Fractured Cliff, Evening. Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. October 26, 2012. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
A fractured sandstone cliff in evening light, Capitol Reef National Park
Late in the day we ended up in a canyon not far from the main centers of Capitol Reef National Park, including the main campground. We drove into this canyon after the sun had dropped low enough to leave only the soft, shadow light. We walked a ways up the canyon, moving very slowly and photographing along the way. Given the late hour and the early loss of light in the deep canyon, it wasn’t long before we decided to head back to the trailhead and call it a day.
We packed up and started to head out of the canyon. Soon the canyon widened near its mouth and it opened to the west. While the light had mostly left deep in the canyon where we had been earlier, here there was still a bit of a glow on the tall sandstone faces lining the mouth. Below these cliffs the terrains sloped upwards from the valley floor, and debris from the cliffs collected around their bases. Seeing this light, we immediately decided to pull over and unpack everything and make some photographs before the light faded. This photographs shows a wonderful section of the cliff face where outer layers of the rock have apparently fallen in geologically recent time, revealing the beautiful pink rock beneath.
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.
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