’t happen this year.  My wife and I went for a hike locally Sunday morning, and we noted that things are definitely past peak, even with the grass.

This week is my spring break, so I’m planning on getting caught up on my blog posts, as well as taking a couple of short trips–one to Joshua Tree National Park, and one to Channel Islands National Park–I’m excited to share some new images on here!

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After our poor weather at Badwater on Saturday morning, we recovered, and headed to the extreme southeast corner of Death Valley to visit Ibex Dunes.  I’ve wanted to visit Ibex for nearly a year, and was happy to get the chance to make it down there.  I like Ibex for several reasons: it is secluded so solitude is nearly a guarantee, the dunes are taller than those at Stovepipe Wells, so they give some alternative choices for composition, and they are on the way home, so stopping there to camp makes the drive home a little shorter.

As I said in my last post, bad weather can either make for stubborn or amazing light.   The latter was definitely the case on our visit to Ibex.  When we arrived, the sun was behind a thick cloud bank, and I was afraid that would be telling of our entire visit.  However, in the final 15 minutes before sunset, the sun peeked out and lit the dunes and the mountains behind them brilliantly.  The warm tones of the earth contrasted amazingly well with the stormy skies, thus making it one of the best sunset shoots I’ve had in quite some time…possibly ever.  However, the light only lasted about 15 minutes, and we made the 1 mile walk back to the car.

Ibex Dunes and the Saddle Peak Hills, Death Valley National Park, February 2010

The great thing about Death Valley is that you never know what the day has in store for you!

"Self Portrait", Death Valley National Park, February 2010

To see all of my Death Valley photos, click here.

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