Canyonlands All-Nighter

Posted on August 12, 2016 by Matt Hunt

There were two places I wanted to photograph in Canyonlands National Park, which was about an hour drive from Moab. One involved the Milky Way, the other involved sunrise, so I just planned to stay out there all night, rather than drive an hour back just take a quick nap, then turn around and go right back to where I came from!

My first stop was at False Kiva. This trail is not marked on any park map, but if you just Google it, you’ll find it. The trailhead is not officially marked by any plaque, or even a parking area, but the trail itself is easy to see. The reason for this is that the park doesn’t want thousands and thousands of visitors to this place. I can’t find a whole lot of information on it, and I believe it’s because there’s a lot they don’t really know about it. I do know that it is an archaeological site, so they are likely still trying to figure out more about it. A kiva is basically a wall of stones in a circle. They could be used to live in, or have spiritual ceremonies. This one is called False Kiva because its origin and exact use are unknown.

I had seen good shots of this location at sunset, as well as at night with the Milky Way, so I wanted to get both. I set out about two hours before sunset. All of the info I had read put this hike at about an hour. That would give me plenty of time. Most of the trail was well-defined, flat, and easy. There was one section of slick rock where it was difficult to determine where to go, but I could see where cairns once stood, and as I went I stacked these rocks back up to make new cairns so that I could find my way back in the dark!

The hard part comes at the end of the hike, where you actually descend below the alcove where False Kiva is, then pass it, then have to climb back up to it. That brought out some sweat! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that when I was eating dinner prior to leaving Moab, I checked the temperature and it said 109!

When I got to the site, I noticed a metal box sitting behind a big rock. I opened it and found some information on the site, some rules, pens & a notepad that a lot of other hikers & photographers had signed. I went ahead and signed that notepad myself!

Sunset was beautiful from this spot! The last light hit those cliffs and turned them red, and the hazy air allowed the horizon to generate a beautiful orange hue, while further up the sky remained blue. Gorgeous!

Okay, I have a confession to make. I screwed up on the Milky Way shots! First of all, I didn’t realize how far to the left the Milky Way would be as it first became visible, so I had to move my camera from this spot, and I really didn’t like that angle. Also, what I should have done was take a shot of the canyon prior to full darkness so that I could create a two-image composite with a visible canyon, and visible Milky Way in the sky. I did not, and without that, you really can’t discern any part of the canyon. Add to that the fact that most of the sky became obscured with cloud cover after the sun had set.

Being at this place… wow. I was a little bit anxious, to be honest. I was looking forward to getting back to my car! I was a bit worried about finding my way back in the dark, and it just felt odd being out there all by myself. The only sign of any human life out there were the planes flying overhead. It was a little eerie, so when it appeared the clouds were going to be around for a while, I decided I didn’t want to wait any longer, and around 11 pm I decided to hike back.

I made it back to my car without any issues, and from there took the very short drive to the Mesa Arch parking area, where I would try to get some sleep in while waiting for morning. I wasn’t quite sure what time I needed to get up and hike to the arch, as I had heard people start getting set up HOURS before sunrise to get a good spot! I set an alarm for 3 am, but to be honest, I barely slept any.

The sky ended up clearing not too long after I got there. I did get to enjoy quite a few meteors, and a seriously dark night sky, with a bright Milky Way clearly visible. This was pretty amazing! I just love being out in the middle of nowhere looking at the stars on a clear night.

The first car pulled up about 2 hours before sunrise. That was my que, time to get my stuff and hike out to the arch! Those two French guys would beat me there, and in fact I got a little lost on the trail trying to find it! The trail is a loop, and I ended up doing the loop, missing the part where you turn off the loop to go to the arch! Eventually I found it, and was glad to find they weren’t set up where I wanted to be anyway!

Slowly but surely other photographers started trickling in. We didn’t like what we saw in the sky… clouds! There was a very brief period where the sun had a clear part to shine through, and the shutters went off like machine guns!

There was still plenty of room for me to take the camera off the tripod and get some different angles, so I took advantage of that. The best use of the D500’s 10 frame per second speed for me is handheld HDR bracketing! I can fire off three consecutive images with very minimal movement of the camera, allowing them to easily line up in Lightroom later. I did a lot of that on this trip.

After just a few minutes, the sun was gone behind the clouds. I wondered if that would be it, but I wasn’t even thinking about leaving just yet! I was taking a close look at the clouds, and figured there would be a chance of the sun poking back out once it got higher in the sky. I wasn’t sure how much orange glow would be on the bottom of the arch at that point, but I sat and waited. Others did not, including those two French guys who were there first. They gave up, packed up and left! BIG mistake, because the clouds cleared 10 minutes later, and this happened:

YES! This is what I came here for! That orange glow on the bottom of Mesa Arch is just incredible, and you know what? I’m glad we had those clouds, because it adds some interest to the rest of the sky in the photos! I left Mesa Arch feeling great… really tired… but great, knowing that I had gotten the shots I came here for!

