5-30 Slippery Falls

I have been wanting to shoot Slippery Falls ever since I got my camera.  I finally had a chance.  I let Daniel go canoeing with Papa and Bobbob, grabbed a couple of friends and headed up the creek above Twin Falls.  Not many people have been here, but I know Tim Ernst has because there is a picture of the waterfall in one of his books.  It took us about 45 minutes to go about a mile.  It's not real easy going, but it isn't too hard either.

After scrambling up the water slide with just my camera and tripod, I was finally in position. This rock helps form a pool that is about waist deep. (0.4 sec, f-22, ISO800)

We have come here a lot over the years.  One time during summer camp, our Scout troop and my uncle's Scout troop from Oklahoma decided we wanted to get on top of this waterfall.  We tried to boost people up, but never could do it.  We even tried building a human pyramid.  That surface is just too slippery (hence the name). Several years ago, my brother Andy and I carried a ladder up the creek.  We were going to conquer this obstacle.  Finally we made it!  Andy and I are very likely the only human beings to ever set foot on top of this waterfall.  We made it 20-30 feet up the canyon before we hit another impassable barrier.  (1/5 sec, f-32, ISO800)

You can see why this is called a slot canyon. (1/6 sec, f-22, ISO800)

Try to imagine, if you will, a bunch of Boy Scouts trying to climb this. (2 sec, f-29, ISO100)

Peeking out from behind the guard rock. (0.4 sec, f-22, ISO400)

The faster shutter speed on this one makes the water look choppy. (1/6 sec, f-25, ISO400)

The upper falls in line with the lower falls.  This shows the guard rock pretty well. (0.4 sec, f-22, ISO400)

Same thing, just a little farther down the slide. (1/8 sec, f-22, ISO1600)

Same thing again, but from a lower angle.  There isn't a lot of room to maneuver in here. (1/4 sec, f-22, ISO200)

Just to give you a sense of scale. (1/10 sec, f-10, ISO200)

Looking down the slide from the last flat spot before the guard rock. (0.5 sec, f-25, ISO200)

You kind of get a sense of how far the slide drops off. (1/4 sec, f-22, ISO200)

My first rendition of this one.  The color is pretty much straight out of the camera. (0.6 sec, f-22, ISO200)

I learned how to do a proper white balance in Tim Ernst's Photoshop class. I submitted this one to the Photographic Society of Northwest Arkansas Fall Fair Photo Competition.  I won 2nd Runner Up in the Nature Category! (0.6 sec, f-22, ISO200)

I converted it to black and white.  Lots of good tonal range here. (0.6 sec, f-22, ISO200)

My hiking buddies, Jim and Keith.  That's Keith peeking up over the rock.  I put this one in here as another example of scale. (1/15 sec, f-22, ISO800)

A better shot of Jim and Keith.  They had never been here before and were in awe of it's beauty! (1/25 sec, f-22, ISO800)