Water Hazard

I had done some work with Michael Fatali (quite a celebrated professional landscape photographer) editing and helping to choose images for a book he was doing. As a "thank you" for me and four of his close friends he offered to take us on a special hike. I think the official name is the West Fork of North Creek in the Kolob region of Zion National Park.

Photographers go into this area primarily to reach the "Subway", a rounded walled area of canyon with circular pools on the floor. Upstream from the Subway is a waterfall and a box canyon. Did I mention that to get into the area you have to hike down an almost sheer wall - about 2000 feet of switchbacks? Then you hike about 3 1/2 miles across logs, rocks and other debris in a narrow canyon. Then the banks of the stream disappear and you walk upstream in the river - frequently on rocks which are covered with a clear slime like an eel.

Six of us started out. By the time we got to the Subway only Fatali, a lady who ran his gallery and myself were left. At the waterfall Fatali climbed a sheer 30 ft wall using a flat strap that was hanging from above. The lady could not even get started on this climb and gave up. I had been working out both for strength and endurance for more than 3 months and decided to give it a try. Made it! Second dumbest thing I've ever done - 1st place was going over a dam in a rubber raft at age 14.

I was carrying nearly 40 lbs of gear, had never climbed anything in my life, had no gloves, didn't know how strong this strap was and was 54 years old. Also below me was an ice cold stream about 4 inches deep over a rock bed with steep side walls and no bank. Any fall was a sure injury. Any rescue was at least 6 hrs away.

Upon reaching the top, I found that if I was to go anywhere I then had to cross a log over a deep chasm with the waterfall underneath. A log slimy with moss.

Rounding a curve, I was in a Semi-enclosed canyon about 75 yds long lit by slivers of light through wide cracks in the roof. The walls were rounded and made of multi-colored rock - green orange, purple, red. The stream came from a second waterfall in the rear and ran through the canyon and around the bend to the waterfall I crossed. As we had to get out of area before dark, and had a long hike back, I only had about 1/2 hour to photograph. It was worth it. While Fatali took a nap in a shaft of sunlight, I tried to capture the incredible beauty of the canyon.

The image Water Hazard is actually tilted a bit as I was standing with my tripod in water and very soft sand and kept sinking up over my ankles - had a difficult time staying level.

Fatali had, on a previous trip taken a picture of the same log - at a distance - which is one of his best images. I had previously bought one as a gift for Heidi. It was also featured on the cover of Shutterbug magazine. His was titled North Pole. He told me later that of all my images he had seen up to this time that it was his favorite.