Golden Cathedral, Neon Canyon.  May 21st, 2011

Glowing Neon Walls

I remember this magic experience as if it were yesterday. A much anticipated float trip down the lower sections of the snowmelt-swollen Escalante River. This was the third in a trilogy of annual exploration navigating the entire length of the Death Hollow – Escalante River drainage through it’s endless meanderings towards Lake Powell. The May 2011 trip started with a 3.3 mile hike down Fence Canyon from the Egypt Bench TH. A toasty midday decent with ridiculously heavy backpacks ladened with inflatable kayaks and provisions for a week on the river. A brief glimpse at The Golden Cathedral from the previous year had me anticipating and preparing for this return visit all year. With a limited window to photograph on the evening before our float trip, I hurried the remaining 2 mile towards Neon Canyon and this cherished place of worship. The canyon quickly funnels you towards a shaded pour-off chamber. The now-serene plunge pool created over time a singing bowl chamber of sculpted sedimentary walls, resonating both light and sound. A baritone resonance ushers you ever deeper towards contemplation. We find our voices naturally lower in reverence to the awe of this glowing natural cathedral. A subdued but gorgeous neon spectrum of sandstone-reflected light pervades. Hues ranging through the golds, oranges, ochres,  splashes of purple and punctuated with various greens from moss and ferns favoring this sheltered alcove. I shot well into the penumbral light and a year of anticipation had been rewarded.

Fading Light

So excited to have my tripod and a recently lightened version of a panoramic nodal slide head assembly. With the logistics of this float trip, any extra weight carried ramifications effecting the group. I was in the canyon with a couple of hours of light remaining. Scouting the amazing location had me giddy with potential. I found this location right in the heart of The Golden Cathedral right underneath the final hole canyoneers rappel through at the culmination of their trip. I setup at the sandy tip of the plunge pool. As light faded in the deep recesses of the amphitheater, I found my exposure times pushing 15 second and I soon learned one of the limitations of AEB on the Canon Powershot G-line once light levels drop. This forced me to manually adjust differential exposures for ever angle shot in the series with the accompanying risk of camera movement. Finishing up with the light failing, I had my panorama shot and happily walked back to camp. Post production started with Lightroom processing, Photoshop selective recombinations and finally PTGUI assembly. Shoots like this set the scene for wishing for the functionality of a good DSLR full frame camera but without the weight. Along came the Sony RX-1.