My friend Richard had on his agenda for the 2022 Wichitas jaunt a visit to the 40-Foot Hole, which we missed on our trip in 2014. I, of course, was all up for it, so after touring the Parallel Forest, we headed in that direction.
To reach the hole, one travels to a remote (ha) park site and then hike a moderately difficult trail through country that can only be described as arid, rugged, or both. I was somewhat disappointed/annoyed that other hikers were on the trail that day, but it is to be expected. (As Richard chided at the Parallel Forest, “It’s their forest, too.”) Other people on a trail make me feel more like a tourist, but that is exactly what I am. I prefer to think of myself as a photographer/journalist, but it doesn’t take away the tourism aspect of my activity.
I used two lenses, the 10-18mm wide angle and a telephoto lens for my Canon 80D. I have more or less retired my Nikon “kit” camera, though I discovered later in the day at Medicine Park that it still takes perfectly fine photos. I’m going to go off on a tangent here and say that my goal on this trip was to make images that looked as good on the camera card, in their rawest format, as they do after post-production. I enjoy toning and sizing, almost as much as I enjoy shooting. But I do not believe a photo can be created in Photoshop or (as the case may be) PhotoScape. It has to be there the moment you snap the shutter. In other words, I like putting in the work as I am operating the camera in whatever environment I happen to be photographing. Yes, I can add or subtract various elements in a computer program. But I like nailing the aperture and ISO settings in the moment. If the picture doesn’t work when I take it off the card, it’s not going to work, period.
We hiked to an gravelly incline and had to watch our footing in several areas. There were people out with small children and dogs, leading me to wonder what they were thinking. A twinkling stream ran alongside the trail, offering photo opportunities of its own. Our view widened and we were rewarded with a vast granite canyon carved out over millions of years by the sky-blue stream.
A man who had walked his dog to one of the overlooks asked us if we had lost part of our camera equipment. Puzzled, we said no, and continued. To pass the time, Richard told me about a cave-diving accident in which a man got stuck in a passage. After long hours attempting to free him, he ultimately died stuck in the hole. The cave was closed, his body left to mummify in the dark.
I was stunned by the physical beauty of our destination. The Forty-Foot Hole is a rocky crevasse. On the far side of it, we spotted a longhorn cow, standing somewhat perilously close to the edge. A suicidal cow? I tried taking its picture with my telephoto, but didn’t have the magnification needed. Richard offered to walk farther, all the way to the far side, but I reluctantly declined. I had hurt my ankle somewhat, and couldn’t envision a safe, accident-free hike past a certain point. He graciously acquiesced, and we headed back the way we came. It was a great adventure.
Open Aperture 