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Tag: hoodoos

06 August 2019

Walk with me under the Bryce Canyon full moon hoodoos

I hadn’t photographed the full moon since May, too many clouds in June, July looked good so I started to make a plan to shoot Bryce Canyon full moon hoodoos, and it worked.  I took lots of photos.  Hope you’re ready.

windows mask hoodoos Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park UtahI’m still learning to use the Photo Pills app ahead of time for some idea of time, degrees, and direction of rise (or set) from different locations.  Plus considering which trail to get down into the hoodoos without too much distance and drop.

Hoodoos last light Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park UtahI started down the Navajo Loop Trail about 7:15 for the 8:10 moonrise and maybe the 8:50 sunset.

looking up Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park UtahLooking up from four switchbacks down

Couldn’t believe how many people clustered along the rim and top of the trailhead at the mostly eastern “Sunset Point” view.

hoodoos Wall Street Bryce Canyon National Park UtahWallstreet, the other side of the Navajo Loop Trail

A few folks passed me still huffing up the trail, many carrying no water.  They may have done the 1.3 mile loop, 357 feet up in .7miles.  Not for me tonight.

Thors Hammer hoodoos late light Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park UtahI kept checking Photo Pills against the real time landscape.

windows Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

view through Hoodoo windows Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park UtahAt first I was sure I’d get the moon rise through one of the windows in a formation I call the mask.  But alas, the app was out of calibration.

Hoodoos full moon rise last light Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park UtahYet I knew it was close and went for a backup plan.  Wherever the moon would rise I’d surely find a good hoodoo foreground.

late light hoodoos Sunset Point Bryce Canyon National Park UtahHad to keep moving up and down the trail because the gnats/noseeums were driving me crazy, and ultimately ate me alive leaving terrible welts that got hard bumps and blisters.  Brutal.  A reaction I’d never experienced before, and hope not to again.

Hoodoos full moon rise last light Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

Hoodoos full moon rise last light Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

Hoodoos full moon rise last light Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

Hoodoos full moon rise last light Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park UtahHoodoos full moon rise last light Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

Hoodoos full moon rise sunset Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park UtahWith a bit of haze on the horizon I didn’t get the actual moon rise but I did get some fun shots of the full moon with the magical shapes of hoodoos.  I saw a person reading a book and someone else said a knight holding a staff or sword.  What do you see?

Hoodoos full moon rise sunset Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

Hoodoos full moon rise sunset Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

Hoodoos full moon rise sunset Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park UtahHoodoo is a word derived from late 1800 African Americans in the southeastern United States meaning “folk magic”.  I can’t find out who actually named these crazily carved and magical shaped rocks.  Zoomed in and zoomed out.

Thors Hammer last light Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park UtahA different view than from the top of the iconic Thor’s Hammer hoodoo.

Thors Hammer Hoodoos valley last light full moon rise sunset Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

Hoodoos full moon rise sunset Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park UtahI had so much fun.

sunset distant view full moon Bryce Canyon National Park UtahAfter my shoot on the climb up to the rim I stopped a young boy, maybe tweenage, from driving his remote control 18-inch car down the trail.  No motorized vehicles allowed.  Even though I wasn’t in uniform, told him I was a Ranger, and he asked if he could drive it back up and I said “no, carry it.”  Which he did with no other response.  Where were his parents?

last light view East from Fairyland Point Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

last light on hoodoos Boat Mesa from Fairland Point Bryce Canyon National Park UtahTo avoid crowds and for someplace different, the next night I went to Fairyland Point.  For the first time I found a place to park in the tiny lot.  Arrived at 8:25 for an 8:49 sunset and 8:58 moon rise.

last light Fairyland Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

last light Sinking Ship from Fairyland Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park UtahThe trail had obviously been walked on when wet and was lumpy and uneven which made for unsteady slow walking.  I should have brought my tripod and used it as a walking stick.  Thank goodness a light breeze kept most of the bugs away.

trees hoodoos sunset Fairyland Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

trees hoodoos Earth Shadow from Fairyland Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park UtahScoped a couple places out with Photo Pills but didn’t feel like I could trust it 100% even with recalibrating the previous night.

reverse sunset Fairyland Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

hoodoos sunset Fairyland Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

trees hoodoos Sinking Ship sunset Fairyland Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park UtahI would have had to walk a little further than I wanted to get below the hoodoos for the shots I imagined.  But with the hazy horizon I didn’t catch the first rise anyway.

