Grand Canyon hike, day 6

 December 15, 2020


Today's hike was just to climb the rest of the way out to the south rim. I took very few pictures because my past experience told me it wasn't worth the bother. In winter the top of the BA is continually shaded and the contrast between the sunlit and shaded canyon is just too great for either my camera sensor or my limited editing skills to overcome. If ever there was a scene that begged for the latitude of C41 print film this is it! I have hundreds of photos coming up BA from my previous trips and all either have blown out highlights or blocked up shadows. The geography of this particular place is such that midday in summer is the best time to photograph it because the sun is high enough in the sky to light it evenly and fully. But, for the sake of completeness here are a couple of photos from near the top.

I did quite a bit of fiddling with the second photo to preserve as much detail as i could.



Upon reflection I can't say that bringing the 10mm lens was as successful as I had hoped. After a lot of fiddling and messing around I have come to the conclusion that a superwide perspective doesn't really give a good representation of what you actually perceive. The shots at 10mm force a perspective that is too expansive and make the confined spaces seem bigger than they feel when you're in them. I think the optimum perspective is probably about 14-16mm in DX or about a 24mm in full-frame equivalent because it most closely reflects what my eyes/brain perceive. Turns out I carried that big clonking hunk of glass for nothing!

Well, that's my Grand Canyon hike. It was my longest backpacking trip ever. When I checked into my motel room in Williams I took the longest, hottest shower I think I have ever taken. I probably left a half-pound of dust in the carpet when I took off my clothes. I wish I had gotten farther up the NK, but all in all I still maintain that any hike you finish is a good one. This was a good one.

Return to day 5

Comments

  1. UnknownDecember 29, 2020 at 8:39 AM

    "Turns out I carried that big clonking hunk of glass for nothing!" ... Kind of like Rex Boggs and that Soligor 200MM/2.8 paperweight?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sean ElkinsDecember 29, 2020 at 9:57 AM

      This has to be Mark Campbell, right? Who else would possibly remember that?

      Delete
  2. UnknownDecember 29, 2020 at 9:29 AM

    What an impressive trip!! Great narrative and photos too! How did you get there - drive or fly? How was that? Thanks for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete

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