Above Ledges Havasu Canyon and Tuckup Canyon – Grand Canyon Day 7

Day seven started early. Really early. I woke up multiple times during the night admiring the stars framed between the tight canyon walls. It’s a really fun way to take it all in because I can stay wrapped up in my cozy sleeping bag and still appreciate the view. By 5 AM or so I was up taking photos. First of the moonlight canyon walls, then of light of the rising sun as it started to filter down into our little corner of the canyon. The early start was totally worth it.

The moon was bright enough to light up the canyon around camp
I climbed up to this ledge high over the river to get a better view of the sun starting to light up the horizon just before dawn

After some breakfast we hopped back on the rafts and floated through a few bends of the river to Havasu Canyon. We caught the eddy at the mouth of the canyon and tied up the rafts so we could explore the river and take in the beauty this particular creek is famous for. We spent a few minutes chatting with some backpackers that were about to float downstream on pack rafts, took their trash, and gave them some goodies that only 7 huge rafts can carry this far into the wilderness in ample supply: toilet paper and beer.

Looking up Havasu Creek from near the river’s edge
The rafts tied up in the mouth of Havasu Creek viewed from the trail that leads into Havasu Canyon

After that I grabbed my camera and tripod and started up the side canyon. Let me tell you, this place deserves it’s reputation for stunning beauty. The water is was strikingly clear and blue. Though it did not have it’s full famous milky blue color everywhere, the water was still incredible. We were also treated to a bit of a wildlife. We watched a pair of bighorn sheep climb their way up the canyon walls and then traverse up the canyon. They are comfortable with the heights and exposure in a way that I am quite sure I will never be. They are also extremely fast climbers, and ascend steep slopes in what looks to me like a run.

Our first view of the lushness the creek has to offer
A bighorn sheep ram walking along the edge of the cliff above us

I slowly made my way up the creek, taking in the sights the whole way. It was a nature lover’s playground. The creek was cool and clear, and I spent quite a bit of time wading around picking out interesting angles, rocks, and ripples. I could have easily spent hours in this canyon alone, but I had to at least try to keep up with the rest of the group.

One of many little rapids along Havasu Creek

Even the tail along the edge of the river was interesting

We eventually made it to a bend in the creek where the sun was able to reach down to the pools at the water’s edge and stopped to take a dip. It was hard to go under at first, but it was too tempting to get something resembling a bath in some clean water. Everyone spent some time enjoying their swim and then headed back down to the rafts to have lunch and get ready to push off again.

This particular set of falls was my favorite of our little walk
A closer look at one of those falls really shows of the color of the ferns hanging out from under the rocks

Havasu Canyon definitely makes my list of places I would like to get back to on this trip. Due to COVID restrictions we could not travel very far up the canyon, including any of the bigger waterfalls that are so famous here. Some day I’ll be back. Time was up for our visit on this trip though, so we got back on the rafts and continued downstream to camp for the night at Tuckup Canyon. After all the time we had spent at Havasu this one seemed a bit ordinary in comparison, but I still spent some time exploring it. I didn’t make it too far up the canyon, but still appreciated the tight narrows. After that it was back to camp to enjoy another excellent dinner.

Looking up Tuckup Canyon
As usual, there is are so many layers of cliffs to see in the background as you explore these places

Taken 11/2/21

Below Bass to Blacktail Canyon – Grand Canyon Day 3

By my third day in the canyon I was starting to figure out some of the tricks to packing my gear and getting organized. I started putting more and more of the things I might want during the day into the kayak, and also moved a couple of things I would want after breakfast (like my toothbrush) into my ammo can that would be accessible all day. These optimizations let me get my big bags packed earlier so that I wouldn’t be holding up the group when packing the rafts.

Watching one of our rafts float downstream
One of many rock pillars visible as we drifted by
A new slot canyon in the making

By 10 AM we had pushed off and were floating downstream. This section of the river is the end of the upper granite gorge that starts about 30 miles upstream. In this section the river cuts through all of the neat layers into the oldest rock. This layer of Schists and Granites is about 1.7 billion years old, making it some of the oldest exposed rock in North America. This layer of rock is also quite hard, making the canyon quite narrow here. However, in contrast to the previous day this day was relatively quiet in the whitewater sense. We only ran one rapid rated over 5 (Walthenberg), along with a few smaller drops.

