I finally managed to get the photo that I wanted of this hoodoo. It involved standing on a steep shoulder of rock and using a 14mm lens so I didn't have to hover 20 feet in the air farther back from my position. I love the way the diminutive pine tree clings, twisted, to the side of this hoodoo - living and succeeding where it should probably have failed.
Every time I see this tree, I'm reminded of Douglas Malloch's Poem. This isn't the shot I intended, but the park was closed by the government shutdown during the new moon, so instead I got the moon to back-light this unique Zion National Park hoodoo to see if I could still get some stars to bleed through. I wish I could claim that this is some secret photo spot of mine, but it's right next to the main road. Nevertheless, is still a favorite.
My brother and I got a late start heading up the Glacier Point trail (essentially 4.6 miles straight up). Our campsite, legally, had to be about 5 miles beyond the summit. At about 9pm, however, still not to the top, and under the cover of darkness, we realized we weren't going to make it to the campsite, and we started to look for a place to bed down. I suggested we go a little further. About 300 feet up the trail, we hit the summit. "Is that a drinking fountain?" my brother asked. Sure enough. Just beyond that, was a snack shop (closed for the night), and a parking lot full of happy, well-rested tourists in high heels who had come to see the view. After collapsing onto the pavement and making sweat angels for a few minutes, I got back up and shot these star trails as the moon started to illuminate the horizon (which is why the clouds are so visible). Despite our error, I consider this to be a hard-earned photograph.
