Thankfully, we’ve been receiving a significant amount of snow this winter. We need it. Also, this grants me the opportunity to chase winter landscape photography. With freshly fallen snow, I can show winter in the photos for sure. So, when this latest storm passed and the plows finished their work, I wanted to take the soonest opportunity to shoot some photos. I found my opportunity and came back with these photos and more of a story. My Bryce Canyon photos worked out better during twilight this time.
We decided to try out some new winter gear for this expedition. We had some crampons which sat around for a few years. Since we wanted to hike down a steep and icy trail, we decided to try those out. Our list of test gear included more than the crampons but those tests went well so don’t require elaboration.
All seemed to go well until we arrived at Bryce. Then my spouse’s crampons came off his shoes. I had a difficult time putting them back on. Well, all still seemed ok so we started hiking. Several feet and one switchback down the trail, the crampons came off again. This time, it was just before a steep and slick spot. That’s when things took a turn for the worse. His feet came out from under him and he twisted in the air and landed on his side and arm. Thankfully, we didn’t find any damage beyond bumps and bruises. I recovered the lost crampons and he handed some of the camera gear off to me and returned up the trail to the car.
On the other hand, my crampons seemed to stay on, though I kept my eyes on them as I hiked. I went further than planned on my hike so I was sure glad they stayed put. I passed people hiking that trail with tennis shoes and ladies wide-heeled fashion boots. To this day, I still have no idea how they made it down or back. That trail was obviously a bit treacherous that day.
In spite of the difficulties and extra baggage on my shoulders, I made it down the trail to Thor’s Hammer. The light wasn’t right yet as sunset was yet in front of me. So, I attempted a nearby site which I wanted another shot at: the switchbacks. I ended up taking them down and finding the viewpoint for Two Bridges: the other marked location of that fork of the trail. It’s a short and narrow slot canyon which featured a couple of bridges passing between the walls.
The viewing site crept up on me and ended up a sudden turn to the left. Thankfully, I was ready and the light was good.
After this not-so-little jaunt, I realized that sunset was approaching. I needed to return up the canyon as it would get dark and cold quickly. Also, I didn’t fancy getting stuck outside of cell phone range either. Sadly, I found myself in the middle of those switchbacks when sunset and perfect pink clouds descended so I missed out on that. However, blue hour didn’t disappoint.
I wanted a bit of a different wintertime take on Thor’s Hammer and that’s indeed what I captured. Twilight in Bryce Canyon made for a cold wintery landscape scene in the famous desert of a national park.
To conclude, we decided to buy some newer and better crampons. They have straps which cross over the toes of the shoes. So, the next time we feel like a wintertime hike in Bryce Canyon (twilight or otherwise), we’re much better prepared for the trail. We should easily keep our crampons and our footing.
