Amy and I came upon this sign in a state park in Georgia. Words fail me.
Really?
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Guest blog - Amy on Angel's Landing
Chasing the light 2019 – Angels Landing by Amy Waller
The sign at the trailhead.
After months and months of planning we were off for our adventure, with our big truck and all the equipment we figured we’d need. We decided if we didn’t have something then we would do without!
Rainy days, cold nights, beautiful sites and lovely company made this trip very memorable. With Mike taking thousands of pictures and me using my phone to take hundreds of pictures we have many special and memorable moments to cherish.
The one thing I really wanted to do on our trip was to hike Angels Landing, which is in the middle of Zion National Park. We had or at least thought had an idea of how it would be. We were told several different stories of the dangers of falling and the 1000-foot drops on each side of us. I made the mistake of watching YouTube videos the day before we were going to do this challenge. Those who know me well know that I am not too fond of heights, so I was really hoping this hike was not going to be as bad as what we had been reading and watching. The YouTube videos did NOT help ease my anxiety. Mike still wonders why I put myself through the torture of watching the videos.
The first set of switchbacks. At this point you are not even close to Walter’s Wiggles, much less the top. Pain and agony in the lower regions of the anatomy!!
We were told to be on the first shuttle of the morning to beat crowds. I rolled out of bed (Mike was already up) and we got ready. Mind you it’s still dark and cold out as we wait for the shuttle, which leaves at 6 am. The line started to get longer and longer behind us. It seems many others had heard the same thing!
It took about 20 minutes to get to the Angel’s Landing drop off. By this time the sun was coming up and we got to see it peak over the mountains as we started our walk. We walked and walked, uphill the whole way through switchbacks and more switchbacks. Well, we ended up being the last two from the crowd we left with. It felt like we just kept going and going up and up and up. Just as I thought we were getting to the top of the switchbacks we saw more! It leveled out for a short time so we could get our breath and then there it was…they call them Walter’s Wiggles, which is a series of 21 short switchbacks, maybe 30 feet long each. It has been said if you can get to the Wiggles you are almost to the top. I looked up and just stared. Telling myself I think I can, Mike was telling me I can do this! So, I started up, at the end of two Wiggles I had to stop cause by this time my legs were shouting at me.
Amy is at the beginning of the chains at Scout’s Landing. From here to the top and back down it’s 1.1 miles.
From the trailhead to the top of Angels Landing it’s 2 ½ miles, and I figured by now we had to be there. We made it to the top of the Wiggles (after much stopping) and then the part we heard and read about was right in front of me. The chains and the narrow slippery parts where nearly certain death awaited according to so many of the online videos.
We started the trek over slippery rocks with only a chain to hold onto in the questionable spots. We climbed rocks and relied on the chains cause in some places that is all you had to balance. Just when I think we are at the top I look ahead and there’s more! It was the longest 2 ½ miles I have ever experienced. My brain kept telling me I could do it, but my legs weren’t too sure. This final portion of the climb is where the 1000-foot drops are. The place we read about that was the most dangerous. Even though we were so high up that birds flew below us I didn’t have time to think about or even notice the drop. I was concentrating too much on the chain and not losing my footing. Because we’d left so early we only met a handful of hikers coming back down, so the bottleneck wasn’t too bad.
The top!
We finally made it and wow, what a view and what an accomplishment. We took a break, ate a protien bar and headed back down. I thought down would be easier and, in some ways, it was. The biggest dangers is meeting the folks coming up. There is only one chain and both those going up and those going down have to share the same chain. So, some places we had to pass those coming up were questionable. I think I was more fearful of the heights going down then going up. We made it to the Walter’s Wiggles and by this time my legs had no idea what was going on. I told Mike I feel like I could run down but if I ran I wouldn’t be able to stop and that could be a problem.
I watched people heading up and felt a bit bad for them because I knew what was coming. Pain!
After 3 ½ hours we made it down to the parking lot where we waited for the next shuttle to take us back to the Lodge and hopefully food. We were sore, super tired and had an appetite we felt we could eat a feast. We went into the Lodge and when Mike saw that a pizza cost $40 (!) we turned around and took the shuttle back to town. We ate breakfast and then an early lunch.
Needless to say, I felt really accomplished afterwards and was so glad we conqured Angel’s Landing, especially after watching the over-the-top videos! Our legs hurt for several days afterwards! It was an amazing experience. Thank you to my amazing husband for his support and cheering me on the whole way!
Of course it happens in the middle of nowhere
Finally made it to Moab, the hub for all things outdoors in eastern Utah. As usual, the city is packed with tourists. Mountain bikes, ATVs, 4-wheelers, Jeeps everywhere and 4x4s of every make and model as well as outfitters and guides. The city has billed itself as the gateway to all sorts of outdoor adventures and people have flocked here in search of it.
We found a motel, and after talking the lady at the front desk down to a reasonable rate (sorta) we moved into our room and headed out for our photo adventure that awaited. We drove to Dead Horse Point State Park. This is such a gorgeous park that only in Utah would it be a state park.
Double rainbow over Dead Horse Point State Park in Utah.
The sky was iffy, as it was the entire time in Utah. We’d been to Dead Horse on a previous trip and the weather alternated between clouds and rain and gorgeous God-rays and rainbows. According to the weather app on the phone, looked like much of the same. That is one of the greatest frustrations and joys as an outdoor photographer, you never know what you are going to get.
