Lost in the Desert - Was it Worth It?

Getting the Shot at All Costs - What Cost is Too High a Price to Pay?

Earlier this year I traveled to Nevada on a photography expedition, with my prize being the other-worldly Valley of Fire State Park.  Never heard of this place? Few have, which is amazing because it is just a little over an hour's drive from Las Vegas.  

Valley of Fire State Park - Scenic Drive at Sunrise

Most people probably find too many other things to occupy their time in "Sin City" or they head into Utah and the many national parks in the southern half of the Beehive State.   Barreling north out of Vegas on I-15, it's easy to miss the rather unimpressive exit which features nothing more than a truck stop and dry desert scrubland for miles. 

Having done my research and formulated a plan for my time in Valley of Fire, I spent three full days exploring the park - and I could have spent many more.  Most visitors would be content with driving the scenic paved road through the multi-colored rock formations and doing a few short hikes.  For those with more wanderlust like me, we need to get into the backcountry, away from the tourists, to really experience the solitude and essence of the place. 

Unfortunately, there really aren't any defined trails but rather routes with an occasional rock cairn or a post in the ground, which can be very easy to miss.  If you don't have good route-finding skills and a strong sense of direction, that can be a recipe for disaster - particularly in a harsh desert environment that can have sudden and extreme weather, including temperatures that can climb over 110 for many months of the year with virtually no shade.  And lets not forget there are some creatures that could also cause a lot of harm to humans, including poisonous spiders and snakes, scorpions, gila monsters, and prickly cactus to name a few. 

The photographer always sees his shadow - at Valley of Fire State Park

On this trip, most of those concerns would be mitigated since it was February.  Even so, daytime high temperatures were in the low 70s, and when the sun went down it dropped quickly by 20 degrees or more.  Water is nowhere to be found unless you bring your own and plenty of it. 

One late afternoon I headed out for a relatively short hike, hoping to catch a good sunset to photograph. Leaving from a popular trailhead, the "trail" was nothing more than sand through rock formations, with only a few brief, small markers.  Wanting to get up high, I took a few turns and soon had scrambled up on a promonatory that offered panoramic views in all directions.  The late afternoon light was brilliant, and I went back and forth getting numerous shots of several arches, cool rock formations, and distant vistas.  The sunset did not disappoint, as the sky lit up in pink and purple hues which contrasted nicely with the orange, gold and white rocks. 

A very cool arch lit up by the late afternoon setting sun

 In fact, the sunset was so good I stayed out until dusk, taking numerous shots of the increasingly colorful sky.  Just before dark I started to head back to my car.  The park makes a point of warning visitors to not be in the heart of the park and the scenic drive after dark.  I scrambled back down toward familiar territory, and I knew I had to make a right turn to connect back onto the "trail" back to the parking lot. 

The sun set that I stayed out for

But with the light fading fast I never saw that turn, and I kept walking. And walking. And walking. It was almost dark and I was in a canyon bottom, and the once-familiar way was anything but.  The very warm afternoon had turned into a very cold early evening.  I also had broken several of my own rules for this type of exploration:  I was only wearing a t-shirt and shorts, and didn't have extra warm clothing.  I also didn't bring enough water and had run out. I didn't have a flashlight with me either.   And I didn't let anyone know where I was going (I was traveling by myself and staying in a motel in a small town north of Vegas). 

It was getting hard to see anything deep in that canyon, and I started to have very real thoughts that I would be one of "those people" (unprepared) featured on the evening news the next day that had to be rescued after getting lost in the desert. 

Not the most setting of sights when all alone in the desert!

Fortunately, two things I possess are 1) a very strong sense of direction and 2) a very calm demeanor, particularly under pressure.  I also remembered I had installed a flashlight app on my phone, and quickly switched it on.  

I knew three things at that point also: 1) I had gone way too far and had missed my turn, so I stopped and turned around back facing the way I came; 2) The sun sets in the west (and I knew which direction was west from where I was), which was where the parking lot was and thus I would be searching for a lefthand turn; 3) If I couldn't find the turn, I could continue hiking due north (straight) and come out onto a side road in the park, and walk the mile or so down the road to my car. Of course it was now almost completely dark so all of that was much easier said than done. 

