Uploaded February 2016 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
Enter the cathedral gardens of Valhalla, a recently discovered slot canyon deep in the Oregon Wilderness. Written, and directed 2016 by Uncage the Soul Productions uncagethesoul.com
Produced in collaboration with Oregon Field Guide Valhalla Documentary opb.org/news/series/valhalla
We would like to acknowledge and give thanks to our industry partners who supported this passion project:
Pro Photo Supply prophotosupply.com
Icebreaker icebreaker.com
Seal Line Gear seallinegear.com
Five Ten fiveten.com
What would a secret and remarkably pristine slot canyon hidden in the wilderness of the Oregon Cascades have to say to those who first step foot into its halls? For the Oregon Field Guide expedition team who made a first decent of Valhalla in the summer of 2015, the excitement of discovering a place untrammeled by man was also met with a sense of responsibility. In publicly sharing details of its location and likely inspiring others to visit, Valhalla becomes vulnerable to the impact and often well meaning traces of those who are eager to explore it. Is Valhalla "our" playground? This short narrative film gives a voice to the place itself as we consider our relationship to a landscape that has existed in solitude and without human curiosity for perhaps thousands of years.
Music: 'Ember' by Tony Anderson licensed through themusicbed.com
Valhalla narrated by Tish Iceton tishiceton.com
Your persistent journey
has revealed my hidden gate.
Each step burns a deeper path
into this warrior’s heaven.
Reckless footprints
of your searching
Find no welcome here
Bear witness to this place
untrammeled by your visit.
In these cathedral gardens,
the chaos of rock and water,
the tenacity of life,
the wisdom of time,
sit around the warrior’s table.
But you arrive without invitation;
The illusion of a pioneer,
stalwart, on your hero’s journey.
This caravan of pride and ego,
Find no celebration here.
Here is where your proud waves halt.
Have you journeyed to the springs of the mountain?
Have you walked the corridors of Time?
Tell me, if you know all this.
With wisdom, place your next step
Do these sacred halls stand
for you to fill and subdue?
Pass through these gates of truth
and walk with the courage to accept
the death of your beliefs.
Enter the cathedral gardens of Valhalla, a recently discovered slot canyon deep in the Oregon Wilderness. Written, and directed 2016 by Uncage the Soul Productions uncagethesoul.com
Produced in collaboration with Oregon Field Guide Valhalla Documentary opb.org/news/series/valhalla
We would like to acknowledge and give thanks to our industry partners who supported this passion project:
Pro Photo Supply prophotosupply.com
Icebreaker icebreaker.com
Seal Line Gear seallinegear.com
Five Ten fiveten.com
What would a secret and remarkably pristine slot canyon hidden in the wilderness of the Oregon Cascades have to say to those who first step foot into its halls? For the Oregon Field Guide expedition team who made a first decent of Valhalla in the summer of 2015, the excitement of discovering a place untrammeled by man was also met with a sense of responsibility. In publicly sharing details of its location and likely inspiring others to visit, Valhalla becomes vulnerable to the impact and often well meaning traces of those who are eager to explore it. Is Valhalla "our" playground? This short narrative film gives a voice to the place itself as we consider our relationship to a landscape that has existed in solitude and without human curiosity for perhaps thousands of years.
Music: 'Ember' by Tony Anderson licensed through themusicbed.com
Valhalla narrated by Tish Iceton tishiceton.com
Your persistent journey
has revealed my hidden gate.
Each step burns a deeper path
into this warrior’s heaven.
Reckless footprints
of your searching
Find no welcome here
Bear witness to this place
untrammeled by your visit.
In these cathedral gardens,
the chaos of rock and water,
the tenacity of life,
the wisdom of time,
sit around the warrior’s table.
But you arrive without invitation;
The illusion of a pioneer,
stalwart, on your hero’s journey.
This caravan of pride and ego,
Find no celebration here.
Here is where your proud waves halt.
Have you journeyed to the springs of the mountain?
Have you walked the corridors of Time?
Tell me, if you know all this.
With wisdom, place your next step
Do these sacred halls stand
for you to fill and subdue?
Pass through these gates of truth
and walk with the courage to accept
the death of your beliefs.
