This picture was not supposed to happen. The sun had gone past the canyon and it was dark, perhaps too dark. On top of that the wind was swirling in the canyon causing intermittent and sporadic movement amongst the vegetation. How could I capture the amazing colors I could still see with the human eye in such low light, freeze the flapping leaves blowing in the wind, and capture the serenity of the falls in a long exposure? Due to the limitations of film, anything I did would be a compromise. I said a prayer and hope for the best.
Havasu Falls, once a part of Grand Canyon National Park, is now under the rightful ownership of the Havasupai Tribe. This Eden-like oasis can be accessed by a 10-mile backpack through the harsh desert with the reward of a swim in the falls’ pool. Havasu Creek is mainly fed by a spring from which area precipitation percolates through cracks in the area limestone. As the water flows over the limestone, above and below ground, it breaks down the limestone into tiny crystals which get suspended in the water.
Depending on the amount of sunlight and abundance of the tiny crystals in the water, they can reflect a fantastic blue or turquoise color. The tiny crystals are also responsible for the unusual rock formation, travertine, which redeposits itself on whatever is in its path, encrusting moss, ferns, and/or trees. As rock, travertine can appear pink, red, brown, or rust.
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