Wild Zion
This blog post is the fifth and final post in my series of posts relating to new fine art prints I am introducing of Zion National Park with the theme Wild Zion: Celebrating out of the way and less traveled locations in the park.
Sentinel of the Verge is from a hike I did this past March. In fact, this was a return trip to a place I had gone to four years earlier. At the time, I was awestruck by this balanced rock but did not have my pro camera on that hike. I had a vision of exactly how I wanted to compose the shot and vowed to one day return with my pro camera, as well as my tripod so I could successfully capture my vision. Four years later, I finally returned.
East Zion - A Land of Many Hoodoos.
The land south of highway 9, the Zion-Mt Carmel Hwy, after exiting the long tunnel through Zion National Park is filled with hoodoos. Unlike West Zion, in East Zion, scattered among the red and white sandstone rock are darker rocks. These darker rocks form a protective surface over the sandstone underneath them. As unprotected sandstone weathers away, the protected sandstone forms a hoodoo with this crust on top, like a cap rock.
The crust is believed to be formed from mineral rich ground water movement through sandstone layers. Especially minerals including iron oxides and manganese oxides. The formation of hoodoos in Zion differs from other nearby areas, such as Bryce Canyon and Grand Staircase, where harder sandstone from the Dakota formation forms the cap rocks.
Below are two views of the same hoodoo feature from different angles. (So good, I had to take it twice.) Notice the black cap rock crust. Also, notice the intricate details in the sandstone layers underneath it. There are even places where the sandstone has completely weathered away, allowing you to see right through it.
The hoodoos come in many sizes. The one in the photos above, may be 10 – 15 feet tall, while the one in the photo below is roughly 50 feet tall. Also, notice the darker rocks in the foreground which probably served as a protective crust over a hoodoo at some point in the past, but which now simply lies strewn about.
Approaching the Sentinel
But the most interesting feature to me was one particular balanced rock. You can see where it is sitting in the photo below. Look closely, way above the pine tree growing out of the cliff face, nearly all the way to the top of the cliff face. You will see what looks a little like a mushroom. That is the sentinel on the edge of the cliff face. It is a long way straight down from where it sits. Notice how the white sandstone around it slopes fairly steeply towards the edge of the cliff.
How did this form? Is it, or was it a hoodoo? I don’t really know the answer, but there is plenty of crusty rock nearby, so it is likely to have been protected by this crust at one time. It could also be that the orange sandstone on top is harder than the white sandstone underneath. The photo below shows a view looking down on the top of the rock.
Sentinel of the Verge: The Fine Art Print
On the edge of a tall cliff lies a rock, balanced on the flimsiest of sandstone pads. For ages, the rock has protected the pad to maintain its perch, while it sits silently, with great patience, like a sentinel guarding the verge. The flat sandstone in the foreground is sloped steeply towards the edge of the cliff. It is beautifully layered and very fragile. The edges of each layer form wonderful leading lines, gently curving back to the stone. How long can the sentinel maintain its spot in this secret location in Zion National Park?
The fine art print below, is available for purchase here.
Why I love it. This balanced rock is quite amazing to see. It sits on the edge of a steep cliff on top of a flimsy pedestal. But photographically, my vision was to shoot it from a low perspective, almost at ground level, to capture the strong leading lines that curve back and around the rock.
When viewing a large print of this fine art print, one feels like they can walk straight into the photo and up to the rock, just like you were there. It is a beautiful piece to contemplate how the rock got there and the amazing fragility of the natural world.
Note About This Hike
It should be noted that getting here requires a lot of off trail hiking. Off trail hiking is doable but can be dangerous if you are not prepared. For that reason, I do not share location information about off trail hikes.
Additionally, due to the fragility of this feature, I have been asked not to reveal the location of this balanced rock, and I will honor that request. Just know that it is somewhere in Zion National Park. Have fun searching.
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