But with my phone flashlight in hand I slowly, carefully retraced my steps. There was enough light left in the sky that it helped illuminate the canyon.  Thanks to that, I eventually found where I was supposed to turn - easy to miss in low light conditions.  I made the turn and then trudged through the sand toward the direction of the parking lot, finding a couple of those sign posts in the light of my torch.  

"Bumps in the Road" - Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada

I soon was in familiar territory and back at my car, in total darkness, alone, the last person left in the park that evening.  Before leaving, I contemplated what had happened, why and that my own actions had caused it.  I resolved not to break those personal safety rules in the future on the long, dark, lonely drive back to my motel.  


But it was a sobering reminder of what lengths that photographers go to in order get "the" shot.  Staying out too late, walking or hiking too far, going off-trail, or even to places considered dangerous, both in the wild and in the urban corridors, all for the sake of coming up with a specific shot.  I have to continually remind myself to not push the envelope, and my personal limits, so far that I end up in threatening or precarious situations. 

In the end, it was a great to Valley of Fire, and I highly recommend it to anyone if in the Las Vegas or southern Utah areas.  I enjoyed it so much that I went back a couple of months later for more fun, photography and exploration.  The second time, however, I was more careful and did not put myself in any situations of getting lost or stuck out in the desert.

So was it worth it? I'll leave that to readers to decide.   
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The "Fire Wave" - an iconic feature of Valley of Fire State Park

Photo Contest Win and Feature on Utah State Park Website - My Journey into The Desert During a Rare Spring Storm

Friends of Snow Canyon State Park

Earlier this year, I was able to travel to the desert southwest for a week of photography.  I flew into Las Vegas, but my goal was not Sin City.  I planned to head north into southern Utah to spend some time in Zion National Park and also explore two new areas to me, Snow Canyon State Park and Red Canyon National Conservation Area, both very near the desert oasis city of St. George.  I would return through Valley of Fire State Park in northeastern Nevada, one of my favorite places for exploring and photography, before heading back to Vegas to catch my flight home.

As luck would have it, a storm system rolled into the desert just as I touched down in Las Vegas. Heavy rain pounded down on the city and was nearly blinding in spots as I headed north on I-15 into the dark desert lands ahead.  The storm settled in and wasn't going anywhere. Rain, hail and thunderstorms blanketed northern Nevada and southern Utah for the better part of three days, with snow in the high country in the Zion area.

Fortunately, I was able to make my first visit to Snow Canyon State Park in conditions not normally seen during the year. This meant that normally dry desert washes were flowing, and "potholes" in the red rock canyons were filled with water.  This was the equivalent of hitting the mother lode for a photographer!

Conditions were challenging, dodging frequent rain showers and threats of lightning, forcing me to retreat frequently.  But I got lucky on my last afternoon in the area. Going on a hunch, based on living for years in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado,  I drove into Snow Canyon about two hours before sunset, when everything was socked in by low clouds, fog, rain and a bit of sleet.

Soon though, there were signs of a clearing.  Sure enough, this heavy squall line started to break out and the sun came out.  I made my way up through the red rocks onto a plateau that overlooked the canyons and peaks of the area.  The late afternoon light was glorious, turning the already colorful canyons and rocks into a brilliantly glowing cavalcade of red and orange.  With all of the potholes filled with water it made for some great reflection shots.

The image you see, above in the screen shot and the full image below, I call "Heart of Stone." It was one of not one but two of my images that won the Friends of Snow Canyon State Park's photo contest. Both images are now featured prominently on their newly-designed website, and are right here below.

If you go to southern Utah's red rock canyon country, you must make a trip to Snow Canyon. It's a largely undiscovered gem missed by most travelers in their rush to go to Zion and the other "Big 5" national parks of the region.

While your at it, check out the Friends of Snow Canyon website and see all the great things they do to support the park!

Here is Heart of Stone:

This was my other image selected as a winner. I haven't named it!

Here are a couple more from this gorgeous park. Note the double rainbow that I caught in the 2nd image below. It only lasted about 2 minutes then was gone for good.