Going Beyond The Edge

My last post spoke of intention - of intentionally slowing down, of intentionally taking a deep breath and trying to focus from within, of intentionally moving my feet to change my viewpoint.  I used a recent trip to Bryce Canyon as an example: how I explored a section of the park from the amphitheater’s rim, the Bryce Point Overlook.  

This post is also about intention...  Of intentionally going beyond the rim, the outer shell of a subject, and submerging, submersing, into the subject matter, of looking up instead of down, of taking the time to weave my way down into the amphitheater instead of just peeking over the edge and walking away, of going down into the depths and intentionally forcing myself into a new perspective and viewpoint.

It's a more intimate look at the park, a look at hiking down and into the features seen from the rim, of walking amongst the hoodoos and slots and fins of rock, walking through the trees and jagged rock and folds of the earth, walking through the shadows and along the spines of rock jutting up from the canyon floor, walking through the amphitheater as the sun breached the canyon rim above and began the fill the cracks and crevices and folds of earth with its warmth…  

It was July 28, and we arrived at Bryce Canyon as the sun's glow started to take the cool blue edge off the night, as the sun started to transform the landscape from night to day.  Sunrise came that morning at 6:30, and we started our trek by spending a few moments at Sunset Point.  This was taken at 6:18, as the orange/yellow glow of dawn took hold in the heavens.   

Armed with a camera, one lens - a mid-range zoom that gave me enough flexibility not to have to worry about changing lenses on the trail - and a Camelback full of water, we picked up the Navajo Trail at the Sunset Point Overlook and began our descent down a series of switchbacks, the earth enveloping us as we went further down.  Rips and gashes in rock formed over millennia of water freezing and expanding and wind whipping pulling us in with nothing but the cool, still morning air and the occasional sound of someone talking in the distance to keep us company.

We headed down the trail and when a split in the trail came, we turned left, following the trail down in a clockwise direction, dropping further and further down, one series of switchbacks after another, watching the walls of earth tower higher and higher over us, until the trail finally started to level off a bit.  We followed the trail around until we reached the point where the ascent out of the grand striped and rippled sandstone bowl began, then doubled back until we found the connection with the Queen's Garden Trail.  This route would lead our ascent out of the amphitheater, offering different views than the way we came...  

Near the intersection with the Queen's Garden trail, I stopped and captured this view of the sun casting its spell on the ridge above us.

I then turned and within seconds took this shot of the sun peeking over the earth and through the tree behind me.

We walked the Queen's Garden trail, through a section that was wooded and cool and calm, as the trees and grass began to be bathed in the morning light and the birds turned and sang their morning song towards the warmth of the sun which had returned yet another day...

When we reached the Queen's Garden trail I took a few minutes to scamper up a side trail so I could get closer to the columns of water- and wind-carved rock...  

Then we continued working our way up the Queen's Garden Trail towards Sunrise Point, winding and working our way free from the shadows and crevices and back into the light, the end to our morning's adventure nearing its end...

 
All photos taken with a Nikon D7000 and Nikkor 16-85 DX VR lens.


You can view my online portfolio and purchase prints here.

Want to keep up to date with where I'll be and what my latest creations are?
Follow me on FaceBook and Google+
I'm on Twitter @KSchafferPhoto
And I'm now sharing iPhone photos on Instagram: @kschafferphoto