The moon sinking towards the rock shelf above us
Still following those rafts downstream with incredible views of the towering Redwall

In the early afternoon we arrived at the day’s main attraction, Elves Chasm. After tying up the rafts we scrambled up the creek to a beautiful waterfall. This “hike” (if you can call it that) is a good example of the kinds of activities we did during the day. Lunch stops with short, rugged, and very rewarding walks or scrambles. I quickly learned that doing these hikes in my kayaking booties does not work well. We took some time at the falls to check out the chasm behind the curtain, climb around on the rocks, and watch a few people go for a swim. After that we made our way back down to the river for lunch.

The creek finds its way through a gap in the boulders piled everywhere
Relaxing by the pool – Grand Canyon style
The falls at Elves Chasm
The Explorer’s Monument seen from a pool below the chasm

After lunch and filtering some water we pushed off to finish up the last few miles to camp for the evening. We pulled up to Above Blacktail Camp, just upstream of the mouth of Blacktail Canyon. After the usual unpacking and picking a spot to sleep, I grabbed the camera and headed up into the canyon to see what it was like. I was immediately impressed at the size of it, as well as the intricacies of the many layers that were exposed starting right at the mouth. It was a fun place to explore, at least until I ran up against a wet scramble that I could not conquer in the hiking shoes I wore.

Looking into the entrance of Blacktail Canyon
Some members of our group climbing on the rock terraces
The Colorado and the mouth of Blacktail Canyon from above

We spent the better part of an hour climbing around in the canyon and at it’s entrance. After dinner I even returned to the canyon to take some photos of the milky way with the canyon walls framing the shot. It was a pretty cool place to poke around at night, and added yet another memory that I won’t forget any time soon.

The milky way from the slot canyon

Taken 10/29/21

Granite Camp to Below Bass Camp – Grand Canyon Day 2

This is the day we really started the whitewater adventure. I quickly learned the unofficial motto of this trip: “Lots of learning.” I was not expecting it to be so true. The process of packing up the camp and getting my gear settled into the rafts and the kayak took a lot of time, and that was after I had done my best to prepare the night before. I was struggling to figure out what clothing and gear I would want while on the water and what was the best way to pack up everything else in my dry bags. It was quite a sight to see the rest of the group all working together to efficiently pack up their gear and the rafts. Clearly the extra 9 days of experience made a difference.

A commercial OARS dory crosses the light cutting through the canyon just above Granite

The first day on the river started off with a bang. We ran Granite and Hermit rapids right off the bat, and both were a blast. My line through Granite was a little sloppy, but I kept it upright. Hermit on the other hand felt like riding a roller coaster with huge waves. It was an action packed day all around with 8 rapids rated 5 or above, including one of the biggest, Crystal. Fortunately, all of the rapids went well and we did not have any swimmers. Crystal even ended up being pretty easy, as the lower flow allowed us to sneak by the worst of the holes. That did not take away from the excitement of the rest of the rapids though. There were a lot of really fun runs in this section.

Me floating along a flat section of the Colorado

In addition to all the whitewater we also had some time to explore the Ross Wheeler. This boat was abandoned on the river in the 1915 by a group filming a run through the canyon. It has been sitting here on the side of this rapid ever since. It is pretty hard to imagine running the river in a boat like this these days. It’s both small and incredibly fragile compared to the rubber ones we were paddling.

The Ross Wheeler chained up above the high water line
The view of the inner canyon from the Ross Wheeler

After covering about 15 miles we arrived at our second camp, Below Bass. Once again the group sprang into action and unpacked the boats. I tried to help where I could, but also went to find myself a spot where I could lay my wet clothes out to dry. I set up my at the back of camp near the wall of the canyon. By the time we had arrived the sun was already below the rim of the canyon, but I still climbed up the wall a bit to capture a panorama of our camp.

Looking down at Below Bass Camp just before sunset

After a great pasta dinner I headed off to bed. I was feeling a little sore from the paddling, so I was ready to lay down and get some rest. Camping in the Grand Canyon is a little different than what I’m used to at home. Given the consistent weather I ended up spending every night sleeping under the stars. By the time I was headed to bed, the clear blue skies had transformed into an incredible display of the Milky Way. The stars were simply spectacular, and the light pollution was non-existent. It was pretty magical to watch that sea of starts move across the sky over the course of the night. Every time I woke up they had shifted, revealing new constellations, and in the early morning the moon rose and changed it all again.

