Number 22!
#thewave #coyotebuttes #landscapephotography
After a number of days with my cousin Todd, I decided it was time to head on down the road.
After a special 5 days in Flagstaff, I made the decision to head out and see about trying my luck at snagging a permit to hike the coveted Wave trail in the Vermillion Cliffs area.
If you don’t know, They Wave hike is only accessible through the permit system for that area.
I believe at this moment, they issue only 30 per day. This means only 30 people can hike to this iconic spot per day.
It’s a short 3.5 mile hike through an unmarked terrain. The rangers, however, did a wonderful job preparing the folks with permits.
At any rate to get a permit you have 2 options.
1) You apply on line for 15 of said permits. And you must do so 4 months in advance of the date you hope to go.
or
2) You show up the day before you’d like to go to enter the last minute drawing hoping to be one of the lucky folks to gain a permit only the day before you want to hike.
I figured I’d be spending a number of days in the area so what the heck, I’d give it a shot.
I talked some with the Lord (Jesus) on the way in on my 3.5 hour drive. I said, “you know, I sure think it’d be swell to get to hike and see this. Levi has longed to go on the trail. Maybe today I could land a permit so I can at LEAST photograph it in my own special way for him”
I arrived shortly before they opened the doors to allow visitors to fill out an application for the lottery.
When it was all said and done there were 64 groups attempting to gain access. probably better than 200 people overall.
When I filled out my application and handed it in the ranger assigned a number to it. 22.
Ah, 22, good number. That was my number in high school basket ball.
I thought….great sign.
On it went for about 30 minutes. Then, the fateful drawing time came.
The use a Lotto style ball tumbler.
First number called. 23.
AWWW MAN!
Second number called. 6.
Not even close.
Third number called (and they would only ultimately call 4).
Ball drops out.
Ranger heads toward the table full of papers and leans in.
I think…”man, he’s getting really, REALLY close to where that 23 was”.
“22, Robert Anthony”
In only the way that my enthusiastic self could do I loudly proclaim…
“YES!” accented with a Napoleon Dynamite fist clutch.
After which the entire auditorium erupted in praise and applause.
(I tend to have that effect on people I guess).
Glorious Day, I am going to The Wave.
So I did it. I hiked all around it.
It was truly a photographic candy store, like none I have ever seen.
It was also getting might hot as the day wore on.
Best time to photograph this landscape in particular is high sun. Noonish to 2 ish.
White clouds formed in the sky, even better for the photographic composure…at just the right time.
It then became a matter of sitting and waiting for clouds to let the sun through to catch the shot, quite frankly, of a lifetime. Not unlike my famous shot of Mesa Arch in Canyonlands…or even more famous my shot inside of the Lava Tube in the Mojave desert.
And just like Christ to spoil me, the cloud cover became more dense just in time to start the 3.5 miles back to the parking lot so that I might go on to my next journey. The clouds keeping me cool in what was supposed to be on oppressively hot afternoon.
I had lots of water, lots of Gatorade, and my favorite, as you already know, a Snickers bar.
Life could NOT get much better. Well, only to have been able to share it with someone I care about.
In closing, let me say this.
Life is about taking and MAKING adventure. You must want it. You must want to make things happen.
Do your part. God steps in and does the rest.
That’s what I think.
Til next time,
~rob out
