Steve Bruno Photo

I’ve hiked many miles, and early on I discovered I preferred canyon hikes over those on a mountaintop or ridgeline.  It’s not just about having shade or water, but more of the adventure of coming around a corner and being amazed with something unexpected.  And while canyon exploring tops my list, some canyons are more memorable.  Those are the ones where the skies disappear and I might have to take off the pack and step sideways for a moment or two.  At that point, it’s hard not to feel enveloped in the land.  Sometimes it’s challenging to find an angle to photograph these spots, because there’s no moving around for a better angle, and looking up just yields a washed out image.  Whether it’s a slot canyon or just another thin slit in the earth’s crust, sunlight rarely penetrates to the bottom.  If it does, the contrast is too much, so the best light is often reflected sunlight.

Here are some of my favorite places to become enveloped:

Top:  small side canyon in Zion National Park, Utah

Second:  Antelope Canyon, near Page, Arizona

Third:  Cathedral Gorge State Park, Nevada

Fourth:  unnamed canyon in Navajo Indian Reservation, Arizona

In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Enveloped.”