That's my opinion too. It's easy to find some little place of your own with nobody else's footprints even in it. But I've also walked a major spectacular canyon for over a week without encountering anyone else. Won't say where.
That's my opinion too. It's easy to find some little place of your own with nobody else's footprints even in it. But I've also walked a major spectacular canyon for over a week without encountering anyone else. Won't say where.
I was warned to stay out of slot canyons as they can fill with rain runoff from nearby mountains on a dry clear day.
Also don't camp in low spots.
Don't get stuck in washes ever.
We just opened a major road that was flooded for 4 months. Now it's full of trees.
I always camp high. In the early 70's I motorcycle camped on sand beach, Eastern Lake Michigan. Surrounded by big tents and motor homes.
Huge storm that night. My tiny backpack tent was dry, but by sunrise everybody else had gone. Had that happen often here in Fly Over country,
Yesterday we had tennis ball size hail 50 miles away.
Tin Can
@Tin Can good tips to really consider. Weather gets crazier and crazier....
Once monsoon season is over the danger for flash flooding diminishes considerably. Right now we're in the peak of monsoon season and storms pop up quickly, dump a bunch of rain quickly and then disappear. I never do slot canyons this time of year, and I wouldn't ever go without knowing that there's somebody watching the weather, just in case. One of the biggest reasons that all tours are guided now (to varying degrees) is for safety reasons. Several years ago a group of 7 to 10 tourists were swept away and perished in a flash flood in Antelope. They never knew it was coming.
That being said, I had a good experience in Canyon X with a 4x5. The pricing was reasonable and they tend to take a hands-off approach and allow you to wander at your own pace. They were pretty liberal with their time keeping as well.
To add a bit of shrapnel to the hand grenade, the local Navajo group who administer Antelope have forbidden tripods and even monopods inside the slots. Got this as a warning from a workshop leader. I may finally get to see if handheld LF is truly possible.
There are 3 kinds of people in the world: those who can count and those who can't.
Davidfisk sounds like you need to find a nice Crown Graphic with a working rangefinder for that option. Ive shot one of those handheld many times, you just will be limited to higher speed films for the most part.
Noted Utah LF photographer Bill Ratcliffe did some fine work in Antelope and other slot canyons in the 1950's and into the 1970's. A friend on the Big Rez would go with him and they brought ropes and an old wood ladder. All the time needed as few visited the locations then. His old Ektachromes sure did look nice.
The crowds today make it nearly impossible for tripod work in the tour group locations.
” Never attribute to inspiration that which can be adequately explained by delusion”.
I actually thought about the CG but came up with a better idea. I convinced my nephew, who's 11, to go along on the trip. Seems Paul is into performance art in a big way. So last night I put this big bean bag on his head, rested my Technikardan on it and said, "Paul, now do your imitation of the Statue of Liberty for the next minute." It gave me time to set the focus, load the film and click the shutter. Worked like a charm. The raised arm gave the setup extra stability. I'm thinking of renting him out to other LFers.
There are 3 kinds of people in the world: those who can count and those who can't.
Makes more sense just to go to some other slot canyon that isn't billed as a Disney theme park with a waiting line. I can't imagine getting a quality LF or even MF shot in a slot without a tripod.
Bookmarks