VIEWFINDER

Those Darned Canyons of the Colorado Plateau

THE SEDUCTIVE SIRENS of the Colorado Plateau have cast their spell on yet another photographer. This tantalizing landscape of sandstone skyscrapers and steep-walled canyons continually charms us with a song too sweet to ignore. We've heard it all before. It's the echo of an enduring story. Count Gary Ladd among those unable to resist the plateau's allure.

"It's those darned canyons of the Colorado Plateau," Ladd admits. "Many of them are extraordinarily beautiful, pristine and permeated with an aura of timelessness. One can stumble upon a rockfall from last week, Native American pottery from a millennium ago, abandoned river channels from tens of thousands of years ago or rock units laid down hundreds of millions of years ago. There aren't many places left in North America where so many layers of time are so obvious and so photogenic."

Enchantment with the plateau's natural wonders started long ago for Ladd. So strong is his attraction to this canyon country that he took up residence at its epicenter 26 years ago. From his home in Page, it's easy to heed the call of the canyons. A buffet of national parks and monuments, recreation areas, national forests and tribal lands spreads out in all directions. Ladd's passion for canyoneering has an ironic twist. He arrived in Arizona 35 years ago to work as a technician on an astronomical electronic camera, looking deep into space from Kitt Peak National Observatory at the summit of the Quinlan Mountains near the Mexican border. After years of photographing the heavens above, he discovered the aweinspiring landscape straddling the Arizona/Utah line, and his focus suddenly shifted to the canyons below.

A love affair was born.

"I wanted to live within the Colorado Plateau, and I especially wanted to be close to Grand Canyon and Lake Powell," Ladd confesses. "I love these canyons of the Colorado River. I can't imagine a better place for me to live and do photography."

Years of hiking, climbing, rafting and exploring this remote region make him appreciate its canyons for more than just their photographic potential. He battles with the conflict of publishing his photographs and drawing attention to these primordial and fragile places, but he concedes that increased human impact isn't the worst that could happen."

"Certainly it would be better for plant, bug or soil organisms if we all stayed on the pavement," Ladd says. "What worries me far more is the pavement itself-the wholesale megadestruction of habitats, air quality and water quality that continues largely unchecked in the name of progress. Even if I were stupid and careless my entire life, I couldn't possibly match the level of degradation that goes on in these landscapes every day because of our nation's lifestyle demands."

Still, many are drawn to these places when they see Ladd's striking images. And he has plenty of them. His photography stock files burgeon with more than 28,000 4x5 transparencies and 16,000 35 mm slides, all captioned and cataloged. "I love working in large format because of the care that must be used and the quality of the final product," he says. "I haven't gone digital yet, but that will begin to happen soon, if only to make me a more effective photography instructor. And to keep my students from razzing me about the ancient technology I employ."

For whatever reason, Ladd neglected the normal stuff of everyday life while immersing himself in the slickrock wilderness of the plateau. He admits he can't cook or sew or overhaul an internal combustion engine. And don't ask him to program a VCR. But he excels at hiking and photography, and he gets to spend a lot of time backpacking in pristine landscapes with interesting people who share his devotion to these canyons.

"I kind of regret not being a scientist, helping to uncover the secrets of the universe," Ladd says. "But as it turns out, photography is just about the most important aspect of my life. I don't know what or where I'd be without it. Photography keeps me in touch with the natural world."

And his photography helps to uncover the secrets of those darned canyons of the Colorado Plateau. AH