Twisting Canyon. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.
Canyon narrows twist through mountains of Death Valley National Park.
Near the end of March we spent an afternoon hiking up this narrow desert canyon in a somewhat remote location in Death Valley National Park. Our plan was to be in its narrows, of which there are several, at a point in the afternoon when there was still plenty of light reflecting down from above… but not so much direct light from the midday sun. So we hiked directly up the canyon without making too many stops, passing right through the narrows without stopping. We took a break, unpacked photographic equipment, and reentered the canyon to begin our return hike, which would be much slower as we stopped to photograph.
In this section the narrow canyons walls were not only close together, but they also twist and turn quite a bit. The wash at the bottom of the canyon here follows a rather zigzag path, perhaps following some ancient weaknesses in the rock. Here there were also more large rocks on the canyon floor than I typically see in these narrow sections — my assumption is that the water, diverted by this winding path though the twisting section, may be a bit more likely to drop its load of rocks and gravel here.
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, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.
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