Posted by Mr. Robot | March 12th, 2020 | No responses
In beautiful Sedona, Arizona this week, and I head to this so called Devil’s Bridge. It takes about 2 miles to get here from the filled up parking area. I hiked all the way up to the top in about 45 minutes with my photo gear on my back. So, lets get it kicked off with…
Imagine having the urge to poop when the closest bathroom is 2 miles away and a rocky trail with tons of tourists are blocking your way to get to that sweet heaven of community toilet.
Seriously though, that would be a terrifying feeling. Something that is truly the work of the devil. Speaking of which, there is a tourist spot where people line up and wait their turn for the rocky bridge photo op. The Devil’s Bridge in Sedona, Arizona is about a two mile hike from the parking lot all the way to the top. I had the huevos rancheros special that very morning, a protein bar in my pocket, a bottle of water, and my headphones jamming to the suitable Mandolorian soundtrack.
Let’s begin by talking about how impossible it is to find parking. I dont know how it is on most days, but on this particular one, parking was difficult to find. The main road where tourists pull off to the shoulder to park seemed to be the only logical choice. The crowds of tourists putting on their hiking faces are constantly walking through the entrance mostly looking optimistic, but only time will tell.
Peep these iPhone shots.
It begins with the exciting rock filled trail.
After about 25 minutes of hiking, you reach the first lookout point. It takes climbing to get here, but this is where you can say, “Fuck this, I’m going back home.”, or you keep on going.
Of course you will miss shots like this if you decide to just give up.
Once you’ve conquered the trail, then congratulations, you’ve made it to the tourist riddled Devil’s Bridge. What you will find there is a short line of people patiently awaiting their turn for a photo. Usually they will ask a stranger to snap the photos from across the way, wash, rinse, repeat. The line moves pretty fast, and you can take in the beautiful view as you’re waiting.
You can feel the anxiety all around as person after person poses near the ledge. The “dancing with death” element is in the air. I get the feeling that some people are there waiting for the worse to happen. For some poor tourist to get too close to the edge and plummet down face first into the red rocks. Yeah? No? Ok, maybe nobody is thinking this, and goodness forbid that this type of thing ever happens, but I did lose a Profoto B10 cover cap from my backpack. It slowly rolled away from me and down the edge. Everyone around saw and gasped in unison. Those things are 50 bucks! How is it that a piece of rubber can cost so much?
So this is what I was here for. As the patient tourists steadily await their turn for those wide shots, I use this opportunity to take some wides of my own.
Now, let’s talk gear!
A Nikon 14-24mm wide lens placed snugly on my Nikon D850 camera was the way for me to go.I wanted to capture the wide shot of the scenery, the bridge, and the tourists all in one. The clouds often cover the sunshine at Devil’s Bridge, so a bare bulb Profoto B10 Plus packed enough wattage to power through those dark times.
With every shot came a bright flash from the B10 Plus, and the tourists began to notice. I soon was approached by the cheery faces asking how they could retrieve the photos I was taking. I started handing out business cards left and right, meeting new people from all over the world, shaking hands, and sitting next to new friends as they started to share their stories.
There is currently a major concern over this corona virus or Covid19 as I write this story. I don’t think anyone here was concerned about that though. People were socializing and having a good time without much worry. Maybe it wasn’t as packed on Devil’s Bridge as it could have been with the pandemic going on. It sure didn’t prevent any of these good people from taking on the trail and enjoying life.
The Devil’s Bridge is an excellent tourist spot to visit, hike the trail, snap some photos, meet some new people, and take in an incredible experience that is Sedona. There is more to explore in the beautiful town if you don’t fancy hiking because that is the only way to get to the bridge unfortunately. On the bright side, there will be more stories, more photos, and more experiences to come. I look forward to sharing them with you. Yes, you.
Update: Look who got their cap back!
Hello friend.
