Joined: 19 Oct 2007 Posts: 939 | TRs | Pics Location: The Best Place on Earth
Mon Apr 09, 2007 8:14 pm Karen˛ - Girls Gone Wild - SW Utah - Part II
David has named my Utah/Arizona photo folder Girls Gone Wild so I will credit him with this trip report title. However he of all people should know better than to think his geek of a wife had "gone wild".
After our first day hiking the Subway in Zion National Park, our next order of business was to obtain permits for the "Wave" (that report is still forthcoming). We lucked out, as it was the first day this year that they didn't have to hold a lottery. With the Wave permits in our pockets and our spirits soaring we leisurely drove the twisty, brutal 8.5-mile dirt road to the nearby Stateline Campground (BLM) and set up camp just down the road from the Wire Pass trail head.
Buckskin Gulch is thought to be the longest, narrowest slot canyon in the world. It is a 20-mile backpack from Wire Pass to the White House trail head but we had such a full itinerary we decided to do the short, spectacular day hike from the Wire Pass trail head to the confluence with Buckskin Gulch. It worked out great because I had twisted my knee the previous day and was feeling pretty sore.
The trail starts down a wide wash, and the footing is loose rock, but there are many short cuts that cut off the corners and offer sandy trails. The red rocks and formations keep you entertained and oohing and ahhing the whole way.
Once you enter the canyon the fun begins.
I noticed the challenges of trying to shoot photos in canyons almost immediately. The contrast between the shadows and the bright light coming in from the top made it a formidable task to come up with pleasing compositions.
After climbing down and over a few small obstacles (rock jams) we reached the confluence with Buckskin Gulch. The canyon walls rise to impressive heights on both sides and make you feel instantly diminutive once you emerge from the canyon.
We only wandered a short distance down Buckskin Gulch as it wasn't long before we encountered freezing cold, deep pools. They were knee and thigh deep and were murky so it was slow going.
The bottoms were sandy but had huge rocks so we had to feel for every step, lest we would stub our toes. The water was so cold I kept wondering where the glacier was that was feeding these pools.
After walking a ways in bare feet we hit a really deep pool and were satisfied with what we had seen. So we turned around and leisurely walked back out to the trail head stopping often to take pictures and to scramble around the slick rock.
We finished our day off with sunset at Horseshoe Bend near the town of Page Arizona. It is a 3/4 mile walk down to a picturesque bend in the Colorado River. Since we were shooting directly at the sun I quickly surmised it was probably a better sunrise location.
I can't complain because I walked away with all my gear intact which is more than I can say about another photographer I saw. She stepped up the rim of the 1100 ft cliff and took her camera out and her lens hood took one bounce before disappearing into the abyss! She looked towards me in shock and all I could say was "Oops! Good thing it was just the hood and not the lens!" We had fun nevertheless wandering around and enjoying the scenery.
Next up…the Wave…stay tuned…
-------------- I leave only footprints...and lens caps.
Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 7818 | TRs | Pics Location: as far away from you as i can be...
Mon Apr 09, 2007 8:30 pm
wow wow wow!!!! the lizard came out awesome!! I still love that sunset shot. The shot of me "scrambling" came out nice! glad you scrambled up there !! stay tuned for more images folks!!
-------------- ♫ You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. And you're the one who will decide where you'll go. Oh the places you'll go. - Dr. Seuss
BTW, the ability to go find wonderful places and explore them to their fullest, both physically and photographically, doesn’t let you claim to be a geek; it makes you wildly successful at getting what you like best out of life.
-------------- "Matt, you are truly full of it. But you take great --- pics, in spite of that." Scrooge
Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 7818 | TRs | Pics Location: as far away from you as i can be...
Tue Apr 10, 2007 1:29 am
Wire Pass and Buckskin hold a special spot in my heart. My X- Mania and I went there in Feb of 1999 with our two best friends mike and Gretchen. We actually spent quite a bit of time in the Escalante area doing some fun canyoneering! The water turned us back then too!
It was good to go back. It is worthy of even more visits than 2. Would love to put the wet suit on and do the whole gulch!!
Horseshoe bend was a nice treat Karen came up with. What a treat! We packed dinner and I some CHEEZE ... What a wonderfully warm sunset! I spent most my time sitting or laying around in the sun and soaking in the amazing views.! Great spot Karen Thanks!!
Ok so sorry for overloading on pics but there are so many things I want to share. I am not as conservative as Karen....
Keep posting lots of pics. I'm impressed by how much there is to see in your photos. Beautiful rocks and light in the canyons. And also all the different expressions of people in the settings - testing the water, muddy feet, karen flying, karen setting up photos, tazz's feet enjoying the views, etc. It really brings life to the places and the stories.
-------------- "Matt, you are truly full of it. But you take great --- pics, in spite of that." Scrooge
so tell me karen - what lenses did you use? what filters did you bring? how DO you take photos inside of a canyon?
I almost exclusively used my super wide angle 10-22 3.5-4.5 this whole trip. There were several times though I tested out my new 24-70 mm 2.8. The only filters were the circular polarizer and a 2 stop split ND Grad Filter. I always lug that darned heavy tripod everywhere so I used that in the canyon shots and just metered in the midrange, to hard not to get dark shadows and bright highlights in the same shot.
-------------- Warning! Posts may contain traces of sarcasm.
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We had fun nevertheless wandering around and enjoying the scenery.
!! stay tuned for more images folks!! 
What a wonderfully warm sunset! I spent most my time sitting or laying around in the sun and soaking in the amazing views.! Great spot Karen Thanks!!
