Secondhand Sun... Hiking In The Pink Glow, Deep In Taylor Canyon

On our last day camped in Red Cliffs Recreation Area, we made a short drive to the Kolob section of Zion National Park... looking to add another notch in our hiking belts and bask in the glory of a beautiful sunny day in a beautiful sunny place. Taylor Creek captured our interest. It looked to meander up a murky bottomed canyon. High-rising walls of sunlit sandstone bolted upright, reflecting an eerie nuclear pink glow upon the shadows. 

It was cold out of the sun amid Kolob's graceful canyons. Had I known we would be spending the day in shadow I would have chose another hike. But Miss "Sara" took care to reward the whiny little ungrateful brat and dished onto my "plate" a sense filled feast. 

It took a while to "dawn" on me (pun intended) that the sun doesn't reach Taylor Creek this time of year. Damn it! I drove 600 miles from Colorado to get warm... and had to chose this tunnel of a hike?  But we were there, thus committed to see it through to the "carrot," Double Arch Alcove... even if it was cast in darkness and gloom and cold. 

But as we entered the narrow portion of the canyon, there was this pink glow of filtered light that eased my mood. It bounced off south facing red sandstone walls, permeating the canyon's deepest shadows. Everything was cast in pink. Red and yellow leaves on maples and cottonwoods shone with radioactive brilliance... our faces appeared flushed, as if we just rolled out of the Bit and Spur after Happy Hour. Of course I had no tripod, and only brought my point and shoot Canon Digital Elph. Timed exposure would be needed to catch the mood of this light. I did the best I could, and left the outcome to Miss Sara. Sometimes I need to just get out of her way...
Peace, Love and Joy.
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