03/27/2026
It's always challenging to hike at night in unfamiliar territory.
Part of this trip to the Southwest has been to photograph the Milky Way, but the heat waves and clouds have kept me from being able to get out there, until today.
I have been researching places to see while in Farmington, New Mexico (where I'm learning that the joke is, "Come here on vacation, leave here on probation."). The area is surrounded by beautiful wilderness areas with petrified wood, hoodoos, fossils and more. Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness is one such area. It can be accessed from the east or the west, with no real trails to follow. The landscape can be very disorienting in the desert, even in the best of conditions, but nighttime can be even more so.
I woke up at 1AM after about an hour of sleep and drove to the west access, Bisti. The half moon was setting on my arrival around 3:30AM, and I put on my pack and my headlamp and began my trek.
I had researched some things to see out there, but I also knew my time and knee limited how far I could really go. My headlamp shone on some of the features as I went, but really, I was flying blind. I had downloaded a map on GaiaGPS, and I followed it and the Bisti Wash very closely.
Half an hour or so into my trek, I finally put my pack down and set up my tripod, having seen what appeared to be some neat natural features. I took my first shot, and was excited at the confirmation that the Milky Way was well-placed over some rock formations.
I began snapping photos, creating a panorama that I edited together later in the day. 23 photos in all to create this image of the full Milky Way with rock formations at Bisti.
I stopped and took a few other shots at different points over the next couple of hours, experimenting with some things I've been wanting to try.
As the eastern horizon began to glow, the Milky Way faded into the night, making way for the morning sun. I packed up my gear and headed back to the "trailhead".
This panorama was my prize for my effort.
