{"id":8140,"date":"2017-06-28T17:36:24","date_gmt":"2017-06-28T17:36:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.acrossutah.com\/wordpress\/?p=8140"},"modified":"2019-11-14T06:19:13","modified_gmt":"2019-11-14T06:19:13","slug":"thru-arches-and-behind-the-rocks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.acrossutah.com\/wordpress\/thru-arches-and-behind-the-rocks\/","title":{"rendered":"Thru Arches and Behind the Rocks"},"content":{"rendered":"
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pre-hike at Wilson Arch<\/p><\/div>\n

I procrastinated putting together this trip report because the process actually bummed me out somewhat. It’s now been TWO years in a row that my spring trip hasn’t gone as planned. \ud83d\ude41 \u00a0That makes me question… Am I getting too old for this? Am I losing the passion? Am I done doing multi-week hikes? I answer all of those with an emphatic “No”.<\/p>\n

For this spring I’d planned a 28-day adventure from Arches to Bryce<\/strong>. I was excited about the route which would follow a few sections of the Hayduke Trail<\/a> that I’d never done, hit a few “new-to-me” canyons near lake Powell, and then finish with some old favorites in the Paria\/Bryce area. Unfortunately, all that planning was for naught, because I had to abort the plan after 7 days due to a strained knee. Below is the day-by-day detail for the abbreviated hike.<\/p>\n

See the Photo Gallery<\/a> or Route Map<\/a> for this hike. Hike Video<\/a> also available.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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May 3rd, 2017
\nDay 1<\/strong><\/p>\n

After parking in the long-term lot at the airfield north of Moab, I set out walking. After a quick jaunt down the frontage road, I headed east cross-country toward Arches National Park. I soon passed a small spring (and its resident cows) and then connected with the maze of gravel roads which provide a playground for mountain bikers and 4-wheelers in the Little Valley area outside the park. I continued on toward the park along the road and then picked up a deprecated route that skirted the west side of Klondike Bluffs. I hoped to climb the sandstone domes and connect with the established 4×4 road in the national park. Despite extensive online research before my trip, I was never able to confirm whether or not such as route was possible.<\/p>\n

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hiking toward the Klondike Bluffs<\/p><\/div>\n

As I climbed higher up the slickrock I became pessimistic expecting a sheer drop on the far side. But, near the top, it leveled off and it was an easy walk to connect with the road.<\/p>\n

After reaching the 4×4 parking area, I followed the trail into the sandstone fins and toward Tower Arch:<\/p>\n

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nearing Tower Arch<\/p><\/div>\n

The only other people I’d seen were leaving as soon as I arrived at the arch. So, for the next 30 minutes or so I had the whole place to myself and it was glorious. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Tower Arch 360<\/strong>
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