The Chess Moniker
With a little imagination the gravel line points to a piece of the Alaskan chess game. 
This is the beginning of a 2-mile long gorge facing the backside of the photographer. 
It is on the South Slope of the Brooks Range in Alaska. The Brooks Range has the oldest mountains in Alaska. It is the home of Dall Sheep and Grizzly Bear. 
The North Slope tapers into Arctic Plain which stops at the Arctic Ocean about 200 miles north of this location. 
The North Slope Plain is home of huge Caribou herds.
This was taken on the South Slope...
rock vertical stone alaska river remote wilderness matthews greatland