Soldiers Pass Hike

On our first morning in Sedona, I arose early and set out for a hike. I chose the Soldiers Pass Trail, in West Sedona, a short distance from our hotel. The trail is actually a 7.5 mile loop but I chose to limit my travels to those areas that promised to offer the best photographic opportunities.

I think the descriptions of the trail were written more for hikers than hiker/photographers. There is no question that the surroundings are scenic, a beautiful environment for a hike. On the other hand, the touted attractions were not all that interesting to photograph, in part due to the time of the year. For example, the “7 Sacred Pools” are no doubt better when there is more water.

I took the challenge to find photographs, practicing the “Art of Seeing”, a subject of a workshop I attended a few years ago and the title of a book by one of the workshop’s instructors. It’s a good skill to have and so I embraced the opportunity to practice.

I did find the sacred pools, well one of them at least. I suspect the remainder of them were further down slope but I couldn’t find a way to get there. Since it did not appear that the water continued further, I didn’t press the matter. I liked the reflection of tree in the pool and positioned my camera to capture it.

As I walked, I scanned my surroundings looking for scenes I’d like to photograph. I found a few interesting compositions, including this open area, a widening of the path and some relief from the trees and the accompanying shadows. The weatherbeaten old Piñon pine on the left caught my attention, an interesting element of this composition.

There were some good scenes right on the trail itself, for example these two pines bordering the left side of the path. I like the mottled light, created by the light shining through the many trees along the trail. The gnarly branches of the trees are also visually appealing.

I noticed some open areas off the main trail that offered good photographic opportunity. This scene, includes two nicely framed pines in a small opening below the trail .

I think the most interesting area I visited is one called The Arches. The arches are mainly cavities into the cliffside of the Brin Mesa. Only a few penetrate the cliff’s face to create a complete archway. I ascended to a plateau just beneath the top of the mesa to be in position to take some photographs.

This picture features a cavity into the rock. What I found interesting is the colour and texture of the rock. What I found challenging were the shadows created by the cliff that angled around behind me. As the sun rose in the sky, the shadow you see in the bottom left corner of the image receded and gave me uniform light across the cliff face. Patience is your friend.

Hikers entered the picture as I prepared to take this next shot. I didn’t climb up to this cavity, I’d be too close to get the picture I wanted. But the hikers, a group of at least a dozen did. Once again, I waited patiently while they looked around, took some selfies and then climbed down. I had a very limited view of the opening, but using a telephoto lens I was able to zoom in and capture enough of it to create a worthwhile image. Again, I was intrigued by the colour and texture of the rock surrounding the entry to the cavity.

My last picture for today is the masthead photo at the top of the page. It’s a panoramic view of the mountain range across the valley, taken from the plateau below the top of the Brin Mesa. It’s composed of 6 images, stitched together to capture the full breadth of the range.

Best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2019.