2021 Recap: April

April was a little slower month for me behind the lens but offered many trips locally. Springtime in the Desert SW is a beautiful time of year with perfect temperatures for hiking. Soon, the desert begins to get hot, very hot, so April is the time to enjoy it! The first image from the month was one just up the road from my house, just off the road millions of people drive to Zion National Park.

Aqua Skies

I live near the Virgin River and one thing I enjoy about living close by is observing and noticing the changing colors of the river. At times, the river appears turquoise or aqua marine, other times it’s like chocolate milk and other times it’s crystal clear. On this particular day it was a beautiful green which was accentuated under a cloudy sky. I’d gone here to just walk and explore a little, so I was surprised to find this scene. It’s not perfectly sharp because of the wind rustling some of the branches but I don’t mind at all. It shows motion if you’re looking close enough to notice that in the first place then I’m happy with the result:)

Curve of Time

The 2nd image is another unexpected discovery, this time from a canyon to the East of Kanab, UT. We hiked through the canyon for many miles as the dry riverbed slowly gave way to mud and more moisture in the soil. Mud patterns began to appear, cracked and drying as the hot April sun baked the ground. I chose to compose something simple from the mud patterns instead of the more complex patterns to place emphasis on one thing: Time.

Mud Collector

Lastly, an interesting image showing the remnants of a flash flood with little nooks filled with mud. As the water recedes and leaves behind mud, beautiful designs are formed everywhere, only lasting until the next flood washes through. This hike was incredible and only got better and better with each step into the canyon. I’m not going to name the hike but we turned around where the canyon joined the longest slot canyon in the world. That spot is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to in my life and was only my 2nd time being there. I’ll be back again:). Thanks for reading, Eric.

Here

Some of the best mud walking you’ll ever find