Before going back to Moab, I stopped by Dead Horse Point State Park. It was right off the road that went to Canyonlands anyway, and I figured morning would be a good time to be there. To be honest, I’d rather have been there earlier, but that wouldn’t have been worth missing the magic at Mesa Arch!

There’s actually a poster of this place hanging on the wall in our office right behind me where I stand at my computer. However, it’s just a view of the canyon, so I didn’t know about all these Juniper trees along the ledge! I was happy to see that, as I’m always looking for some foreground interest to add to these vast landscape photos. It definitely makes for a more interesting photo!

I couldn’t leave without doing my signature selfie, though!

I was SO tired at that point, but it was all worth it! I got back to Moab, and after eating some breakfast, hopped into bed!

The Narrows

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Matt Hunt

Ahhh, it sure was good to be back at Zion National Park! This is without a doubt one of my favorite places, even though I had previously spent all of one day there! After a long drive out from Dallas, I had spent the previous night in nearby Kanab, UT, about an hour away. I arrived at Zion relatively early in the morning, and planned on heading to the last stop on the shuttle, the Temple of Sinawava, which was where The Narrows hike began.

Before I got through the east end of the park, however, I ran into a huge group of bighorn sheep, so I had to stop and take some photos! I originally only saw one standing on top of a rock, so I turned around, and by the time I got back in that area several cars had stopped, and I noticed quite a few. Then more showed up. Then more showed up! They were all females with the exception of one male ram. Of course I focused on snapping pictures of him, because those big horns (hence the name) are pretty impressive!

This has to be one of my favorite animals. And sure, you can see bighorns and other animals in an enclosed space, like a safari drive, but there’s just something so much more magical about seeing them out in the wild. Obviously these animals have been around for a long time, as they can be seen in petroglyphs throughout this area of southern Utah. What a magical creature!

Moving on through the park, I got to the visitor’s center and got my bag put together and caught the shuttle. It takes quite a while to get all the way to the final stop in the canyon. I’d recommend getting there much earlier than I did, and catching the very first shuttle out. I had to wait in line for a while just to get on the shuttle. It was mid-morning, I forget what time, but this seems to be the busiest time of day for the park shuttle.

The trail starts on the Riverside Walk, which is a well-maintained path, so that part is easy. This goes for about a half-mile I believe. Where this ends, it’s time to go straight into the Virgin River! I purchased a pair of water shoes with a pretty thick sole on them a few days prior to leaving, however I was never able to find any neoprene socks. I noticed that many others had the same shoes on, with sizes noted by markers. They were rentals. I should have done more research! Those shoes (and socks) looked legit, and much better than my $25 water shoes. As it would turn out, I really could have used those! The insoles in my shoes came loose, and were shifting all around inside the shoe, and rubbing against my feet. I ended up with skin scraped off in four different areas, two on each feet. The most problematic of them all were on the inside “corner”, if you will, of each foot right at the ball of the foot. This spot on the right foot in particular would end up being an issue for the entire duration of the trip! So if you do the Zion Narrows hike, be sure you are properly outfitted for it! I’d recommend using one of the local outfitters to rent those shoes. I couldn’t tell you which one those people got them from, but I’m sure a little research would reveal that!

At any rate, I’m not sure how far out I went, but I hiked for about 3 hours before deciding to turn around and come back. The water was never even waist deep, and most of the time was only ankle deep. In this 100-degree weather, it was much more pleasant hiking in the mostly shaded, cool waters of the Virgin River! I heard one guy saying you could go as far as 14 or 15 miles down the river if you are so inclined. Obviously I didn’t go quite that far! But it’s a good hike for the family, and you can make it as long or as short as you want.

As far as a photography standpoint, well that was tough. The river was absolutely packed with people, so I had a hard time finding spots where I could get a clear shot. On many occasions, just as I thought I had a clear shot, a group of 10-15 more people would start hiking through. At one point right after I had set up my tripod, this kid literally sat down RIGHT in front of my camera. Ugh, really kid?! I just glared at him, and after a minute or so he started moving out of the frame. I’m sure it wouldn’t be so packed during the cooler months, but at those times a wet suit may not be a bad idea!

Enough words, on to the photos! Contact me for prints or canvases of any of these photos!

Horseshoe Bend

Posted on July 17, 2016 by Matt Hunt

An epic day that included the Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon ended at another amazing place called Horseshoe Bend. This is one of the most photographed landmarks in the country, but of course I had to get my OWN photo of this iconic bend in the Colorado River at sunset!

It is not difficult to get to. The hike is only 3/4 miles from the parking area. The Colorado River is 1,000 feet below the cliff where numerous tourists gather to enjoy the view. There are no railings or official viewpoints. I found a great rock and sat there for quite a while taking it all in.

Pictures don’t give you a good idea of the scale of this place. It requires a wide-angle lens to fit it all into one picture. I know I say this all the time, but you really do have to go and see this place with your own two eyes to really appreciate it!

