Hiking Happenings
December 2003
Walkabout with
Rory Tyler:
Sun Spots
Enjoying the winter sunshine |
Between the gaps of the winter
storm tracks diurnally inclined, protoplasmic, self-propelled
organisms; including, for example, iguanids, ungulates, and
ape-family bipeds with the expanded cerebral cortexes (lizards,
deer, and people); exhibit genetically induced tropisms by
seeking silicon oxide masses that are well-aspected for solar
collection and where Aeolian phenomena have minimal impact.
Or, simply put, rock walls that are out of the wind can be
pretty cozy on any sunny December day.
Hey, no secret there! What
a pleasure to amble along a warm rock bench or to snuggle
up to a toasty wall, nibbling a yummy snack and enjoying the
languid, wandering conversation of an amiable companion. Or
perhaps, simply drifting along in a singular reverie in the
secure keep of a sheltering alcove. You know you’re
not the first, even though it feels like it. For thousands
of years people here have been seeking these sunny sanctuaries
on chilly winter days. This is the kind of place you’re
likely to find the stone chips, charcoal deposits, and rock
art remainders of the Ancients. There’s something comforting
in the knowledge that, with all the strange changes and peculiar
stresses that come along with the “blessings”
of modernity, there’s still something primitive and
satisfying about the way the heat from the stone soaks into
your back. There’s a biological contentment in simply
turning your face into the soft winter sun, closing your eyes,
and basking in the glory of light and love. And so I will
suggest, for visitor and resident alike, three pleasant Sun
Spots suitably situated for the archetypal edification of
this most pleasantly primal instinct.
A warm rock wall in Hellroaring
Canyon |
CORONA ARCH and
CULVERT CANYON
A classic Navajo Sandstone Solar Collector (NSSC) and a
great morning warmer! The sun comes up early here all winter.
NSSC’s abound but, bang for the buck, no place delivers
so much with so little effort as the trail to massively
elegant Corona Arch. Drive north out of town, cross the
river, take the first left onto Potash Road and go 9.9 miles
to the trailhead. It’s a mile and a half to the arch
and the first third of that is cold and shady in the morning.
Don’t be fooled. Bring the shorts, the sunscreen,
a gourmet picnic, a ton of postcards, and your ukelele.
Stop anywhere. It’s all good.
If you want to grease some miles, continue down Potash Road
another quarter mile to where a big culvert cuts under the
railroad track. “Park and Walk” under the Culvert.
You have entered the magic kingdom of the Gold Bar Rim;
the south-facing Kayenta Sandstone cap of the Cane Creek
Anticline. Wide, high, long and sunny all winter. Bear left
and up for two miles (but don’t cross any divides)
and you’ll get to magnificent Jeep Arch. Further strenuous
efforts take you deeper into the Gold Bar Rim and beyond…beyond….
Cryptos
(krip’ tose): The surface of Moab’s
desert is held together by a thin skin of living organisms
known as cryptobiotic soil or cryptos. It has a lumpy
black appearance, is very fragile, and takes decades
to heal when it has been damaged. This soil is a critical
part of the survival of the desert. The cryptobiotic
organisms help to stabilize the soil, hold moisture,
and provide protection for germination of the seeds
of other plants. Without it the dry areas of the west
would be much different. Although some disturbance is
normal and helps the soil to capture moisture, excessive
disturbance by hooves, bicycle tires and hiking boots
has been shown to destroy the cryptobiotic organisms
and their contribution to the soil. When you walk around
Moab avoid crushing the cryptos. Stay on trails, walk
in washes, hop from stone to stone. Whatever it takes,
don’t crunch the cryptos unless you absolutely
have to! |
CANE CREEK (again)
For an afternoon, I’ll direct your attention to Upper
Moonflower. Take Cane Creek Road about a quarter mile past
Moonflower Canyon. A dirt road goes up to the left. As soon
as you crest that hill there is a BLM 4x4 trail going left,
along the majestic roots of the Behind the Rocks fin complex.
(There are some trailers up there, but well away from the
trailhead.) It’s your choice whether to stroll along
the easy the 4x4 road trail or snuggle up to the rocks for
an undulating slickrock sidle. (I’ve laid out a Frisbee
Golf Course here, but that’s another story.) The latter
option, the warmer choice by the byway, also offers some
interesting opportunities to discover several nice petroglyphs,
including the impossibly-named and ever-controversial Moab
Mammoth. Intrepid walkers may continue around the head of
Moonflower Canyon and on to the high, sunny alcove a few
hundred yards beyond. Archeological cogniscenti will especially
enjoy this south-facing sanctuary.
WATERFALL
ALCOVE (Well, that’s what I call it.)
This is more of a “local’s tip”, but for
visitors with gumption it’s well worth the effort. The
walk includes three icy stream crossings and a precipitous
scramble up a steep slickrock incline; not particularly dangerous
but, for some, certainly thrilling. The Waterfall Alcove is
just above the waterfall in the Left Hand (or North Fork)
of Mill Creek. Ask someone how to find Powerhouse Lane, take
it to the end, go up the trail and stay left. (The Right Hand
fork could certainly be included in this discussion of Sun
Spots, but I’m saving it for my ‘spring flowers’
column.) The massive alcove is just above the waterfall on
the left, a mile or so from the trailhead. ( The word ‘alcove’,
according to Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton, is Arabic
in origin - al kube. Cf. scenes of Wadi Rum in “Lawrence
of Arabia”.}
This amazing indentation is the perfect NSSC. The winter sun
shines in about 9 a.m. until around five in the afternoon.
When it’s fifty Fahrenheit in town it’ll be pushing
75 in the Waterfall Alcove. Amazingly, the sun never shines
into the alcove during the summer. It’s cool and shady
that entire season. The Ancients had this figured out, or
so one can assume from the intense concentration of petroglyphs
and pictographs there. Major habitation site. Why would I
disclose such sensitive information? Because I’ve personally
run pot hunters out of there twice. The more people of good
spirit and good will who know about and visit the Waterfall
Alcove the less likely it will be looted and vandalized any
further. Oh, did I mention that the roof of the alcove is
trimmed by a lofty sweep of sandstone arch? Allah akbar! God
is good to us.
Rory Tyler leads custom
rock art tours and backcountry hikes for people of all skill
levels for Canyon Voyages Adventure Company. |