Scott Chandler
Wildness is a necessity- John Muir
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2014
- Messages
- 1,099
12/07/15
Lazily getting up I had no idea how to fill my day off. The coziness of a warm blanket wanted me to stay in the apartment but my inability to squander a nice looking day won out. Off to Arches I went!
I decided on the drive down that I would look into finding Ring Arch. I had a general idea of it's location so I figured it wouldn't be too big an issue. Well after walking for an hour up Courthouse Wash that idea fell apart and I proceeded to spend a while wandering the desert being lost and frustrated.
Park Avenue
Light clouds made for subtle shadows
Crazy ice
As I made my way back to the car along the cliffs instead of in the wash, I stumbled upon Ring Arch! So I still made my destination.
Tis a very slender arch. I can't imagine it has much time left standing, geologically speaking.
View back to the road.
On the way back to the car I found a set of tracks that I found interesting. At maybe 3 inches across and being in an area that shouldn't have dogs, I'm wondering if it wasn't a young mountain lion or big bobcat.
By the time I made it back to the car, a lot more time than I had planned had gone by. The sky looked nice... Off to Delicate Arch I went.
Well as I hiked up to the arch, a thick round of clouds blew into the western sky. I got to the arch right as the sun started to disappear into the bane of sunset splendor!
But, one nice thing about a sunset that would likely be meh, all the people left. I actually had Delicate Arch to myself! It was pretty marvelous. I got to take whatever pictures I wanted without feeling like a jerk.
Well for a couple pictures. Eventually a couple more groups came up. They hadn't seen the arch yet and darn-it they had to see it! I don't know why I stuck around longer. Something just kept me there. The people left and the arch was mine again. Not five minutes after the people left, the sun squeaked through a slit in the clouds.
Not much, but just enough for some glow. I don't often vocalize in natural settings, but my astonishment and joy overcame that habit for the brief moments that a glowing Delicate Arch was ALL MINE!
And like that it was over. Five minutes tops before twilight descended on the scene. A group of foreigners appeared and were loud. Satisfied the party was over, I took a parting shot and started the hike down.
Apparently there was another break in the clouds below the horizon though. I missed seeing the arch with some red/purple sky by ten minutes.
All in all a good day.
12/8
Tuesday is my long trip day for my weekends. It affords me a couple of more restful days. I looked at my list of longer hike options and decided to tackle the Syncline Primitive Loop around Upheaval Dome.
The day started out cloudy and really messed with photography. Luckily, my eyes still found the country heading around the dome to be thoroughly cool. I love the juxtaposition of red rock off the pinyon/juniper plant community.
With all the warning signs, I thought the trail would be a lot worse. Rounding the eastern side of the syncline was nice. Then the canyon started to dive on the northern edge and the trail became more rugged. Clinging to the cliff to avoid drops in the watercourse, I got the sense I was approaching something neat.
Upheaval Dome is a crazy geologic feature and this hike through the naturalist in me spinning. Everything was so confusing compared to how geology is normally. This canyon hit what I've found is called "The Breach", a massive cleft straight through Navajo Sandstone with more Navajo on the other side? But, it's diving, the rock over there should be Entrada... Oh yeah, syncline. A massive downward folding of rock layers, this one with the folds almost right on top of the other. Awesome.
On the other side of The Breach was another canyon, a couple hundred feet lower in the same rock layer I was in before going down. Too cool (I know, kinda nerdy.) After another stroll, the world fell away, and the real primitive trail showed up.
In order to drop down off of the Wingate layer, the park service has the trail descend a boulderfield. A very steep boulderfield. I've done worse, but never on an official trail in the parks. It raised the hair at the back of the neck a bit. I'm glad I went down it as opposed to up. (Notice the small cairn below, big boulders.)
Once below the Wingate, it was smooth hiking around to Upheaval Canyon.
Weighing my time and lack of desire to hike in the dark, I decided against hiking into the dome. After the hike, I probably could have made it out before needing a headlamp but I'm glad I didn't push it. While the remainder of the loop wasn't as rugged as what I had already done, I wouldn't have wanted to route find it in the dark. So up I went.
Twas pretty mellow until right after I saw this large alcove. Then up it went in some nice switchbacks and then a brutal ramp. Again, I got my cardio for the day.
Reaching the top of the ramp, it was only a few minutes before I was back at the car. Twas surprisingly nice for a spell again.
