Sunrise Over Reflection Canyon

Some photographs cost more than others.

Reflection Canyon sits about 8 miles from the nearest road in southern Utah. No trails. No markers. Just GPS coordinates and the hope you can navigate slickrock and sand washes well enough to find your way. I wrote about the full trip details in a previous post, but here's the short version: 16 miles round trip, 48 pounds on my back, and temperatures that had me rationing water by mile six on the way out.

I hiked in the afternoon before, set up camp on the canyon rim, and waited for morning.

The alarm went off well before sunrise. I walked to the overlook in the dark, set up my tripod, and watched the sky slowly brighten. The canyon below was still in shadow, the water of Lake Powell dark and glassy in the early light.

Then the sun crested the far ridge.

I stopped down to f/16 to get that sunburst, knowing I had maybe thirty seconds before the light became too harsh. The layered sandstone formations caught the warm light first, those striped domes that make this place look like something from another planet. The water reflected the canyon walls. Everything aligned.

Within minutes the magic was gone. The light turned flat and the shadows disappeared. But I had the shot.

The hike out nearly broke me. I ran out of water about a mile from the trailhead. Lost three toenails from blisters caused by new socks I should have tested beforehand. Spent the drive back to town questioning my life choices.

Worth it.