Getting a permit to hike The Wave is difficult. Only 20 permits are issued per day in a lottery, half months before and the other half the day before. Having been unsuccessful in the advance attempt, I decided to try via the next day lottery, so I made the 45-minute drive to the Bureau of Land Management Office in Kanab, Utah. The Wave is a coveted location, and I’ve heard many stories of photographers who tried for years to land a permit without success. I must have cashed in all my good karma points, as my wife and I won the last 2 permits issued for the following day.
But there were a couple of problems. First, it was monsoon season in Arizona at the time, and a creek across the unpaved access road had flash flooded the day before, and our rental sedan would not have made it across. On top of that, my DSLR body had failed the day before, so I was faced with the prospect of having this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to photograph in this spectacular location with nothing but a basic point-and-shoot. Oh no!
Fortunately, there was a big-box mega department store in the town we were staying that carried camera gear, and I was able to buy the last DSLR they had in stock that was compatible with my lenses. My run of good karma continued, as I was able to then contact a local guide with a high-clearance vehicle who could get my wife and me to the trailhead.
Getting to The Wave was worth all the trouble and then some. The location is an embarrassment of riches. Everywhere I looked, there was one spectacular composition after another. The midday sun was actually an advantage, too, providing great contrast to the texture of the walls. I must have about 30 keeper images from this day alone. This was just one from the most amazing photography day of my life.
