In Northern Arizona near the Utah border is a wilderness area that I love to hike called Paria Canyon. There are wonderful canyons and river beds to explore and one of my favorites is Buckskin Gulch. It is a long canyon that extends nearly 28 miles from one end to the other. I have never hiked the entire canyon but hope to someday. This canyon has narrow slots with high walls towering a hundred feet or more overhead. It is always advisable to check the weather forecast before going into these remote locations. A sudden storm can drop a lot of rain in the mountains and all of that water will be draining down and out of these isolated canyons. You can see in this image the log that is wedged between the canyon walls and can imagine the force of water that flowed down through this canyon at one time. My rule for hiking into these locations is to keep track of time to know when to turn around and head back. It is important to keep in mind that a four hour hike in equals a four hour hike back out. It is easy to get infatuated with the magnificent surroundings and lose track of time and your energy. The Southwest offers some great opportunities to explore some remote and rugged landscapes, and with a little research and planning you can enjoy some scenic wilderness.
Technical notes: I made this image with a 4x5 view camera using Kodak TMax 100 film. I scanned the negative using a fluid mount process on a Epson V750 flatbed scanner.
