Bill Hatcher Photography

Saguaro National Park in the Black and White series

More Black and White photos from this week in the desert under a nearly full moon. It's crazy and fun to explore the desert at night in Black and White. I am careful not to step on snakes, one close encounter is enough! This is for my personal project on Saguaro National Park I started last year and plan to finish this summer.

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Storms in the Grand Canyon

I spent a few days dodging scattered rain storms while hiking below the rim in the Grand Canyon. For the most part I avoided the worst of the deluge or found a good over hang during the heaviest down pour.This photo is out on the Dripping Springs Trail.

 

Grand Canyon Serendipity

There's a lot of chance that plays into getting interesting photos in remote locations especially when you let the unfolding events control your shots. What I've discovered is on some photo outings nothing happens; the skies are clear, the company is dull and the location sucks no matter how stunning the place might be. Then on other trips great events unfold, great light happens and making nice photos is as easy as pointing the camera in the right direction and letting the shutter fly.

This point was made clear to me again on a recent multi-day hike off the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. I was joined on the trip with two botanist, Glenn Rink and Steve Till, as well as another avid canyon explorer Bob Dye.

I was in the Canyon on a scouting trip for a future story. The others had no set determined goals so the hike quickly unfolded as a casual romp in the Park to explore some new country and have some fun. And of course I brought a camera should anything interesting happen.

I liked this shot of Steve exploring the art of flying. If I claimed that this sort of activity is a hot new sport craze, it would have the Park managers of GCNP sleepless with worry, but it's only Steve enjoying some flight-time.

Okay I did have some photographic goals during the trip. I did want to make a nice portrait of Bob Dye. Bob is incredibly knowledgeable about the canyon and displays an uncanny ability to find ancient building sites and artifacts.

Glenn Rink is the ultimate energized hiker. As we walked out of the Canyon across the Powell Plateau in a blowing fog and wet snow,  I managed to get a photo of Glenn in his element. He later admitted that when I took this photo he was freezing cold and was nearly running to stay warm.

 

So like many people I enjoyed three days of photo serendipity in the Grand Canyon and I am already planning on my next trip. This last photo is what Glenn says is the ultimate scout of Deubendorf Rapids. What I saw was the beautiful curve of the Colorado River, the steep ridges dropping off the Great Thumb and more than a few reasons to return.

 

 

 

 

Hiking in Marble Canyon during the Grand Canyon Natl. Park Closure

Despite the Park closure I was able to do a four Day walk along the Colorado River in Marble Canyon on the  Grand Canyon Natl. Park boundry.I was able to do this by walking into the canyon from the Navajo Reservation side. Navajo hiking permits can be obtained for this activity from the Navajo Nation Parks at http://navajonationparks.org/permits.htm

On my walk I joined botanist Glenn Rink who is involed in doing plant collections for the Navajo Nation. Our 38 mile loop hike decended Hot Na Na Canyon to a pouroff above the Colorado River. We walked the bench above and then below the Colorado for 13 miles then exited the canyon at 29 mile or Shinamo Wash. From the top of the canyon we made our way via roads to our truck.

I found many beaches below the rapids to be littered with drift wood. The debris is the result of the big floods that have swept into the Canyon during the heavy rains this summer. We saw evidence of debris flows down a couple of the canyons and gullies from 19 mile to 29 mile.

We were surprised to find a new spring in Shinamo Wash flowing at around 20-30 gallons per minute. We figure this must also be due to the higher percipatation in area in the past few months. The spring begins near where the old Dam survey trail exits the canyon.

 

Sacred Datura blooming in Shinamo Wash               On the canyon rim I found the endangered

                                                                            Pediocactus bradyi

This was a difficult walk mostly off trail that accessed some rarely visited areas above the Coloraod River in the Marble Canyon.  During the hike I walked through some beautiful country and learned more about the regions rare plants. The last morning in the canyon I could look across to the sunrise on the North Rim in Grand Canyon National Park.

A Couple of my Favorite Desert National Parks

With a possible government shut down less than 12 hours away I am lucky I had a chance to visit a few of my favorite National Parks in the past few weeks. If the shut down happens like it did back in 1996 places like Canyonlands National Park in Utah and Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado could close their gates for weeks.

Hiking up dunes patterned with dark iron rich sands containing magnetite that contrast with the lighter colored sands at Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.

Expansive views from the top of Amasaback across the Colorado River from Islands in the Sky district of  Canyonlands National Park.

Frenchmans Cap, Tasmania

When I had a chance to revisit the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park in Tasmania I spent four days walking the trail from the Lyell Highway to Frenchmans Cap. The walk is rated a more difficult trail and  the initial hardship filter is 6 kilometer slog through ankle to knee deep mud across the Loddon Plains. This photo is me in full Goretex rain gear on the mud walk section. Rain fell everyday on the trail.

From the sodden Lodden's you climb through extrodinary temperate rainforest around Lake Vera and Lake Tahune. Melanie and I arrived at the summit in a zero visibility cloud, but a 100 meters below the

Photographed Photographing at Wilson's Promontory

Wilson's Promontory National Park is a few hours drive from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It's a place I have heard of and read about so when we were in the area recently I knew we had to stop by for a look. The wave worn granite we discovered in the park was an unexpected surprise. We spent half a day exploring the rocks, beaches and trails. On the next visit we'll plan a multi-day hike. Our favorite place on Wilson's Prom was the walk out to Sandy Point. Melanie had a camera as well and got some photos of me out photographing.

Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park Long Sydney Hike

Doing some low tide exploration and crab chasing in Waratah Bay, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.

Besides the Sydney Harbour and beaches Sydney's green belt of National Parks is it's best natural asset. The two Sydney area National Parks I've visited the most since I've been here is Lane Cove and Ku-ring-gai Chase National Parks.

Melanie crossing the rocks in Lords Creek

On the hottest day yet this summer, a sweltering 35c, Melanie and I decide to do a longish hike of around 25 kilometers in one of the nearby city parks.We considered the coast walk in Royal National Park, but

A Time for Show and Tell

I am off to the U.S. for a few weeks. My first stop is National Geographic Magazine in D.C. It's always nice to check in with my editors and others whom I work with at National Geographic. The visit is also an opportunity to reconnect, say hello as well as show some of the photography stories and projects I'vebeen involved in recently. They're a few stories to tell so I've put together a "show and tell"  from the

Where to Land for the Night

Part of what drives my photography are those opportunities to wake up to a new morning in an incredible landscape. This photo was made after finishing a long shoot in California. I was driving home to Colorado and needed a place to sleep for the night. The Ibex dry lake bed in Western Utah was the place I selected and this is where I woke up the next morning. If htere's a photography lesson here it's always chose a camp with a good view and bring your camera.