Slickrock and Shadow

This summer at Lake Powell the monsoon storms coincided perfectly with a week in Navajo Canyon.  Some mild rains came at night but nothing terrible.  I'd checked out a drainage near our campsite our first day.  Then we had a HUGE afternoon storm.  Noisy, wet and amazing.  As soon as it slowed, I went with a few others to the drainage.  What I saw was incredible!  This was the real deal flash flood!  We stood beside the flow a few moments before seeing rising water erode the bank away.  We quickly departed.  30 seconds later that bank was gone!  

Sidewinder curves in the depths of Crack Canyon Crack Canyon in Utah's San Rafael region is another of Utah's less-known gems.  Down a dirt road in Central Utah, this trailhead is not even listed on maps.  The canyon makes for a pleasant stroll on a clear or cloudy day.  A short slot section resembles the "Subway" of Zion but I liked the impressive rust-colored walls and Swiss-cheese holes in the sandstone.  This place has more holes in rocks than any other location I've seen.  It's quite "holy".  Here are a few pics from this wonderful little location. Cave-like Crack Canyon with light at the end of the tunnel A glimpse of the amazing holes, cavities and caves in this canyon -- and the namesake "Crack".

Fat Man's Misery exits into a warm green bath-like pool!  Go down the waterslide for good time! Green waters thrill me.  I've always thought emeralds were the most beautiful color of green.  This hue exists in Parunuweap Canyon within the green glassy clear waters.  You need a filter to drink the water but no camera filter to get this amazing color!  It's entirely natural and stunning to see. Some pools are blue but for me the most beautiful are these in Parunuweap Green. If you go, bring a dry bag for camera equipment and good shoes.  Also known as "the Barracks", this East Fork of the Virgin River is the most beautiful of the three (Main Fork and North Fork). Green turquoise waters in a deep slot canyon, Parunuweap, Zion Boulder and Pool in Parunuweap

Temples of Zion from Coal Pits Wash Coals Pits Wash is a beautiful spot for anyone wanting to escape the crowds of Zion National Park.  This secluded area has a great trail into remote canyons.  The further you explore, the more rugged the scenery and trail.  As this follows a wash, the climb is pretty level if you come up from Rockville area.  Another shortcut is from Dalton Wash Road, passing a landmark cinder cone. I came here for my birthday during the pandemic and saw no one else.  My daughters accompanied me as we explored to the ends of two canyons:  Coal Pits and the next-north canyon, Jennings Wash.  Both have water in the Spring, making drinking water an easy thing.  This is not the case in the hot summer, FYI. Coal Pits Wash, typical views in the lower sections.   Waterfall and Plant Life in Upper Coal Pits Wash Water Slicing Through Sandstone Layer in Coal Pits Wash Creating a Series of Tiny Lovely Waterfal...

Tuckup Canyon:  Highly Rewarding for the Landscape Photographer Tuckup Canyon is a true adventure that can go on and on depending on your bravery and daring.  From the Colorado River, Tuckup Canyon goes back about a mile or less.  The canyon walls start out like thin brown shale.  Then the sandstone walls are more of a greenish block-like boulders.  These boulders litter than canyon floor and present the first obstacle to hiking.  Most hikers will find this no big deal.  Past these big boulders, a curved labyrinthine canyon runs back another half mile.  These canyon walls are knobby but smooth.  This is a most beautiful location.  My wife enjoyed sitting down here and picking up rocks from different ages all mixed in the ground cover.  Brown shale-like sandstone at the lowest levels of Tuckup Canyon Block-like boulders present the next early obstacle Tuckup Canyon:  The lower knobby narrows.  Morning light ...

150 Mile Canyon:  twisting muav limestone in beautiful white 150 Mile Canyon can be hiked as far as possible in less than 5 minutes.  It's short but sweet.  A bit of stemming is required to get over one large boulder chockstone.  That gets you into the sweet twisted white narrows you see in this photo.  This section is short because another boulder prevents further travel (see next photo).  Another suspended chockstone hangs high overhead.  See the last photo for that one.  It's pretty cool. Boulder Chockstone in 150 Mile Canyon Suspended high Chockstone Boulder in 150 Mile Canyon Gordon's hike rating: Hike Difficulty:                   ★★★★ Easy to the first boulder, technical to bypass Trail Condition:                   ★★★★ Rocky wash but very short Trail Hazards:                ...

Deer Creek:  Waterfalls of the Patio drop into Slot Canyon Deer Creek is a must-see stop at mile 137.  The massive raging waterfall of Deer Creek drops over 100 feet and can be seen from the river as you float past.  The huge waterfalls overwhelms me and others who try to draw close.  Mist, wind from the falling water create a mini-hurricane at the pool.  This is a wonderful place to swim and marvel at the power of water + gravity.   Brave souls can climb up to the patio above the waterfall where smaller photogenic waterfalls drop into a slot canyon that leads to the big drop you witnessed below.  This is a shady pleasant spot for relaxation and reverie.   Photo tip:  photograph the narrows from above from both sides of the canyon .  The views are different and rewarding on each side.   Up on the patio:  cactus on one side, waterfall on the other. Deer Creek Waterfall, Grand Canyon Deer Cre...

Stone Creek Waterfall:  Highlight of the Grand Canyon Stone Creek is the best hike from the Colorado River. Stone Creek is my favorite place in the Grand Canyon. Stone Creek is a dream come true. Stone Creek has two waterfalls which are a short distance from the beach.  They are beautiful but better things await the explorer.  Simply bypass these lower waterfalls and keep climbing up.  The third waterfall is a pleasant 2-tier drop.  On our hot climb up we each put our back on the wet wall and let the shower drench us.  On my return trip later that day I took photos with the waterfall in the shade.   Natural shower at Stone Creek Waterfall Lovely Stone Creek Waterfall Stone Creek waterfall and wildflowers.  Trying to capture these without excessive wind motion was difficult.   This third waterfall is quite beautiful but only midway up the canyon.  Easily bypassed, we continued upwards as we followed t...

Hatch River Rafting Expeditions:  2 S-rigs tied up at Blacktail Camp Life on the Colorado River is part of the wonderful experience of the Grand Canyon.  Although this deviates from traditional landscape photography, the river runners seem to be part of the landscape here and photography of such can be rewarding.  Although the rafts are not particularly aesthetic, the background more than makes up for that shortcoming! Above is a photo of our camp at Blacktail Canyon.  Below are some pictures of Blacktail Canyon and other images from the river at various locations. Blacktail Canyon:  sandstone layers upwards to the top.   Hatch River Expeditions at Granite Rapids!  Exceptional Adrenaline! Gordon Smith at Lava Falls Rapid (I'm quite happy here!)

Schist Narrows:  a geologic rarity! Schist is the stuff that doesn't belong in the southwest.  It's not sandstone.  It's weird metamorphic rock that seems marbled and smooth, dark and evil, even mysterious.  Making it more mysterious is the fact that it's so old and only exposed in some of the deepest parts of the Grand Canyon.  You've got to reach far back in time to see schist. Even more rare is a slot canyon with flowing water and schist walls.  Such a place exists only in Monument Creek, by Granite Rapids, deep in the Grand Canyon.  The black is schist.  Pink stuff is granite (hence "granite rapids"). Monument Creek is pretty but the rocky surface makes hiking a trudge.  Also, beware of schist.  Shoes do not stick to schist and you can just slide right down the slick surface.  It's not like any other rock I've been on.  Smooth schist is like ice in many ways. Some other pics from Monument Creek: Schist, Granit...