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Show V V.. ; -: ; : : ' . ;. .;..; : -'. ; ' . - . ) ' - . ' . ' '. : " . .. J - ! ' ' -'' . : ' .' ' ... i ' , i ;'... v 'i ) - . . : . - ; i i ' "... ; i . One of the curious tunnels found along the Joint Trail leading to Chesler Park. This cavern leads to a narrow hallway which is characteristic of the Joint Trail. Bates Wilson, Wil-son, Sam Taylor and Russ Donoghue shown in photo. Spectacular Joint Trail Provides Nev Entrance fa Cbsfer Park by Dick Wilson Chesler Park, hub of the increasing fame of the v-dles, is to remain separated sep-arated from civilization. This decision was confirmed confirm-ed within the past year by the National Park Service. Not only are members of the Sierra Club against further automobile access and de velopment in Chesler, the feeling seems to be quite mutual mu-tual among all parties interested inter-ested in the future of the park. Sometime in the near future, fu-ture, the rough jeep trail in- to Chesler Park will be closed clos-ed to traffic. The pristine beauty of that little grass;,; jewel nestled among the hundreds hun-dreds of sandstone towers will be accessible only by foot This way it will be allowed al-lowed to retain its magnifi-cant magnifi-cant charm through the years to come. The most recent foot trail into Chesler developed by the park service is the "Joint Trail." This trail was first found and explored by pioneer pione-er guides like Dick Smith and Kent Frost a decade or more ago. w ; 3 i .V Co c :c Li V WS CHESLER !A : ' Before Smith and Frost came across it. the narrow chasm was undoubtedly used by Indians for traces of these "Ancient ones" are scattered throughout the Needles. According to Proposes Park Service plans, the Jeep trail over Elephant Hill will bring parties into Devis Lane Instead of continuing into Chesler Park the trail will head south into Chesler Canyon Can-yon where a jeep trail is found at the present time. In Devils Lane th future will see some type of hard-surfaced route for automobiles planned at this time to enter from Beef Basin through a south entrance. Left in Parking Lot Both automobiles and jeeps will be parked in Chesler Canyon and from there people peo-ple will be obliged to wak into in-to Chesler Park. The trail was ready-made by the forces of nature. Man has moved a few rocks to one side of the trail to make for easier walking, but the Joint Trail is a natural access ac-cess into Chesler Park. When forces beneath the earth in the Needles Region were buldging the overlaying strata, the layers were twisted twist-ed and folded in various places still evident today. Faults, great cracks in the rock appeared. The primary faults formed in the rising strata in an approximate north - south direction while secondary cracks appeared perpendicular to the primary cracks. The result is a checker-beard checker-beard of deep cracks. Or if you please, a naturally -drawn game of Tic-Tac-Toe Water erosion has subscqu- ently followed the cracks through the centuries and hollowed out narrow corridors corri-dors somewhat like are found only in great caves of the earth. Some of the cracks, in fact, are actual caves several sever-al hundred yards long, but the caves seem to invariably have a crack in the roof running run-ning parallel to the direction of the caves. I walked through this puzzling puz-zling section of the Canyon Country a few weeks ago filled with wonder. A mouse on a moon of cheese cound have no more pleasure! Want To Return I want to return to this place and explore some of those cracks I passed by. I want to get caught there in a flashflood, not in the bottom of a corridor, of course (such would be the conclusion of this series of articles!). But I want to witness the hodgepodge hodge-podge of geology during a storm I want to see what those cracks look like when water rises in them and scours them clean. But I Continuedo n Page A3 Joint Trail Continued from Pago 1 want to do it from a safe perch. lienulifiil pure sand lies at the bottom of those air-conditioned cracks. Even on an intensely hot day in tin Needles a person can find refuge in lim shaded corridors corri-dors of the Joint Trail. When walking through the trail, which is about one-hall' one-hall' mile long according '.o the marked route, you have opportunity to investigate numerous photographic effects. ef-fects. Some of the upper parts of the crack are brilliantly bril-liantly lighted by ' the sun. In the cracks, however, dimness dim-ness prevails and this is many limes characterized by a pink glow. Wonders of Trails End You have a double - dose of outstanding wonders to behold be-hold when you hike the Joint Trail. Not only do you have Hie pleasure of viewing live intricate network of cracks, but you have the objective, of the trail to consider at the end of the hike, that is Chester Ches-ter Park. You cannot enter ChetSor Park in a more noble plac-2 than that provided by tho Joint Trail. Bates Wilson, Superintendent of Canyon lands, has brought the trail to a balcony overlooking Chester. You can sit there on your veranda to catch your breath from the half-mile half-mile hike through the joints. Before you are the curiously-formed curiously-formed Needles, hundreds of them. And before you is the grassy flat, one of the few flat places in the park. This is Chester, seen as few people peo-ple have seen it. Yet thousands thous-ands will come to tread that trail and gaze at the wonders of this beautiful pocket in Canyonlands National Park. |