Sinking Ship Hoodoos valley full moon from Fairyland Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park UtahA young woman and her “Sherpa” coming up the trail with “$1000s in camera gear” hadn’t even seen the full moon.  She joined me setting up her tripod.  Hope she got some better shots than I did as darkness deepened.

full moon hoodoos Fairyland Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park UtahI like to walk a trail under full moon light, to see the shadows, and wished for my tripod to take more photos.

Hoodoos full moon rise sunset Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park UtahProcessing these shots took a lot of time, going from silhouette to pulled shadows for a little more color.  I most time preferred the dark silhouette.  How about you?

Hoodoos full moon reverse sunset Navajo Loop Trail Bryce Canyon National Park UtahThis experience gave me the idea for a Shooting the light full moon walk about balance in nature, photography, and life.  Possibly in September.

red hills Tropic valley Blue Cliffs Aquarius Plateau sunrays rainbow storm clouds from Bryce Pt Bryce Canyon National Park UtahBut now that monsoon has finally arrived it’s rather hit or miss for clear skies to full clouds.  Yet I’m still working on a plan for August Bryce Canyon full moon hoodoos.  I’m off work the 14th for an 8:17 moon rise five minutes before sunset.  My work schedule on the 15th has me closing the visitor center at 8pm so I’ll probably miss the 8:20 sunset but should be able to make the 8:51 moon rise somewhere behind the hoodoos.

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Bryce Canyon National Park, full moon, Utah Bryce Canyon NP, full moon, hoodoos, trails, Utah 33 Comments
16 July 2019

Bryce Canyon sunsets, storms, rainbows – waiting for monsoon

hoodoos amphitheater trees sunset clouds from Bryce Point Bryce Canyon National Park UtahI really have to make an extra effort to go out for Bryce Canyon sunsets because when I do, it’s always more than worth it.

last light hoodoos cliffs valley trees clouds from Bryce Point Bryce Canyon National Park UtahSeems like I don’t get out of my RV home much after a full 9+ hour day of work.  Or sometimes my schedule has me working through sunset and I’m not at the rim.  I’ve been working quite a few late shifts.

hoodoos amphitheater sunset clouds from Bryce Point Bryce Point Bryce Canyon National Park UtahBack in June I took a chance on Bryce Point for sunset.  Considering the entire amphitheater basically faces east it hardly makes sense to have Sunrise and Sunset overlooks a half-mile walk apart and both facing east.  (Who names these vistas anyway?)  Yet Bryce Point hooks around enough to provide a northwest to east view.

hoodoos valley plateaus reverse sunset clouds from Bryce Point Bryce Point Bryce Canyon National Park UtahI’d been sending visitors there for over a month and it proved to be right on.  Yet it’s always a luck of the cloud draw.

curve sign SR14 Dixie National Forest UtahShopping last week took me to Cedar City via a pretty drive on SR14, more on that later.

stormy sky east of Rainbow Point Bryce Point Bryce Canyon National Park UtahOne day last week under cloudy and possibly stormy skies my work schedule took me to the end of Bryce’s scenic drive to Rainbow Point.  Presented two almost back-to-back 20-minute programs about the Grand Staircase geology.

lightning detector stormy view Southeast from Yovimpa Point Bryce Point Bryce Canyon National Park UtahYovimpa Point

Carried a small lightning detector that made noise and varied from 15 miles (no worries) to six miles which is a concern.  I do love the energy of a good storm.  However, I don’t want to be too close so also warned visitors.

light & shadow amphitheater from Rainbow Point Bryce Point Bryce Canyon National Park UtahOnly dropped a few sprinkles.  So not sure if it counts as beginning of monsoon season.  I’d be delighted if a good rain would wipe out the obnoxious biting gnats.   I seem to be having an allergic reaction with much itching, swelling, some blisters and bruises.  Just can’t bring myself to use bug spray.  Not sure which is worse.

Raven Rainbow Point Bryce Point Bryce Canyon National Park UtahAn exceedingly pesky Raven in the parking lot allowed visitors within only a few feet in the obvious hope of food.  Of course not a good thing, so I used the teaching moment before hazing it away.

trees mammatus clouds Rainbow Point Bryce Point Bryce Canyon National Park UtahBecause of the cloud cover scopes didn’t go that night so I went home early.

trees rainbow sunset clouds from RV Bryce Point Bryce Canyon National Park UtahI should have gone to the rim for sunset with a rainbow thrown in.  Instead I watched from my windows.

