What Zion National Park lacks in size, it more that atones for with absolutely breathtaking beauty. Being so small, the geologic spectacles that make up the park seem to be right at your fingertips instead of out in the distance. The famous Narrows are no exception, since you experience them by hiking up through the middle of the river that has created the canyon. After each visit to Zion I promise myself it won’t be the last time (even though I live thousands of miles away), and every visit to the National Park should be punctuated by a hike in the Narrows.

Out in the middle of one of the deeper and faster moving sections of the Virgin River Narrows sat these two nicely shaped rocks. The rapid like water was sure to provide tons of visual interest, and to top it all off, one of the boulders had a leaf stuck right in the middle of it. I envisioned a stunning near to far composition where the canyon walls stretched back into the distance and the two rocks anchored the foreground. Since I planned to spend time in the cold November water, I was wearing dry-pants and all the rest of the trimmings necessary to comfortable reach the rocks. Still under different circumstances, I might have let this image pass by.

About a month earlier, I mailed away my D2x for repairs, and I was desperate to have it back in time for two weeks of photographing the southwest. The repair was needed because while crossing a stream in my hometown of Juneau, I slipped on a rock and crashed into the water. During the fall and the time it took to recover my footing (sprained my ankle and cut/bruised my knee) I ever so briefly dipped my camera into the water, and though it appeared to continue working, it was never quite the same. Even though I was reluctant to send it away, It became obvious by the beginning of October that if I wanted to have a fully functioning camera for my trip, I would have to put the D2x in the mail and hope for a three-week turnaround.

Back to the Narrows, you can imagine that I would probably refuse to ford out into the middle of the river with the recently repaired camera. But…the D2x would not be repaired for another month, and I was grudgingly making do with my backup D70. Thus, I didn’t even hesitate to jump out into the river, and using the tripod as three extra legs, I made my way out to the rocks. Setting up with the camera as low to the water as I felt necessary, I arranged this image in the viewfinder. Finally I could see how wonderfully the two rocks are balanced by the two trees, and the photo continued to grow on me over the ensuing days. While reviewing this file recently, I got the impression that the leaf stuck in the foreground had fallen off the tree losing its leaves deeper in the picture.

Having my main body in Florida while I flew down to the southwest gave me a feeling of helplessness. It would have been easy to let the lack of control I have over my circumstances get me stuck in a rut of self-pity. I was struggling with those feeling to be sure, but I was also working to have a different frame of mind. I’m reminded by situations outside my control that God alone has complete control, and instead of pouting about not being able to do things my way, I trust that His ways are even better. There was so much to miss out on by not being willing to stand in the middle of the rushing water. What a blessing to be working with a backup camera and be able to throw caution (most of it) to the wind. When I first reviewed this photo on my laptop later the same night, I realized how fortunate I was to not have the camera I thought I wanted. Even in the relatively trivial arena of cameras and pictures, I was reminded that God works all things together for good, and my faith in Him is now a little bit deeper.