Cliff, Boulders, and Tree. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
A solitary tree growing among fallen boulders is dwarfed by a sandstone cliff, Capitol Reef National Park.
Earlier on this late afternoon the had worked our way into an wide accessible sandstone canyon with tall walls, lots of boulders, and trees placed in interesting places. As the afternoon wore on these tall red rock cliffs that had been so interesting in better light began to bring an early twilight, and we decided we were done for the day. We hiked back to our vehicle, loaded up, and began our trip back out of the canyon.
We headed a short distance north and then the road jogged west and opened to the fading light as the sun set. (It sets a bit early here on the west side of Capitol Reef as the terrain slopes up noticeably to the west.) We immediately stopped, unloaded, and went to work photographing. The light was somewhat unusual, and it somehow desaturated the red of the sandstone. In this narrow section the wall on the north side is quite abrupt and steep, and its base is littered with boulders that have fallen as it has eroded over millennia. Among the giant boulders a single tree grew.
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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Hi Dan, another fine iconic canyon image from your Utah retrospective. Pinyon pine I believe?
Stay safe and well…………..
Hi Len, and thanks for stopping by!
I’m pretty certain that your identification is correct. When I worked on the photograph I took a look at one point and had almost come to the same conclusion — for several reasons including that I could not see any juniper berries — but I left it without verifying. In any case, it is a remarkable little tree, growing in a an improbable location.
I continue to have fun reviewing these Utah image files and turning up work that I originally left behind. Of course, it only makes me more anxious to go back to Utah!
Dan
Dan, another well executed iconic Utah canyon image. Pinyon pine I believe?
Stay safe and well………….