My view of the stars as I fell asleep

Taken 10/28/21

1/31/21 Mt. Liberty at Sunrise

You know what is both a great and terrible idea? Climbing a 4459′ mountain to watch the sun rise. On the one hand, you are guaranteed to get an unobstructed view of the horizon. On the other hand, you need to get up at 3:30 AM to leave enough time to get to the trail head and climb to the summit before the sun is up. Despite the early wake up though, I enjoyed it the whole time. It started off bitterly cold (-3 degrees Fahrenheit) from the trail head. It didn’t take long though for the trail to start heading up hill and I quickly warmed up a bit. The trail was pretty much straight up the hill, so it was just steady climbing for 3 hours to get to the ridge and my first glimpse of the pre-dawn sky.

My first hint of the color to come

From there is was just a short walk up to the summit itself. I quickly discovered that I had gotten extremely lucky, because even though it was only about 5 or 10 degrees out, there was no wind. As a result I was able to get set up right on the summit rock and take my time capturing the early light as it started to spill over the ridges around me.

The first view I took in was looking up the ridge to Mt. Lafayette. It hung over me as I climbed the last half mile to the summit, and was the closest peak around. It was neat to watch it change color, gain new shadows, and start to really glow in the morning light as the sun came up.

Mt. Lafayette just before I reached the summit. Not much color yet here
The summit in full light just before I headed back down
The not quite risen sun projects a ribbon of pink above the summit
The first hint of light

The second area to catch my attention was the view out to the west. Given how steep the descent back into Franconia Notch is, the mountains on the other side look so close, but also so separate from Mt. Liberty. The view was divided into two groups, with Mt. Moosilauke on the left, and the Kinsman and Cannon range on the right.

Both ranges with a purple band of color above them
The summit of Moosilauke touched by the sun, with the valley in the early morning blue glow
Mt. Cannon just before the sun hits the ridge
Mt. Moosilauke as I headed back towards the valley

The most spectacular views though had to be to the east, where the rising sun created an incredible contrast between the dark and shadowed valleys, with the warm sun climbing into the sky. There were no clouds to light up, but seeing the ridges, snow, and rocks glowing with the first light was enough for me.

The moment of sunrise and the first light on the summit
The valley starts to brighten up as the sun gets higher

After spending a half an hour running around the summit with my camera, I took some time to appreciate the solitude and quiet of this place. The combination of the still air, piercing sun, and snow all around really made it feel like I had the entire mountain to myself. It made the early start completely worth it. Unfortunately, it had to come to an end at some point though, and I soon started back down the mountain. It was a quick and relatively easy descent with a mix of fast hiking and a bit of glissading. I started to pass more and more people the lower I got on the mountain, end even got a few puzzled looks as they thought about the timing of my descent.

Frost crystals on a frozen puddle
Don’t these look like mini ice ferns?

Once I arrived at the trail head again it was back to our cabin for the morning to catch up on my sleep and relax for the day. We went out again in the afternoon for another hike and also went into town for a nice dinner again. Always a glutton for punishment though, I decided to head back out for a couple of photos of the stars at the Old Man of the Mountain historical site. Let’s just say I didn’t get up very early the next morning.

12/20 SNETT and others

This time I have a collection of a few different things. First up, some photos from another bike ride along a rail trail. We met up with a couple of friends to ride part of the Southern New England Trunkline Trail (or just SNETT). We quickly discovered that this was a very different kind of rail trail than our last trip. The trail was not paved, and in some section was downright rugged. I was happy I brought my mountain bike instead of the single speed road bike I used last time. The up side though was that the trail was relatively quiet, and also quite beautiful.

We stopped for a break at the shore of this pond
This old lock was part of the Blackstone Canal which ran from Providence to Worcester built in the 1820s
The hinges from the lock gates were mounted here

I also spent a bit of time playing around with a new lens that I picked up for astrophotography. I haven’t had a chance to use it with truly dark skies yet, but this is what I was able to capture at Callahan.

Finally, I have a couple of photos from the first real taste of winter we got with a bit of snow and ice. It didn’t stick around, so there isn’t that much to show yet. Stay tuned on this front.

A blade of grass captured in ice
Can you tell which way the wind was blowing in the storm?

9/21/20 Baxter State Park

With all of the chaos that has been 2020 I decided I wanted to find something special to do. Given the limits on travel I was focused closer to home, and ended up setting on a trip up to Baxter State Park to hike the Knife’s Edge trail. I booked a lean to, completed my Maine quarantine, and headed up. My goal for the first day was to really just get up there and get set up for the hike the next day. However, it turned out to be an amazing day all by itself.

