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

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...

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...

Buck Farm Canyon narrows and chockstone My hiking book said Buck Farm Canyon had some pretty sections near the end but I'd seen no other pictures of trail reports of this canyon.  When our guide said Buck Farm was our hike, I wondered what we'd find.  Our camp was at the base of this canyon so we took off after a nice lunch at our beach. The going is pretty easy here.  Hiking further up Buck Farm Canyon, I noticed more ferns and then a cottonwood tree.  The temperature dropped a notch and everything felt nice.  Unlike Saddle Canyon and North Canyon, Buck Farm is pretty easy, short and quick.  We reached the end and had a little geology talk before heading back to camp.  Getting my feet a little wet, I walked up the narrows and found a chockstone wedged in the muav limestone.  A pretty fern grew where the water seeped out.  I started clicking. Geology talk about Muav Limestone in the Grand Canyon's Buck Farm Canyon Photography note...

Death Hollow beautiful landscapes in the middle section of this hike.  The stream, high canyon cliffs and lots of green trees are common in is awesome section.   This section of Death Hollow is easily the most beautiful.  The hard work we put in the first day and we would put in the last day was worth it because of this middle day in paradise.  After some small storms through the night, the morning was glorious with blue sky and some light clouds.  Our campsite was one of the more open parts of the canyon.  This yielded fabulous views of the cliffs and canyon.  One of my favorite shots of the trip was my wife and her sister drinking their morning hot chocolate with a fabulous view. Two campers enjoy the morning in Death Hollow. We began hiking and enjoyed some awesome scenery.  The trail itself was an inconsistent thing.  We'd have a traditional dirt path in some locations.  Then we'd have branches and have to push through...