Exploring Extreme & Mystical Landscapes with Gary Orona

By Gary Orona on July 06, 2023
5 min read

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I’m a Southern California native, but years ago I relocated to my true spirit home in the magnificent wild west of the Colorado Plateau in Utah. For more than 30 years, I’ve trekked into the most off-grid wilds in America's 48 contiguous States in search of rare and extreme wilderness landscapes for my film, TV and fine art photography projects.

I often say I live in a place where the west is still wild! I call it Savage Territory.

A view over the sublime Black Dragon Canyon near Green River, Utah.

A view over the sublime Black Dragon Canyon near Green River, Utah.[/caption] Savage Territory is a lifestyle which embraces the gritty, tangible primal in us and our natural world. In the Spring of 2016 I'm opening my first of what will be many fine art photography galleries. The first will be near my home in Green River, Utah. In preparation for the grand opening I’ve spent nearly every day of the last few years scrambling into the most distant and rarely visited wilderness areas of the American Southwest in search of photo ops. I trek and scramble across these wild landscapes 5-6 days a week, 50 weeks out of the year. What follows is a very typical day for me trekking into a forgotten canyon in search of mesmerizing ancient Native American pictographs and a unique vision of a cave inhabited by the ‘ancient ones’ thousands of years ago. I call this area the Mystical Alcove.

A photo of filmmaker and photographer Gary Orona while on location in wilderness.

A photo of filmmaker and photographer Gary Orona while on location in wilderness.[/caption]

Trekking into remote and often dangerous places where I will not see another human being the entire day requires careful consideration and numerous important decisions.

Perhaps my most important decision of the day: Which boots to wear? My legs, knees, and feet take a beating in these craggy canyons so if I botch this decision it’ll be a grueling pain-filled day!

A photo of filmmaker and photographer Gary Orona’s boots while on location in wilderness.

My gear depends on the terrain. This is my ultra lightweight rig (sure at about 45 lbs.). Since there is still snow on the ground I can’t be too much of a pack mule. It’s going to be a slog-fest so I try to keep it as light as I can without eliminating survival gear should something go terribly wrong.

Full disclosure, I complain about my various camera packs every day. I’ve tried dozens of camera packs and none of them get five stars. Rugged packs are either hike centric or camera system centric but never a good combination of both. By the end of a long day I’m mentally scolding these backpack company CEO’s for torturing me! Soooooo...KÜHL, since you don’t do camera packs yet, you need to get on it. You’re my last hope! This canyon at the edge of Utah’s San Rafael Swell includes slots. Wedged slick rock drops the entire lower section for many snow covered miles before it rises in elevation to a higher South facing ledge which should be dry. It seems simple enough, but there are icy pools of water hidden under the snow so each step requires focused concentration and careful passage.

A photo of filmmaker and photographer Gary Orona while on location in wilderness.

This desert is glorious but without respect it will torture the uninitiated. Plenty of wayward souls have wandered carelessly into these spaces only to return horizontally with the aid of search and rescue teams. Not far from here is the canyon which starred in the movie 127 Hours.

I’m continuously scanning every detail when I climb into these places. The land is vast and from any given spot in any direction I may stumble upon topography and light that explodes in great beauty. So I’m looking everywhere. I often stop, turn and take a look behind for two reasons:

  1. I memorize landmarks for the hike back.
  2. There may be a stunning view looking back.

In this wash there are no human tracks, only recent animal tracks, which magnifies the sense of mystery here. It’s these small details that add to the story of this magical place and remind me that I’m just a visitor in this territory.

A photo of filmmaker and photographer Gary Orona while on location in wilderness.

After a few hours of marching through snow, further up canyon begins to give way to melt and warm rock. This is a welcomed site since the dark canyons below rarely feel the sun in Winter. The chill evaporates, and it’s up to higher, exposed, and much warmer ground. I’m aching from the hours of snow-scrambling below, but I can feel my first stop is nearby.

Melting snow on sandstone in the San Rafael Reef of Utah by Gary Orona

Melting snow on sandstone in the San Rafael Reef of Utah by Gary Orona[/caption]

As I round a corner and start the ascent, the Mystical Alcove comes into view.

A photo of filmmaker and photographer Gary Orona while on location in wilderness.

But, as every fine art photographer knows, you’ve got to move the sun into just the right spot for the photograph to resonate. This takes decades of experience and I usually discourage novice shooters from messing with the sun but...

A photo of filmmaker and photographer Gary Orona while on location in wilderness.

This is the Mystical Alcove, and hidden on its ceiling are ancient Native American Barrier Canyon pictographs thousands of years old.

A mystical alcove in the San Rafael Reef of Utah.

A mystical alcove in the San Rafael Reef of Utah.[/caption]

The meanings of this haunting rock art is lost, and it’s unknown how old they truly are. Best guesses are that these artful works are somewhere between 2,000 and 8,000 years old!

It’s impossible to explain in words the feelings they evoke when resting with them, alone in solitude, allowing the spirit of the place to emerge. For me it’s a bit of a meditation, and without distraction there is clarity that connects the inner self with the place in peace.

Ancient Native American pictographs as photographed by Gary Orona

Ancient Native American pictographs as photographed by Gary Orona[/caption]

Success! By the way, I’m feeling warm and cozy in my Kuhl Spyfire Hoody even with the sun dropping fast and the temperature around 18°F! I’ve got to say for such a lightweight men's jacket, it's truly remarkable how warm it keeps a solitary trekker on a cold Winter’s day in Savage Territory!

A photo of filmmaker and photographer Gary Orona while on location in wilderness.

Thumbs up for a successful day in Savage Territory.[/caption]

But this isn’t my final stop. Not far away is my final destination for the day, a magical cave with a sky portal. I call this cave Alien Indian Cave, named after a row of pictographs on the left side wall which resemble ancient aliens!

This is a huge image I created using ten (10) stitched captures. The detail is astounding and without a doubt this work is going into my art gallery!

Fire Chamber by Gary Orona

Fire Chamber by Gary Orona[/caption]

A special thanks to Kuhl for keeping my warm blood flowing on this day at the office!

A photo of filmmaker and photographer Gary Orona while on location in wilderness.

Visit Savage Territory for photos, behind-the-scenes videos, and more. I'd love to show you around!

Gary Orona
Gary Orona

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