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Show l7 ' . A - - ..J ' ' . I . - .. . - J A - ' v -r .,. '-.. ' '-X""f-W..., -J v . -v." 4 ; u . -. ;-.; i V... ; : .in, District Manager of the Island in the Sky, pkvse rocks from the White Kim Trail above ;.vTibM Bottom. The Hardscrabble section is aptly named, as it is one of the roughest sections of the White Rim Trail on the west side of Canyonlands National Park. patrolling vast Canyonlands isa mammoth job forNPS Bt Bill Davis vFirk Service, which :r:ls i vast area of land Moab area has been Eiligried by local in regards to :-;'.:?nient plans for xjr.ds National 'x h an attempt to r the perspective the other side of ; bovine, " I recently & i day on patrol with '.s?.& Manager Carl ' who is responsi-.- i.f the Island in the i- srd the Green and :.ido Rivers within the IT. route took us down L-siief Trail to the River, up Taylor 3. down the White to Hardscrabble . a From Hardscrab-i? Hardscrab-i? climbed to the Fort '3 overlook and re-v.rii re-v.rii to Moab. As we crossed Horse-thief Horse-thief Flat, Douhan pointed out numerous tracks left by mineral exploration companies. He stated that such tracks remain for a long period of time, hence the large number of jeep trail closures within the park. rouhan said that a primitive area, such as the Green River within Canyonlands Can-yonlands requires a ' "buffer "buf-fer zone" of limited access, such as jeep trails, to prevent overuse. He went on to say that he agreed with the Canyonlands Canyon-lands Master Plan, which calls for paving the access road to the Island in the Sky, while leaving roads and trails below the Island in their present primitive condition. He stated that the Island itself was better suited for development and heavier usage than . - ; v . -c -' sr Douhan checks the flow from an artesian well -"Ae mouth of Taylor Canyon. The well was drilled Park Service as a possible source of water for the complex on the Island in the Sky. The project VVed to be unfeasible, so the well remains as an .-Tt?ected water supply for travelers along the White Trail. : v, , r , " f, '' -. ghelter is the hollow of two boulders in Taylor C sheepherder in the early 1960's. The shepl ffl of sheep, left numerous petroglyphs on near ne sPent several seasons in the canyon. .: : "ir! . . i - r ' :V' ' -- : . b - . i ? " r ' J r j i- ' - Douhan pauses to chat with a couple from Boulder, Colo., who were visiting the park for the first time. One interesting comment made by the hikers was "We like Utah because the whole state is so clean." The couple planned to spend five days in the park. other areas of the park. Will Repair Trails As we bounced up the trail to Taylor Canyon, Douhan explained that the Park Service would make repairs on damaged sections sec-tions of jeep trails like Taylor Canyon, which had some sections that were badly washed out. We stopped briefly to explore a sheepherder's camp in the canyon, which had been used in the early 60's. The basque sheep-herder sheep-herder left a number of interesting inscriptions on the rocks around the camp. One got the feeling that it was an understandable understand-able pastime for someone staying an extended per- iod of time in a remote canyon with only a herd of ; sheep for company. Dou-i Dou-i han stated that he regard-. regard-. ed the rock markings as he would any other historical J- " anyon provided housing for a ierd evidently bored by. the by rocks, attesting to the fact relic in the park, although they are of recent vintage. At the mouth of Taylor Canyon was an unexpected unexpect-ed landmark an artesian well completed with faucet, fau-cet, drilled by the Park Service to provide water for the Island housing complex. However, the difficulties of running pipe 15 miles to the complex had proved insurmountable, insurmount-able, providing a reliable, if somewhat unpalatable water source for travelers on the WTute Rim Trail. Camps Quite Clean From Taylor Canyon we returned to the White Rim Trail, stopping for lunch at a campsite near the bottom of Upheaval Canyon. Can-yon. To the east could be seen the crater-like chasm of Upheaval Dome, framed fram-ed by the canyon walls. The campsite, located under a large cottonwood tree, was quite clean. Douhan explained that the campsites along the trail were policed regularly by Park Service patrols. He stated that the most serious problem in the area was the disposal of human waste. A graphic example of that problem presented itself in the form of an offering left in the nearby bushes by a recent visitor. Douhan said that it may be ultimately necessary to construct pit toilets at the campsites. Near the campsite was a well-preserved cabin hidden hid-den in the brush. The cabin had been constructed construct-ed originally as a line shack, TB sanitarium, or support cabin for the (Continued, Page B2) Patrolling Canyonlands . . . (Continued from Page Bl) Green River to Moab steamboat, Douhan said. From Upheaval Canyon, Can-yon, we followed the trail to another campsite at Hardscrabble Bottom on i .11. the riverbank. Again, the problem of solid human waste disposal was evident. evi-dent. Hardscrabble proved prov-ed to be an apropos name as the Ranger's Bronco jounced and scratched its ' way up the steep and rocky trail to a ledge leading to the Fort Bottom overlook, our ultimate destination. Indian Watchtower After parking the Bronco, Bron-co, we walked out the narrow ridgetop and scrambled to the top of a hill, crowned by the Indian watchtower which gives Fort Bottom its name. The tower, which was composed of small flat sections of flinty rock, commanded an imposing view of the river, canyon walls and the mountains beyond. Built approximately approxi-mately 8-900 years ago, the crumbling fort was "stabilized" and repaired by an Indian crew hired by the Park Service and appeared to be in good shape. Near the river was another cabin, similar to the one at Upheaval Canyon. While on the trail we encountered a couple from Boulder, Colo., who were visiting the area for the first time. Douhan demonstrated demon-strated one of the functions func-tions of the patrolling ranger by providing information in-formation on trail conditions, condi-tions, weather, and the area's history. In addition, Douhan explained that the Park Service is frequently called upon to aid visitors who become lost or experience mechanical difficulty in remote areas. The assistance can range from providing information informa-tion to organizing complex rescues of persons with severe injuries. Tension Exists In response to a question ques-tion regarding the relationship rela-tionship between the Park Service and local residents, resi-dents, Douhan stated that Park Service personnel were very well aware of the tension that exists between the two groups. He explained that the majority of Park Service employees were, in his opinion, "Idealists," who enjoy offering assistance to park visitors. Recently two rangers from the Island in the Sky were accused by Moab tour guide Lin Ottinger of using "badge heavy" tactics in dealing with alleged violations of park regulations involving Ottinger Ot-tinger and his drivers. Douhan said that the Park Service was not trying to discourage visitation to the park, but was rather attempting to maintain certain areas' primitive conditions. He said that the Park Service would attempt to work out compromises with local residents regarding park management policies. Douhan went on to say that the parks were created by Congress to be administered by the Park Service and that Park Service employees must respond to the wishes of that government body. |