Capitol Reef National Park, July 2018: Hickman Bridge Trail

Getting up to shoot sunrise is rarely easy, especially in the summer when it's so darn early. Add a night of fitful sleep to the mix thanks to being in an otherwise empty (and therefore creepy) campground, and it's a serious challenge. Nonetheless, I packed up my tent in the dark and headed to the Hickman Bridge Trail to try and capture a little color in the morning sky.

And as usual, it was totally worth it.  The formation itself is less than a mile from the trailhead, and the trail itself was easy to follow in the low predawn light.  Finding a spot west of the bridge to set up so I could shoot back to the east was no trouble.  And as sunrise approached, there were just enough clouds in just the right spot to capture some glow from the rising sun without obscuring it completely.

I was able to capture a three-image panoramic as the colors intensified.

I had fun moving around a bit and changing up the composition.  The sun was taking its sweet time to come up, and providing a nice show while it did.

I found a spot that even let me get the crescent moon in the scene as well.

I had hoped to get a starburst effect from the sun peeking out from behind some rock, but after waiting for a while that didn't seem to be in the cards given its path.  So I hiked back, and enjoyed nice views like this one of Pectols Pyramid.

Thoughts of other hikes were tempting, but I had a seven-hour drive to Death Valley still ahead of me and needed to get on the road.

The Fremont River weaving through the park provides some welcome visual variety with its water and vegetation.

There's something very satisfying about getting in a two-mile hike and capturing beautiful images like these all before 8 a.m.  It makes it feel like anything else you accomplish that day will be gravy!

Related Links:

• Capitol Reef National Park: July 2018
• Cassidy Arch Trail