Lacy Rocks of the Wave

Lacy Rocky Spire of Coyote Buttes North

The "wave" is world-famous, one of the most in all landscape photography.  Pictures like the one below have made it an icon.  However, one wants to explore and discover.  That's part of our nature and certainly is a goal when I set out to photograph a location.  I want to find some place new, an undiscovered gem.

Well, this time I hiked to Coyote Buttes North (the Wave) and did so in snow.  The beginning temperature was 17 degrees Fahrenheit.  The sun did come out and warm me up.  I can't complain too much.  Snow made everything different, making it a little more challenging to find any classic Southwest picture.

I had heard of a cliff that had lacy rocks on the very top. However, the climb up to the top was on the north side of this mountain and covered with snow. Climbing up snow-covered slickrock is an exercise in persistence, gravity, friction and sliding down.  It took quite a while to make it up to the top.  These delicate lacy rocks covered the entire top of this mountain. I was in awe at how fragile these appear. There is nothing to protect them from the environment or from people. I made it a point to not touch a single one.  I did enjoy photographing them.

In this shot, the snow coming in from the right side gave the subject a sense of place. Although I was shooting directly into the sunshine, I took several bracketed exposures and manually blended them to achieve this picture. The lacy spire extends up to the blue sky, braving the elements.  I can only wonder how long these delicate rocks can survive.