Rim2Rim
There is no question at all that the Grand Canyon is breathtaking, even after many trips. The many viewpoints offer spectacular vistas. Some truly great photographs have been taken at the Grand Canyon.
The Grand Canyon gets 5 - 6 million visitors per year. It is said to be a hiking destination, but almost all the visitors stop at the rim. A comparative few venture down a trail to experience descending below the rim and into the Canyon.
Nonetheless, parking the car and taking some possibly excellent shots from a viewpoint is not, in my view, adventure photography.
For adventure photography, the Canyon offers truly world class hiking. There is the 24 mile Rim to Rim, which usually begins at the North Rim and ends on the South Rim. The Rim to Rim might be one of the very best day hikes in the entire world. For those who want an even greater challenge, there is the 47 mile Rim to Rim to Rim, which usually begins at the South Rim.
These trails offer a visual spectacle. The trail from the North Rim goes through a dramatic redwall limestone canyon and hangs on a ledge for part of the way like a scene from The Hobbit. The trail from the South Rim passes along an open ridge that may provide a knee buckling view of the sunrise. Depending on the rainfall, there may be be fields of cactus flowers with such shockingly intense color that it will make your cheeks blush. At the bottom the Colorado River rages through. In all of this a hiker is surrounded by the massive vertical cliffs of the Canyon itself.
For a reasonably fit hiker, the Rim2Rim is a day hike. A long, strenuous day hike; but a day hike nevertheless. When we do the Rim2Rim2Rim, we do a layover day at the North Rim; but there are those who go straight through. Because of the extreme summer heat in the Canyon, it is only safe, except for hard scrabble desert rats, to do these hikes in the early spring and late fall.
The hikes are challenging enough even during those short periods that not many visitors give them a try. Of the few who do, even fewer are serious photographers.
The shots displayed here were all taken while doing either the Rim2 Rim, or the Rim2Rim2Rim. These shots all faced the challenge of fleeting light and required a rapid response. As far as I know, each is unique. They are just examples of unexpected adventure photography opportunities.
If you have a comment, let me know. Tom@thefleetinglight.com
After the storm.
During a layover day on the North Rim before heading back to the South Rim, it rained in the afternoon, followed by thunder, lightning, and hail, and then a light snow. Immediately after the storm, the blue evening sky was already visible. The light was fading quickly. There were just a few photographers out so soon after the storm, and they were struggling to position and reposition their tripods in the rapidly changing conditions. My Olympus camera is lightweight, and it has very effective internal image stabilization. I was able to move quickly as the light changed rapidly. This shot was hand-held with a 1/2 second shutter speed at f4.0 and an ISO of 200. If I had had to set up a tripod, I would have missed the shot.
Cloudlight at sunset.
The soft light of sunrise or sunset slants into the Grand Canyon at a low angle, producing rich colors on the formations and long dramatic shadows. At midday the light is directly above, but it is flat and harsh.
This day there was a cloud layer over the canyon in the late afternoon, but the layer did not quite touch the horizon. At sunset, evening rays streamed through the gap turning the cloud layer orange. Soft rich orange light was reflected from the cloud layer and bathed the center canyon from directly above.
My wife and I have been hiking in the Grand Canyon for more than 30 years. There have been many very nice sunsets, but we have only seen the canyon flooded with orange light from above just this once.
Canyon Light as a Storm Gathers.
My wife and had finished a Rim2Rim during a beautiful day. As we left the South Rim on the following day after getting some badly needed rest, a storm gathered. Despite the blackening sky, there was a crown of sunlight on one of the formations. It's a moody, but soft view of the Canyon. Quiet as a whisper. Shortly after I took this shot, it poured.
The Last Beam of Light.
This shot was taken about 1500 feet below the South Rim. At this elevation, the formations are straight across from us. It seemed like the sun had already set; but just before disappearing, it aimed a shaft of golden light directly at this butte. It lasted only moments. Night fell, and we had to use headlamps to get to the South Rim. The magenta formation to the left is Isis Temple. Isis was an Egyptian goddess principally known for her magical powers, including the ability to raise the dead to life.
The North Rim.
The North Rim lodge is situated right at the edge of the Canyon with an incredible view. Here you have a good sense of the horizontal depth of the Canyon. Often it is hazy, sometimes from pollution as far away as Los Angeles; but this day the air is almost pre-industrial-age clear. A line of clouds stretches across the endless sky in a quintessential western pattern. The summit of Humphreys Peak, the highest mountain in Arizona, is plainly visible 62 miles distant. It seems like a quiet day, but a cloud was coming across the sky to block the sun. I was lucky to be there when it was so clear that I could get this shot.
Reflections on Red Rock.
We began hiking down from the North Rim before sunrise and were almost to the end of a redwall limestone canyon as the sun came up. The sun rose behind the wall on the other side of the canyon, and yet that wall was was bathed in light. Direct sunlight higher up on the canyon wall beside us is reflected back across the canyon and gave the opposing canyon wall a soft warm glow.
Sunset in October.
This could be the photograph that many people think they would like to take on a visit to the Grand Canyon. The low sun lighting the red in the rock, the formations stacked up like dominos fading to the rim, the deep immensity of the Canyon, and the clear blue western sky above it all. Unfortunately, this picture is unavailable during the peak summer tourist season. In mid-October, on the other hand, the sunset is further to south focused diagonally across the Canyon shining directly on these receding buttes. In the summer, on the other hand, the sunset is further to the west, leaving many of these formations in dark shadow as the sun falls. However, even October is no sure thing. Of the three days we were at the South Rim, there was only a clear sunset on one of them; and on that one, I only noticed the sunset by accident. .
I had taken my camera with me when my wife and I went for a short evening walk, but I was not expecting much. The canyon straight across from us was mostly in shade. It was only when I noticed the sunlight streaming in diagonally and lighting up a corner of the Canyon slightly to the east of us that I realized there was a photo opportunity after all.
This shot was taken from the South Rim right in front of the El Tovar Hotel. There were lots of photographers out there. The funny thing is that most of them were taking pictures of the Canyon straight in front of us. I suspect those photos were disappointing. Sometimes we can look, but fail to see.
Impossible!
When visitors decide to drop below the Rim, the most frequently traveled trail is the Bright Angel. It leads downhill to Havasupai Gardens, about 5 miles. It is a great downhill walk, the only problem being the 3000 foot elevation gain for the return trip. This is the view back to the South Rim from Havasupai Gardens. Every time I look up at it, it seems impossible for a hiker to ascend these sheer cliffs. Yet, the trail is there, a series of well graded switchbacks.
This picture was taken in February. It's great to see the snowcapped ridges and cliffs. However, the trail was covered with ice and snow for the last three miles up. We had to wear Yaktrax on our boots.