Winter returns to West Fork Oak Creek

December 12, 2013

Winter has arrived in northern Arizona with snow and very cold temperatures. On this morning (09 December), the temperature fell to -9°F in Flagstaff and -23°F at Grand Canyon Airport. That’s getting cold enough for West Fork Oak Creek to start freezing over allowing wintertime travel. It had snowed a few days earlier and with fresh powder this had the potential to be an interesting hike and photo trip.

Dry grasses poke through the shallow snow.

But the creek wasn’t frozen enough. Where there were rocks or logs crossing the creek was possible — if not easy. But in spots where one had to cross an expanse of ice — well, no, not yet. Nothing quite like stepping out onto the ice and having it crack in spider web fashion under your feet — with knee deep water below. So, we were unable to travel more than about 1 ½ miles upstream before returning.

We ran into only one other group of hikers on the trail. Although from California, they have lived in cold climes before and were not daunted by the cold and snow in the canyon. But they, too, turned around at the icy crossing.

Giant icicles hang from the sandstone walls of West Fork Oak Creek.

There will be other chances later in the winter when the ice may be safely passable. Or, maybe not. It’s always a bit of a mystery on what we will find when we arrive at West Fork Oak Creek.

Fog in Northern Arizona

November 30, 2013 / 1 Comment

We woke up to a foggy morning in Flagstaff and a quick check of satellite data clearly showed widespread fog across northeastern Arizona but not across the remainder of the state. We quickly broke out of the fog and into sunny skies as we drove south of the Mogollon Rim for a trail run with our running group.

Visible satellite image showing widespread areas of fog across the west.

Intrigued by the fog, I traveled to the Grand Canyon in the late afternoon in hopes of getting some interesting photographs. At Yavapai Point on the South Rim there were few visitors. After all, who wants to see a canyon filled with fog! Visibility was on the order of a hundred meters or less and driving was an interesting challenge.

Fog at Yavapai Point, South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park.

Leaving Yavapai Point, I drove east on the Rim Drive to the first pullout. Moments later, the fog briefly cleared and I could see the North Rim above the top of the fog. Then, just as quickly, it filled back in. A short while later, this clearing repeated itself. This time I captured an image that shows a vast expanse of fog filling the canyon and the North Rim just barely peeking above the fog.

A break in the fog along the South Rim, Grand Canyon.

A sea of fog fills the Grand Canyon and the North Rim peeks above the fog.

Then it was time for some fun. I set the camera to take long exposures and shot a photo every time a car drove by. The red streaks of the vehicle tail lights and the fog being illuminated by the lights created interesting images.

Vehicle tail lights illuminate the fog on the South Rim, Grand Canyon.

Harding Springs, Fall Colors, and the Full Moon

November 4, 2013

Continuing with the thread in the previous post we have more images of fall colors in the Oak Creek Canyon area. This time, we explored a small side canyon known as Harding Springs. Although there is a trail, we chose to walk up the dry wash since the best colors were on trees in and near the stream bed. And we actually found a small trickle of water in a single location.

A thin trickle of water in Harding Springs.

Later that day we hiked to the top of a rock formation known as Napoleons Tomb in Sedona so that we could watch the (nearly) full moon rise in the gap of Cathedral Rock. To make the image even better, hikers fortuitously positioned themselves in front of the moon. I wish I could say that I orchestrated this but it was just chance!

A Return Visit to Cathedral Wash

October 7, 2013

It’s been many years since I have visited Cathedral Wash — located near Lee’s Ferry, Arizona — and it was time to return. My last trip was so long ago that I was shooting with a film camera!

Cathedral Wash narrows into a sinuous slot with reflected light illuminating the walls.

One of the many water holes encountered in the wash.

With perfect weather — warm temperatures, clear skies, and light winds — it was a good time to visit this short wash that leads down to the Colorado River. What we hadn’t thought about — but should have — was that the extremely rainy summer season might have left lots of water and mud in the wash. It had.

The very first water/mud hole we encountered could not be bypassed on the ledges above and we resorted to removing our shoes and socks and wading through the thigh deep water. We were concerned that there would be other water/mud holes and they might not be passable at all but it turned out this one — the first one — was the only problem. All others were easily bypassed.

Hiking along the benches above the canyon floor in Cathedral Wash.

Cathedral Wash turns out to be a great place for yoga!

Once back at the car we drove the short distance from the wash to the river. We were impressed with the tremendous amount of erosion that had occurred during the rainy season. Washes had been deeply scoured and many large boulders from the cliffs above had been washed down to the road. It was an ineresting lesson in how quickly geological change can actually occur.