Sinking Ship valley light & shadow Aquarius Plateau clouds Bryce Point Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

Light & shadow hoodoos Bryce Point Bryce Canyon National Park UtahThe next night, before my evening program at the lodge, I roved briefly on the rim and caught some of the westering light on the Aquarius Plateau and the hoodoos down below.  Clouds continued to tease with dramatic skies and little rain.

After a full day of programs and closing the visitor center I came home, quickly changed, and went back out to Bryce Point for sunset.

trees rainbow sunset clouds Bryce Point Bryce Point Bryce Canyon National Park UtahOn the drive I saw a rainbow and hurried to park and shoot it without breaking the speed limit too much.  Under the late evening light the white limestone hills almost look like snow.

sunset over rim from Bryce Point Bryce Point Bryce Canyon National Park UtahAt first the actual sunset didn’t look like much.

reverse sunset from Bryce Point Bryce Point Bryce Canyon National Park UtahI preferred the reverse colors and light.

trees sunset clouds over rim from Bryce Point Bryce Point Bryce Canyon National Park UtahBut I remind myself to turn around again and again so as not to miss an opportunity.  It’s not every night I see colorful Bryce Canyon sunsets.

snag moon clouds Bryce Point Bryce Point Bryce Canyon National Park UtahOn the walk back to my truck, an almost full moon tries to shine through clouds.  Ah, next up, full moon.

Linking to Skywatch Friday.

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Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah hoodoos, rainbows, stormy sky, sunsets 42 Comments
04 October 2010

Hiking Navajo Loop (downhill) at Bryce Canyon

Mike & Gaelyn Navajo Loop trailhead Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

After spending a day touroning around all the overlooks at Bryce Canyon and looking down on the hoodoos, fins, windows, arches and bridges the next morning we took a trail into the canyon. 

map of Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

The Navajo Loop trail is only 1.3 miles (2 km) long with a 550 foot (167 m) drop in elevation.

Navajo Loop trail thru arch & surrounded by hoodoos from Bryce Point Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

The trail winds under arches of orange and yellow…

Hoodoos & windows along Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

…past windows to a blue world…

Thors Hammer & hoodoos along Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

Thors Hammer

…and below towering hoodoos full of faces.

Switchbacks between fins & hoodoos on Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

Then down switchbacks between the fins and into a different world.

Hoodoos above Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

Almost eye level with this amazing geology. Hoodoo, a pillar of rock, or, to cast a spell, maybe both.         

Two Bridges just off Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

Two Bridges

The oldest gray-brown rock at the bottom was deposited by repeated seaways during the Cretaceous Period between 144 to 65 million years ago.         

 Hoodoos & grotto along Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

For the next 25 million years, in the Tertiary Period, rivers and streams flowed into an ancient freshwater lake and deposited iron-rich, limy sediments that became reddish-pink rocks, the Claron Formation, from which the hoodoos are carved.         

Winding between fins & hoodoos on Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

After uplift, the steep slopes along the plateau’s rim allow increased erosion scouring off softer rock, creating gullies with enough soil for pines and firs to reach for the sky.

Hoodoos & fins from Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

…and leaving harder rock as fins…

Hoodoos above Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

…which continue to erode into hoodoos…

Rhino head hoodoo along Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

…of the most whimsical shapes.         

Hoodoos from Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

Paiutes living in the area when settlers arrived from the east called hoodoos the “Legend People” whom Coyote had turned to stone.         

Hoodoos & beyond from Bryce Point Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

Named after Mormon Ebenezer Bryce who built his home and ranch in the Paria Valley in 1875 with the canyons in his back yard.         

Hoodoos above Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

In 1923 President Harding proclaimed part of the area as Bryce Canyon National Monument and in 1928 legislation passed that changed it to a National Park.

Mike between the fins along Navajo Loop trail Bryce Canyon National Park Utah

After hiking down .7 miles (1.12 km) we began the assent into Wall Street.

 

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Hi, I’m Gaelyn, the Geogypsy

I retired after 29 summer seasons as a Park Ranger, traveling solo for 40+ years. My passions include travel, connecting to nature, photography, and sharing stories.

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