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The Heart of the Wave

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The end of a 3.5 hour hike through the desert and slick rock on the Arizona / Utah border brought it all into view. The months (years, actually) of entering the Wave lottery finally landed us backcountry permits to visit this special place. It's a difficult hike in 100+ degree temperatures and only a handful of visitors are allowed to attempt it each day.

We hit the road before sunrise, with about an hour drive down a rough dirt road, then the hike following only GPS coordinates. We reached the Wave late morning. Every angle of sandstone is literally flowing up and down this formation. After exploring all of it, we took a break to take it all in. We refueled on water and energy bars, snapped a few pics of ourselves to prove we were there, and made our way back in the afternoon sun.

Bucket list item: check.

See more photos of the Wave from an earlier blog post.

Antelope Canyon

Antelope Canyon is a place of such unworldly light variations that it's hard to truly take in all at once. It can also make photography very difficult. Areas in direct sunlight are bathed in a fiery red-orange, while the cool shadows reflect a near purple glow. The canyon walls can be a bit tight and climbing from some angles can be challenging, but certainly traversable.

There are so many formations and twists of rock here. Light conditions change around every corner. This is a dream location for a photographer but anyone planning a trip to the Southwest should stop here to experience it. Suffice it to say I have hundreds of photos from only a short amount of time in the canyon. More coming.

The Howling Chief formation in the lower right.

The Howling Chief formation in the lower right.

Howling Chief.

Howling Chief.

Monument Valley

Monument Valley really gives you a sense of space. It's in the upper northeast corner of Arizona on the border with Utah - at least a 2 hour drive from anywhere.

When you arrive, the view is incredibly vast. A 180-degree panorama of massive buttes reaching up from the valley floor, it's almost endless. You have to just stop and enjoy the perspective.

The Mittens and Merrick Butte.

The Mittens and Merrick Butte.

Big sky.

Big sky.

West Mitten, East Mitten, Merrick, and Elephant Buttes.

West Mitten, East Mitten, Merrick, and Elephant Buttes.

Boulders for perspective.

Boulders for perspective.

El Capitan.

El Capitan.

Horseshoe Bend

Just outside of the town of Page, Arizona is Horseshoe Bend, an incredible curve in the Colorado River.  It's accessed by a relatively easy 3/4 mile hike from the trailhead, but in intense heat and sun. Once at the edge, you are free to roam anywhere around the entire bend. What an expansive view from here.

To get these shots, I had to lie down at the edge of the canyon and hold the camera over. My wide angle lens was barely able to capture this scene at 17mm!

 

 

The Wave - Reflected Light

Unreal. That's really the only word to describe the Wave, a remote and beautifully twisted sandstone formation on the Arizona / Utah border. It's one of the most amazing places that I will ever see.

To visit the Wave, you need to apply 3 months ahead of your trip online in a lottery system. Only 10 passes are given out each day and is justified to preserve this fragile rock. I've been applying for years and finally was lucky enough to receive a pass. The access is down a 10 mile dirt road and then 6 mile hike through the desert and sandstone. There are no trails and it was easily over 100 degrees by mid-day. So we prepared with lots of water, electrolytes, and the GPS coordinates provided with the pass, then headed out by 6AM to begin the hike.

These are the first few photos of reflected light on the details of the Wave. Many more photos coming soon.