The view is so immense and stunning that even though you know what to expect you are still overwhelmed with the beauty. God does great work!!
We found a spot to set up the tripod and settled in to wait for the show to begin. I was fiddling with my graduated ND filter and taking a few shots to dial in my exposure when a man and his wife asked what kind of filter I was using. I told them about it and took a test shot so they could see the difference. By holding the filter over half the lens it made it easier to explain, a picture being worth a thousand words and all. You can read more here.
The sunset was awesome and I got my photograph. We said our goodbyes and headed back to Moab. We were about 10 miles out of the park when we heard a weird buzzing sound coming from somewhere on the truck. We found a pull off and looked under the truck. Amy said, ”that doesn’t look right.” And she was right, the driveshaft was hanging oddly and obviously rubbing against a strap as it turned, thus creating the buzzing. Time to call the tow truck.
Cell signal was nearly impossible to find but by standing absolutely still she was able to connect with the tow company on the 9th try. Amy was trying to explain to the guy on the other end of the phone where we were, but other than a cow crossing sign we couldn’t help him pinpoint our location. We finally got it worked out and settled in to wait.
A mere 3 hours later the tow truck showed up. The very friendly driver loaded the truck, apologized for the delay and regaled us with details of the multi-car wreck in town that had caused the delay as he whisked us back to Moab. He dropped the truck off at the shop and drove us back to the motel.
Now the real adventure - finding a mechanic in town who could/would do the work.
Ummmm....what's wrong with this picture...?
So why I am sitting in the sand taking photos right in front of my tripod rather than using my tripod?
Good question. As you can see…
… the sun is getting low, the light is fabulous and I had set my tripod and camera up for the “winning” sunset shot. The sun was still high enough in the sky for me to run around like a crazy man and shoot different compositions. But I knew the camera on the tripod was going to be a great photo, so I left it set up, knowing I had only to get back to the tripod when the sun was just over the mountains and make the photo.
This is a really great way to make sure you use the “golden hour” time efficiently, especially if you are in a gorgeous setting that you won’t get back to any time soon.
I did capture several more photos that I really like PLUS I got the sunset photo, click here, that I had set up to get.
Horseshoe Bend and my ND
Up and onward to Phoenix, AZ to meet with a dear friend Cheri, and her daughter Melissa, for lunch. Met at Island burgers and caught up. We hugged our goodbyes and headed north through Flagstaff to Page. This is becoming an expensive tourist town. Plenty of outdoor activities but not much going on in town once the sun sets.
We checked into our motel and headed out of town a mile or two to check out Horseshoe Bend. We paid $10 to get into the park (this is a city park so none of the federal passes work here). Lots of construction - new bathrooms, and I am guessing a visitor center is coming soon.
We found a parking spot big enough for the truck, hit the nice smelling bathrooms and followed the line of people on a 3/4 - 1 mile walk to the river. Once again, we saw and heard quite a blend of people from all over the world visiting the bend in the river.
As we neared the overlook, I was extremely surprised that you had pretty much free reign as to where you could view from. I expected everyone to be corralled into a small area with a handrail to keep folks from falling off the cliff, but apparently they still trust us tourists to keep away from the edge. If heights weren’t your thing you could squeeze in by the 30-40 feet of handrail, but plenty of people spread over several hundred feet of cliff edge. We found our spot to wait for sunset in an area without the handrail. I am not bothered at all by heights, or depths in this case, so it wasn’t a big deal to me. I respect that if you are careless you can fall, so we set up the tripod about 4 feet from the edge and waited.
We were in place about an hour before sunset, so I took a few snaps to see how things were looking. Things weren’t looking too good. To get the river and canyon area correctly exposed the sky was really washed out. And of course, to get the sky correct meant a really dark river. I didn’t want to spend a ton of time in post process to fix this, but then again I didn’t have my graduated ND filter with me and I didn’t really want to go back to the truck and get it. But, I reasoned, I’d probably not be back here anytime soon, if ever, so I didn’t want to miss making a great photo (the view is absolutely stunning!!) so I told Amy I would wait and see if the thick clouds would break apart so that we would have a sunset. The gray sky wasn’t going to be very impressive, nothing like a beautiful area and a bleak, white/gray sky. Not at all pretty.
We talked with some folks around us, and Amy found out a young couple next to us had traveled in from TN, so they talked a bit. Something that did kind of worry me was the fact that we were only 4 feet from the edge of a ridiculously high drop off and there were tons of people coming to the edge, getting really close to me and Amy and my tripod as they took a few photos. Like I said, I am not worried about me or her, but complete strangers brushing against us with this certain death fall right there did bother me. I pulled the tripod back another foot or two for a little extra cushion just in case. I didn’t think anyone would purposefully push us, but then again this day and age you never know. (obviously we didn’t get pushed over but it doesn’t hurt to be careful)
Okay, so the clouds broke up enough on the horizon so that it looked like we just might see the sun on the horizon. Soooo, I went back to get my filter. Halfway to the truck I sure didn’t remember the big hill and the sand and the crowds. I was getting pooped as I hurried. Truth be told I was sucking wind. I mentally kicked myself for not taking the ND but I made it to the truck and back to the overlook in time for the sun to just barely peak out from behind the clouds. I got my shot and made a pact with myself to make sure I had all my filters with me for the duration of this trip, and proud to say, I did not forget to take them again. Lesson learned.
However, the tripod is a different story….