Something New From Price Canyon in the Chiricahua Mountains

The GoPro Hero is a small light weight sports camera that records in HD and is ideal for aerial videography, but also works well for ground based photography.  The wide angle lens allows the capture of "the big picture" and was used to record the hike up Price Canyon.  Instead of video, the camera was set to time lapse, taking wide angle photographs every 2 seconds along the route, collecting about 1400 images along the trail.  The camera sat at chest level and was held in place with an elastic harness which allowed free movement and did not interfere with hiking.   There is no view finder so it is easier to operate than an Instamatic camera and the settings chosen before starting so it simply a matter of turning it on and letting it run.  The 1400 images translated into about 4.5 minutes of video.  Traditional Irish music was chosen to accompany the time lapse video for 2 reasons.  One, in honor of the upcoming Irish music camp in Portal, it seemed appropriate to use Irish music and secondly the music fits quite well with the time lapse photography.

The results are presented below and contrary to popular opinion it does not make people or body parts look big.  In fact, a wide angle lens tends to push subjects away from viewer making things look smaller.

Chiricahua Mountains, Price Canyon, Trail 224

The goal:  A return trip to Price Canyon with the Portal Rodeo Hiking Club to clean up refuse along the trail.   Meeting in Rodeo, a group of 7 hikers and 3 dogs headed south for Price Canyon.  About 7.5 miles from Highway 80 the group reached the trail head in Price Canyon, trail 224, and headed up canyon with garbage bags for refuse.  To the groups surprise the vast majority of trash had been removed including bags previously filled by members of the hiking club.  The trail was in good shape and an easy 3 mile walk up canyon to the junction with Baker Canyon.  Several of the members turned around at point but 3 continued up canyon finding refuse to collect and brought out several bags of trash.

While investigating a rock face off the side of the trail my first snake of  the season was found.  A small Western Twin-spotted rattlesnake, Crotalus pricei pricei, was observed on a fallen branch on the hillside.  Characterized by dark twin spots running the length of the dorsal surface which merge toward the tail and a dark band running laterally behind the eye, this rattler quietly sat on the log and allowed photographs.

The total distance covered was about 8 miles for the those hiking past the Barker Canyon/Price Canyon fork and about 6 miles for those who returned from the fork, with an elevation change of 1150 feet to the fork from the trail head.  The map may be found either in the sidebar or at the following link

Price Canyon Trail

A Lone Pine Between two Crags