The first sight that caught my eye was the Medway Veterans Memorial Park in the town of East Millinocket. It was in a pretty little park just off the side of the road, but had an impressive tank on display as well. Given that I had been in the car for nearly 3 hours at this point, it was a nice little spot to stop and stretch my legs.

After another 20 minutes of driving I started to catch sight of the mountains in the distance. I made a few more stops to take in the amazing fall color and to simply enjoy the solitude. There isn’t much development this far north, so everything felt quiet and private, even when I was standing in the middle of a road.

Once I made it to the camp site I dropped off my camping gear at the lean-to and went for a walk along the Appalachian Trail. I hardly made it 100 yards before I was amazed at the beauty of this place. The tails were beautifully maintained, the landscape changed at every turn. I walked through clear pine forests, across small streams, through marshes, and over little hills.

The clear highlight of the hike though was the string of little ponds I wove through. The images above are from Grassy Pond. The glassy water perfectly reflected the mountains glowing in the evening light. I’m sure my hiking pace was slow as I stopped every quarter mile to take in another incredible view. Throughout all of this I never encountered another person. Some day I will have to come back here just to explore these ponds some more.

After weaving my way past Elbow Pond I ended up at Daicey Pond just as the sun was setting. Though I still didn’t run into anyone, I did see some signs of activity here. I could hear a few people cooking dinner at the campground at the end of the pond and saw the smoke from the fires floating just above the water. I also saw two people out enjoying the sunset in one of the canoes provided by Baxter. I tell you, this place has more to offer than any other state park I have seen.

After the colors started to fade I pulled out my headlamp and headed back towards camp. The last mile of the hike went by quickly. Once back at my lean-to I put together one of my top backpacking dinners: tortellini. Once the dishes were washed and all of the food was safely hidden in the car, I stopped by the group campsite to see how the stars looked so far north. Once again Baxter did not disappoint.

Random May 2020 Photos

Today I have a bit of an eclectic mix of photos that I took during the month of May which I felt were worth sharing, but which didn’t feel like they stood alone.

Up first, we have some photos of a birthday flower arrangement that my wife put together. She always enjoys this kind of thing, and I thought these came out great.

Next, we have a collection of odds and ends. Everything from some pictures of a backyard fire and the stars, to a couple photos from a recent kayaking trip, and a sunset shot of the Foss Reservoir Dam. Enjoy!

12/29/19 Oro Valley Stars

The last evening we were in Tucson we had a clear, moonless night, so I set up my camera outside and tried to capture some views of the starts behind the saguaros around the house. There was a bit more light coming from the neighborhood that I would have liked, but I still felt like it captures the beauty of it relatively well.

8/3/19 Mt. Bond Backpacking Trip

I have been itching to get out and get into the wilderness a bit, so when the opportunity arose I took it even though no one else was interested. I decided to hike up Mt. Bond in the white mountains. I set out in the morning on Saturday and ended up on the trail before 10. The first few miles were quite easy, and even a little boring. However once the trail started heading up the mountain I was really feeling my lack of recent hiking. I quickly got very tired and was really feeling the weight of my pack. I pushed through it and made it out onto the ridge below Bondcliff. I slowly made my way along the ridge with many photo breaks and eventually made it to Mt. Bond and then the Guyot Campsite.

The site was packed with hikers. Clearly I was not the only one who thought it was a good weekend to get outdoors. Fortunately there was still space in the lean-to, so I unloaded much of my gear and made dinner. Afterwards I hiked up to the summit of West Bond to watch the sunset. Once again, this turned out to be a popular choice and I was joined by many others staying at the campsite. Unfortunately, the clouds blocked the final bit of the sunset, but it was still a very nice way to spend the evening.

After hiking down from West Bond I spent some time taking pictures of the Milky Way rising over Mt. Bond. The Pemi Wilderness certainly did not disappoint on this front, and I had a great time capturing it to the best of my ability. After that it was off to bed for some well deserved rest.

7/27/19 Mere Point

For the second time this summer we took a trip up to Mere Point. It was a beautiful weekend spent mostly out on the bay. In between boat rides I had some time to take some photos of people’s beautiful gardens and even try out some astrophotgraphy. Though the sky is not super dark because of Portland, I was still pretty happy with the result.