10/30 Day 16

I went to bed pretty late last night and so I woke up pretty late and was sort of hangover tired.  So today was a day for short hikes and roadside attractions.  I went down Potash Rd. to see some petroglyphs.  The first ones were great but the second ones were quite faded and heavily marred by vandalism, probably idiot kids who think someone will give a shit that they were there.  I'm pissed, can you tell?

There is also a pull-off to see some slabs with dinosaur tracks in them.  Some were very distinct and obvious but others required a second look.

The largest and most distinct tracks have been damaged by attempts to make plaster casts of them.

After that, I hiked up to Corona arch on Bri's suggestion.  It was a fairly short hike, but enough to shake off any remaining crappy feelings from last night.  I really liked Corona and its surroundings were really lovely.

I then got back onto 191 to see a pair of mesas Hester told me about.  They are blue from the copper in the soil and one has streaks of pink throughout from iron content.  Again, totally lovely and worth checking out.  I also saw some free BLM campsites, so that's something to remember for next time.  Also for next time is the Gemini Bridges.  I don't think the Aveo could have made the trip, but getting there by ATV or mountain bike would be a blast.

10/28 & 10/29 Days 14 & 15

Now I can say I saw Landscape Arch before it fell.  Which it hasn't.  Yet.

Not much to report about yesterday.  I finally got my "in-town day" and I spent much of it sort of wishing I were out hiking instead.  Shopping for souvenirs is pretty wearying and most of the shops carry the same exact things as others.  I found some good stuff for Mom and Dad, but I have no idea what to get for Kevin.  He doesn't do anything outdoorsy, doesn't read much, etc.  Nothing seems like anything he'd be interested in.  I'm not sure what to get Sarah Louise either but I feel like it's got to be something good.  I bought a couple of rings at the rock shop (probably spent too much money there) and a locally-found geode, but I may keep the latter for myself and she may not care for either of the former.  The rock shop was really cool, though.  The proprietor is a local rock hound who had an iguanadon named after him and keeps the place more like a museum than a store.  There were all kinds of amazing things in there like actual dinosaur bones, massive slices of petrified wood, meteorites, rare pyritized ammonites, and minerals, crystals, stones, and fossils of all kinds.  It was a really amazing place.

"Since 1991, three slabs of sandstone measuring 30, 47, and 70 feet long have fallen from the thinnest section of Landscape Arch, prompting the Park Service to close the trail that once passed beneath it."  And one day, presumably after Landscape is long gone, the little alcove behind the arch may become a beautiful arch itself.  Erosion in action!

Alas, poor Wall Arch, it is no more.

Wall Arch, located just a few hundred feet from where the trail passes Landscape Arch, fell suddenly and unexpectedly in August 2008.

Today I decided to hike the Devil's Garden trail in arches which is a 7+ mile semi-loop and features famous formations such as the 200 ft. Landscape Arch, and the Double-O Arch, which is one arch above a smaller hole in the rock.  Given that it was a Saturday afternoon, the trail was pretty crowded leading up to Landscape and a little way beyond but the trail gets a lot more primitive and difficult the further out it goes.  The crowd thinned out quite a bit after just a few miles and I was able to enjoy the beautiful scenery in peace.  It was overcast for most of my hike but the sky began clearing up in time for the sunset.

This photo is like a page from an activity book.  "How many arches can you find in the picture?"

The underside of a particularly sturdy-looking arch

Fiery Furnace from a higher vantage point

After showering at the hostel, I dressed up in some thrift store finds and went out as Maru to Frankie D's with Brianne and Jay.  Somebody guessed that I was Schrödinger's cat, and I couldn't decide if that was more or less recognizable than a Japanese cat famous for jumping into and out of boxes.  It didn't matter anyway because I ditched the box pretty quickly and was just a cat for most of the night.  We moved on to Woody's before long, where many of the hostelers were partying.  Kristel came by the bar where Bri and I were sitting and we ended up chatting for a while.  It was fun to get out and hang with friends in a different setting than I've been used to lately.  However, the best part of the night was when Bri was talking to a friend and suddenly turned to me and asked, "do you want to go canyoneering on Monday?"  Hell yes I did!  So Bri and Andrew and I are going to scale Elephant Butte, the highest point in Arches.  I can't wait.

More Fiery Furnace

Double-O

The Three Gossips

Park Avenue

10/27 Day 13

We weren't sure at the time, but Google tells me this is Birthday Cake Butte.

Today was kind of low-key.  Hester wanted to hike to a ruin in Canyonlands called the "False Kiva" (kiva-like structure, but actual use unknown) so she could paint it.  The hike is a fairly intense 3-mile out-and-back but we got some great views of a giant butte (either Teapot or Birthday Cake) and the white rims of the canyons below us.

 

False Kiva, in spite of being omitted from the park map and guide, isn't the most well-kept secret anymore.

The ruins weren't anything too spectacular but the alcove in which it's located was pretty cool.  On our way out, Hester suggested stopping to do the short loop to Mesa Arch, which sounded good to me.  It's a fairly broad and low one but the view of the La Sals and the canyons below was really impressive.  The setting sun turned the La Sals purple and much of the surrounding landscape pink, blue, and gold.

The arch itself is not so impressive, but . . .

. . . It frames an incredible vista.

Since this trip I've been seeing photos of Mesa Arch and the view beyond everywhere.  It graced the cover of Backpacker Magazine just a few months ago.

