Colored Hoodoos of Coal Mine Canyon, Arizona by Patrick Marson Ong

Colored Hoodoos of Coal Mine Canyon, Arizona by Patrick Marson Ong

Coal Mine Canyon is a lesser known gem tucked in between the border of Hopi and Navajo Indian Reservations, Arizona. A place greatly inspired by jaw-dropping images of Paul Rojas, Guy Schmickle, Joseph Rossbach and Dave McEllistrum. This became one of my must see and visit place because of them and Paul was kind enough to give all the directions on how to reach this place plus a creepy ghost story too! hahaha! You rock man! Owe you one! Driving down the dirt road, away from the highway made us wonder if it was the right turn-off. No sign of any canyon, just a plain flat and boring field. Then after a few more seconds, there it is!!!!! Mini canyon with multiple layered ravines, cliffs and pyramid-like formations imaginable. Mix of red, orange, grey, brown and black colors complimenting each other. What an awesome view!! Without the presence of any guard-rails, you are free to roam around and explore the area. Finding a spot to shoot from was easy, well for a person who’s not afraid of heights. It’s always been an awkward feeling for me shooting in such terrain haha! With soft and crumbly edges all over the canyon, it was a crazy-scary experience. No luck with the clouds, went for that intense red-orange glow after sunset. What intrigues me the most are the ghost stories told by both Native Americans and Anglos about this place. “They claim that on certain nights, when the moonlight dances across the hoodoos, a white mist rises from the bottom of the canyon and forms the shape of a beautiful young woman. The stories say the apparition is that of a young Navajo wife who once walked along the rim of the canyon with her husband and small child, who both fell to their deaths. The grief-stricken wife returned to the spot every night until she died, and now her ghost returns when the moon is full. Miners have also reported they hear “knocking sounds” after dark. Another bit of folklore deals with the Eagle Woman who fell into the canyon and was buried there, but climbed out of her grave and now appears occasionally to frolic in the moonlight. Others believe the ghost is Masaw, an omen of death.” So……. Night shoot anyone?!? LOL!

Patrick Marson Ong: Photos