Arches again

[Bluegreen kayak]

More pictures from this trip. Sunday night it rained; since I don't like slipping on wet skinny spots, on Monday morning I took a scenic drive through the La Sal mountains, with peaks in the 12 thousands. Nice autumn foliage like these aspens:



And dramatic views driving back down:


In the afternoon, I explored rocks and spots off the road that weren't trails, making sure I stayed in washes and on hard surfaces, avoiding the biological soil crust that is an amazing bit of nature.  One such side trip was this cave-like opening that I drove past everyday, and finally decided this was the day I would see it up close.



After some scrambling and route finding, a look inside:



Tuesday morning I set out for the Primitive Trail, the one I got lost on several times last visit. This experience was no different, but it has always ended up happily, so I keep trying it. First I have to see Landscape Arch, because I'm never sure it'll be there next time.  It did drop a bunch of rock back in 1991, and as a result the park rerouted the viewing area so you don't go under it anymore.


Getting to Landscape is an easy walk; it's after there that the fun starts. Your next destination is Double O Arch, with a few side trips on the way. The trail immediately goes up:



The sandstone looks like it would be slippery but it has a lot of "grab" to it, luckily. Here's another view of this climb, looking backward:



There's a side trip on the way that leads to both Partition and Navajo Arches. I skipped Partition - it's an impressive arch but the ground under it slopes down too steeply for my comfort - but I like to visit Navajo, which looks like a portal to somewhere. Here it is overhead, with the trail on the left and the back of the arch to the right:



Behind it I climbed up for the view:


And back down again:


I enjoy these explorations because they feel like slot canyons, just very straight ones. Back to the trail and more pictures later.