Some days just are not made for photography…
The alarm woke us on Monday – our last full day at the Grand Canyon – at 3:15 am, and an hour later we were on the shuttle bus heading to Hopi Point. We were the only 2 on that first bus run of the morning, and arrived at the point in complete darkness about an hour before sunrise.
We were a little bit concerned with how the day was going to shape up photographically. The barometer had been steadily increasing, indicating sunny and clear skies ahead – not at all what we were looking for. The last thing we wanted was a cloudless sky, and looking up into the sky all we saw were stars and no clouds whatsoever.
Using our headlamps and the little light from the stars, we were both able to find locations from which to level our tripods and wait for the sun to rise. When it did come up, there was very little color and it was rather disappointing photographically. Not only that, but we could now see a thick haze in the Canyon, and not a cloud in the sky.
After sunrise we spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon alternating between hiking the rim and taking the shuttle between points, looking for a location from which to photograph from later in the evening. It was hot at times, carrying 50 pounds of camera gear, food and water, and moving about with no cloud cover. Checking the barometer every hour confirmed to us that this was shaping up to be a poor day for photography.
We decided to stay at Powell Point. We hiked down to a ledge overlooking the Canyon at about 3:00 in the afternoon to wait out the remaining 4 hours till sunset. When we first arrived some clouds were starting to build, but they quickly disappeared, providing us with no photography possibilities. The point offered little shade and no protection from the wind. John did make the best of it, covering up from the sun and enjoying the view as seen in this photo:
We waited, and waited, watching the sun slowly create shadows in the Canyon. The haze in the Canyon was terrible today, and our hopes were fading fast for a good sunset. You can see some haze in the photo below of me waiting, and more so in the photo of John above.
Sunset eventually came, and just like the morning, lacked color and drama. We took the shuttle bus back to my truck and got back to my RV some 16 hours after we first left it this morning, with little to speak of in terms of great photos from the day. One last look at the barometer, holding steady, convinced us not to try for sunrise on Tuesday morning, so we slept in for the first time in 5 days, had breakfast, and left for home.
Despite the last couple days, the trip was a great success and I have some amazing photos I will be adding to my site in the next few days to a couple weeks. I am really excited about them and will post information here when they become available online. In the meantime if you have any questions regarding the trip don’t hesitate to ask.
