It all started 2 days before. I received a weather alert for the Grand Canyon National Park. It was warning of severe thunderstorms and flash flooding over the next 6 days, each day seeing heavier and heavier rain. While many would see this and quickly cancel their plans, I started packing and figuring out my route. In my head I pictured the turbulent cloud formations hovering over the vast Grand Canyon and I was determined to capture it.
This wasn’t going to be easy though. The next day was spent preparing my truck for the 1,000 mile journey – with over 120 miles spent off-road on dirt trails – and all in 100+ degree weather. That night I was alerted to an updated weather report. The storms were getting worse and my window of opportunity was shrinking. There would only be a limited time before the storms got so bad that I could be left stranded due to washed out roads and flash flooding.
The next morning I left at 4am and arrived at the Toroweap Overlook on the North Rim 12 hours later. It was an odd sight, very few clouds in the sky, but thick wet mud covered the landscape. After exploring the area, I found my spot. Sitting there I began to doubt the weather report as it was 100 degrees and just a few cloud formations off to the North. Just an hour later the weather report came true.
After that, I fought with hollowing winds and unpredictable downpours. Through all this you couldn’t push the smile from my face, as an amazing scene was building in front of me. As the heat began to diminish, the skies became perfection. The setting sun throwing colors throughout the clouds and canyon.
After an 18 hour day, I watched an unimaginable performance of Mother Nature unfold in front of me and with a long accomplished exhale, I clicked the shutter of my camera.