While I sat there, I met several interesting people. There was a guy from Slovakia, now residing in California, who was retired and now doing a lot of traveling. He was shooting with a Nikon D810 and 14-24mm lens, which I was jealous of! He talked about a lot of his buddies, and it sounded like he ran with a very active, athletic crowd. He told me about friends who ran races, and went canyoneering. Very nice guy.

There was another guy shooting with a D7100 that I actually let borrow my Tokina 11-16 so that he could get the whole canyon in one photo. He was there with his wife, who kept getting onto him about being too close to the edge! Cute old couple!

On the other side of that couple sat a young woman from New Zealand who had quit her job and was traveling around the world! That’s something I dream of doing, so I was a bit jealous, but also admired her for being so bold. She was traveling alone! I actually ended up running into her again a couple days later at Monument Valley!

Finally there was a young couple from Houston, who were actually staying in Hurricane, UT near Zion National Park, but had made the drive down to check out this place. Neither of them had a camera, but they had lens attachments for their phones. He was asking me about my camera, how much they cost, etc. I enjoyed chatting with them as we watched the sun duck below the horizon. It seems as though you just don’t meet bad people at places like this!

Even though I was bracketing my shots, they all turned out darker than I thought they would be judging by the histogram. Nonetheless, I was able to put together this HDR shot in Lightroom, and it turned out pretty good!

The Grand Canyon

Posted on June 7, 2016 by Matt Hunt

Tuesday April 12, 2016. This was a significant day. Not just because I had three stops (Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend), but because on this day 23 years prior my father passed away from cancer. It’s hard to believe it has been that long.

I got an early start out of Flagstaff, because I wanted to be at the Grand Canyon by sunrise. I didn’t have much time, since I needed to be in Page for my Antelope Canyon tour by 11 am. More on that later…

It was freezing that morning. Literally freezing. The temperature was 32 degrees when I woke up in Flagstaff. That scent of the Ponderosa Pine was in the air as I loaded my bags back into my car and hit the road. It was an easy drive through mostly flat grasslands, and more Ponderosa Pine forests, which became more prominent as I approached the park.

While cruising along, I saw something unexpected. There was a bull elk, grazing right along the side of the road! I had to stop and take pictures, of course! I quickly put my telephoto lens on and went to work.

Gosh, what a beautiful animal. There were actually two of them, but this one was closer to the road. The other one was further back into the woods, and I couldn’t get a clear shot. I snapped a lot of pictures, and also spent some time just admiring this majestic creature. I only wish they had their full antlers!

As they both ventured further into the woods, I decided to move along, but I didn’t get very far before spotting another elk on the other side of the road! I pulled over and snapped some more photos!

By this time the sun was already rising, so I continued into the park. I didn’t have to pay, because I had my America The Beautiful Pass! If you’re planning on visiting 3 or more National Parks in a year, this pass will pay for itself. I was doing just that on this trip alone, and planning two more trips this year that will take me through another half a dozen or so parks, so this pass is more than worth it to me!

So I got into the park and headed out to the overlook, where I was greeted by the first light hitting the cliffs on the west end of the canyon.

Oh. My. Gosh. I was absolutely floored by the sight of this place! Of course I had seen plenty of pictures, but seeing it in person was something else. I immediately realized that no picture could ever do this place justice. It is simply stunning. It is massive. It makes you feel small, as well as grateful to live on such a beautiful planet!

I spent some time walking along the trail on the canyon rim, just looking for good spots to stop and take photos. I was looking for any kind of foreground interest to add to all of that wide open space on the horizon.

While I wasn’t doing anything as risky as I saw others doing, I did get out on some ledges. You feel more alive when you are closer to death! There are no railings along this trail, and one wrong step would be the end of your story with such a steep, and long drop to the canyon floor below.

That picture describes my feeling perfectly. How can you not love it? How can you not look out over this massive canyon and feel like the world is yours? The world is yours… to explore! Why would you ever want to just stay in the same place forever with all of this beauty out there?

After the above picture I decided it was time to move along to another lookout point. When I got to my car I punched in the address in Page that I was heading to (where I needed to be by 11 am, remember?), and it said my arrival time would be… 11:02 am! Oh no! I had to go!

If you know anything about time zones, you know that Arizona has its own time zone. They do not participate in daylight savings time. Utah is on a different time than Arizona, even though it’s in the same latitude. Page is just south of the state line, very close to Utah. So when I got to the Antelope Canyon tour place, the lady said she’d go ahead and check me in, but it was only 10 am. Oh no! I could have spent another hour at the Grand Canyon!

That was my biggest regret that morning. So if you’re going to be in this area, and you’re going to be doing things that require punctuality, make sure you know before you go about the time zones, and don’t rely on your phone or GPS to give you an accurate time!

I guess that just means I’ll have to go back to the Grand Canyon again! Really, I would recommend you spend far more than an hour there when you go. I would at least dedicate a whole day, so that you can see the sunrise and the sunset.