Emerald

• Annie Besant.

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One of the reasons why I was so excited to move to the west coast was for the opportunity to explore the American southwest. As soon as we set up shop in LA, we started to knock the National parks off of our visit list. Of all the National Parks that calls the American southwest home, none is more spectacular than the Zion National Park. For such a small park it packs so many incredible sights as well as experiences per square mile. There is a reason why it’s one of the most popular parks in the National Park system.

I came across this shot from one of our earlier visits to the Zion Canyon as was reviewing my images. We were on a hike to the emerald pools when we came across these wispy little waterfalls. In a park full of sheer canyon edges, this innocent looking waterfalls and pools have caused more accidents than any other part of the park. The rock here is extremely slippery, and as you enjoy the ponds, it’s easy to forget how smooth the edges are and how they can turn deadly if you are not careful. These waterfalls form as each of these emerald pools gets filled with water and starts to overflow off a cliff. If you happen to visit after a rare desert rainstorm, then you might see a thicker curtain falls, but most of the time, they look like this. I loved the contrast they made against the deep reds of the wet canyon walls and the green vegetation. Plus, it's beautiful to see water anytime in a desert.

I so wish we could've spent more time/returned to this lake during our trip. We opted to check it out when it was pouring buckets in Lake Louise. It...

Arriving at Emerald Lake was a day full of rain, not worth going out at all for taking pictures. After also a night of rain i got up at 5am (staying...

One of the gems in the Canadian Rockies. The famous Burgess Shale, with the exceptionally well-preserved Cambrian fossil beds from 508 million years...

Willie, Yan, and I planned on spending 2 days in Zion and then heading to Escalante to find our way to Zebra Canyon. Mama Nature had different plans...

*** Explored #86 on 4/3/2012! ***

A couple weeks ago Willie asked me to reserve the weekend of March 30, 2012 for a photo-trip. About the same time,...