Again, not a bad day at all. It seems this area doesn't have very many of those (knock on wood.)
Lazily getting up I had no idea how to fill my day off. The coziness of a warm blanket wanted me to stay in the apartment but my inability to squander a nice looking day won out. Off to Arches I went!
I decided on the drive down that I would look into finding Ring Arch. I had a general idea of it's location so I figured it wouldn't be too big an issue. Well after walking for an hour up Courthouse Wash that idea fell apart and I proceeded to spend a while wandering the desert being lost and frustrated.
Park Avenue
Light clouds made for subtle shadows
Crazy ice
As I made my way back to the car along the cliffs instead of in the wash, I stumbled upon Ring Arch! So I still made my destination.
Tis a very slender arch. I can't imagine it has much time left standing, geologically speaking.
View back to the road.
On the way back to the car I found a set of tracks that I found interesting. At maybe 3 inches across and being in an area that shouldn't have dogs, I'm wondering if it wasn't a young mountain lion or big bobcat.
By the time I made it back to the car, a lot more time than I had planned had gone by. The sky looked nice... Off to Delicate Arch I went.
Well as I hiked up to the arch, a thick round of clouds blew into the western sky. I got to the arch right as the sun started to disappear into the bane of sunset splendor!
But, one nice thing about a sunset that would likely be meh, all the people left. I actually had Delicate Arch to myself! It was pretty marvelous. I got to take whatever pictures I wanted without feeling like a jerk.
Well for a couple pictures. Eventually a couple more groups came up. They hadn't seen the arch yet and darn-it they had to see it! I don't know why I stuck around longer. Something just kept me there. The people left and the arch was mine again. Not five minutes after the people left, the sun squeaked through a slit in the clouds.
Not much, but just enough for some glow. I don't often vocalize in natural settings, but my astonishment and joy overcame that habit for the brief moments that a glowing Delicate Arch was ALL MINE!
And like that it was over. Five minutes tops before twilight descended on the scene. A group of foreigners appeared and were loud. Satisfied the party was over, I took a parting shot and started the hike down.
Apparently there was another break in the clouds below the horizon though. I missed seeing the arch with some red/purple sky by ten minutes.
All in all a good day.
12/8
Tuesday is my long trip day for my weekends. It affords me a couple of more restful days. I looked at my list of longer hike options and decided to tackle the Syncline Primitive Loop around Upheaval Dome.
The day started out cloudy and really messed with photography. Luckily, my eyes still found the country heading around the dome to be thoroughly cool. I love the juxtaposition of red rock off the pinyon/juniper plant community.
With all the warning signs, I thought the trail would be a lot worse. Rounding the eastern side of the syncline was nice. Then the canyon started to dive on the northern edge and the trail became more rugged. Clinging to the cliff to avoid drops in the watercourse, I got the sense I was approaching something neat.
Upheaval Dome is a crazy geologic feature and this hike through the naturalist in me spinning. Everything was so confusing compared to how geology is normally. This canyon hit what I've found is called "The Breach", a massive cleft straight through Navajo Sandstone with more Navajo on the other side? But, it's diving, the rock over there should be Entrada... Oh yeah, syncline. A massive downward folding of rock layers, this one with the folds almost right on top of the other. Awesome.
On the other side of The Breach was another canyon, a couple hundred feet lower in the same rock layer I was in before going down. Too cool (I know, kinda nerdy.) After another stroll, the world fell away, and the real primitive trail showed up.
In order to drop down off of the Wingate layer, the park service has the trail descend a boulderfield. A very steep boulderfield. I've done worse, but never on an official trail in the parks. It raised the hair at the back of the neck a bit. I'm glad I went down it as opposed to up. (Notice the small cairn below, big boulders.)
Once below the Wingate, it was smooth hiking around to Upheaval Canyon.
Weighing my time and lack of desire to hike in the dark, I decided against hiking into the dome. After the hike, I probably could have made it out before needing a headlamp but I'm glad I didn't push it. While the remainder of the loop wasn't as rugged as what I had already done, I wouldn't have wanted to route find it in the dark. So up I went.
Twas pretty mellow until right after I saw this large alcove. Then up it went in some nice switchbacks and then a brutal ramp. Again, I got my cardio for the day.
Reaching the top of the ramp, it was only a few minutes before I was back at the car. Twas surprisingly nice for a spell again.
Again, not a bad day at all. It seems this area doesn't have very many of those (knock on wood.)
Bomber shots!