As we got back to the parking lot, the sky in the west was full of blazing pink clouds and was stunningly beautiful.  It's almost impossible not to have an incredible day here unless you stay inside all day, it seems.

10/26 Day 12

Somehow my supposed "in-town break" turned into hours of slickrock playtime in Arches.  Brianne had suggested doing either the Devil's Garden trail, and all-dayish hike that visits many of the park's most famous features and formations (including Landscape Arch, which is crumbling), or the Fiery Furnace, which is a permit-only section that lacks much in the way of designated trails but instead offers endless opportunities for exploration.  Free-form poking around appealed to me quite a bit more since I've been following designated routes for the better part of the past week and a half.  We met up at Eklektic Cafe, after which Brianne's boyfriend Jay met up with us.  We were able to get a permit but had to watch a video about using the FF and cryptobiotic soil crust.  The desert is very delicate!  We could walk on bare rock and sandy washes but any other surface was strictly verboten.  Crypto holds soil in place, retains water for plants and provides safe and nurturing space for seedlings.  One step can destroy decades of growth and recovery can take even longer than the initial growth.  It consists of cyanobacteria, algae, lichen, and fungus, held together by microscopic filaments. 

Brianne finds a cramped crevice

I don't think Jay (behind me) made it through this one.

Anyway, I sort of surprised myself several times by scrambling up cracks in the rock fins to heights that would have caused me to freeze in terror if they'd been on an exposed rock face, and squeezing through tight spots where I wasn't able to turn my head for several moments.  The landscape was just too interesting and I was having too much fun to chicken out of certain situations.  I think I like the idea of climbing and heights aren't really a problem for me, but rock faces are just too open.  Knowing I can reach back and chimney up a tight spot, being able to rely on my body as well as my fingers and feet for support is a lot more comforting, and, well, fun. 

I'm glad I went with people who know their way around the place because I'm pretty sure I would have gotten myself hopelessly lost in my excitement.  B&J also knew where some really cool arches and other formations were located and who knows if I would have found them on my own.

Skull Arch

Brianne and Jay make a cute couple.  This is Jay's favorite arch in the Furnace.

I hated to leave but I was starting to get pretty hungry and knew I wouldn't be much of a climber with low blood sugar.  However, on the way out of the parking lot, Jay threw out a suggestion that we hike to Delicate Arch as a joke.  But when Brianne started speculating about whether we would reach it by sunset, I suddenly wanted to give it a try.  So try we did, hiking very fast over a pretty steady climb, and we managed to get there with plenty of time to spare.  There were a lot of Japanese people milling around the base, taking photos and striking goofy poses, but this didn't take away from the grandeur of Utah's most famous arch.  I did manage to get a few shots without anyone in the frame though I had to wait quite a while exposed to the cold wind. 

Anyone who dares to do this at sunset in the summer gets yelled at by the many hundreds of people gathered there.  There are actually YouTube videos of this happening.  The sun's position makes for a much better sunset in the summer, too.

Geez, finally

 We hiked back to the car in the fading light and the dark and Jay pointed out Jupiter near the horizon behind our left shoulders.  We stopped to see "the only petroglyphs the park will admit to having," (Jay's words) done by Ute people no earlier than 1650.  On the drive back to get the other cars from the cafe, we discussed some other trips we may try to fit in this week.

The Arch and the amphitheater

10/25 Day 11

Since I cleaned out my boat last night, I was able to get up early, load up my gear, and paddle about a mile to Lower Spanish Bottom for a hike to the Dollhouse before the jetboat was scheduled to arrive.  And just like my other hikes along the river, I'm so glad I was able to fit it in, having logged almost 17 miles to get there the day before.  The trail is very steep and rocky and climbs to the rim of the canyon.  Beautiful vistas of the river below and formations above the east rim in the Needles district could be seen at various points along the way, but the real treat was at the top.

Rainclouds were rolling in from the west, creating this interesting lighting effect.

The path not taken (it leads to other formations and a few granary ruins).

Towering striated rock spires had been visible from Upper Spanish Bottom but seeing them up close was fairly staggering at first.  The trail led right up to them and I wanted to see what was beyond what I could see from below so I pressed on with the assumption that I'd be able to get back in time.  As I crested a dip in the ridge, I could see a broad plain below with the trail continuing toward another dollhouse formation (I think there were 4 in all).  This was at least as beautiful as the one I was standing in and I'd really like to go explore them at a later time as well.

There are no words for how badly I wanted (and still want) to follow that trail.

Needles in the distance

On the jetboat, I met a pair of woman who had been descending the trail while I was on my way up.  They had used the jetboat shuttle as their access to the Maze and had spent all week backpacking there.  They'd also overnighted in Shot Canyon, so this is something to keep in mind for a future trip.  The jetboat ride took us through the Colorado River section of Canyonlands, which is just as stunningly beautiful as the section I'd just completed.  It was nice to get a bit of a preview of what I might like to do another time.  The rest of the day was pretty uneventful.  I was exhausted and happy to have a shower, clean laundry, and a bed by the end of the day.  I did hear from Brianne, who I met through the backpacking training I attended for work a few months ago, and we're going to meet up for a hike tomorrow.  I also had diner with a plein air painter from Washington named Hester (also an erstwhile railroad worker and attorney) who asked if I would join her for a hike to a little-known hike in Canyonlands to the "false kiva" ruins.