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Show Grand Mesa Jeep Club Enjoyed Recent Rough Country Trip Behind the Rocks to Ruqqed Pritchett Arch iV Fl'.ill ll.lllU'S The 1'ii.u.il Mesa Jeep I'luli ' la .u'.-l .luiu-lien arrived m ,oah Sunday, l-'ftu u.wy iMth r their Sive-ud cam onl.uuls it'.iri this winter. Their tirst jis List November, when ail irly sivwstorm livened up ieir trip to the Gemini raises. This time, the weather i'o vratod completely, with a arm. sunny, windless day, r.d only euei:;;h scattered .cuds to enhance photography As with their earlier eai.-or.lav.eis eai.-or.lav.eis s.uaii, this very L-tivt i' '.ub of four w heelers etained Mo.ib guide I. in t.V-i-er to plan a tour route, ad the safari ar.d indicate lints of special interest at-tg at-tg the way. The safari of 1:1 vehicles ;d seme HO people rondo.: -vused at the Meal) Keck vp at 9 a.m. Some members id arrived in Moab tl'.e ght before, others had made 1 early morning start from rand Junction. Enthusiam as high as the group set it, heading downriver on ane Ovek Road, then into e mouth of lovely Pritchett inyort. After several miles of tra-el tra-el up this vvindng. scenic invon. the safari halted for break near a branching decanyen. There OtUnger d a 10-minute hike up to a r.all but graceful natural ridge, which straddled the ry watercourse )ut above a :en rxvl of water. A: the next step, two cr tree miles farther up the ideni.-.g redrock gorge. 0'-r.ger 0'-r.ger again led the club nerr.bers cn a hike, this irr.e to ' Hall Bridge." the iar.t but vvell hidd. n span re-cr.ed re-cr.ed in the November 17. 911 edition of Lhe Grand Val-:y Val-:y TLr.es. then rediscovered jdepeJen:'y last fall by eteran arch- collector, Bob 'reelar.d. Although a f3W stayed bc-Lnd bc-Lnd with the vehicles, most afari members made the ra-ler ra-ler strenuous h.ke to the ase of the spectacular arch, rA 17 managed to get up un-er un-er and on top cf the huge Java jo sandstone span. A trcng nylon climbing-repe ras used to ascend, and la-?r la-?r descend, the difficult tretch of rock below the ar-h ar-h that offers the only quick ccess to the underneath ar.d :p cf the arch. After their hike to Hall Jriage. the group had lunch ear Ostrich Rock and Win-low Win-low Arch, close to the head f Pritchett Canyon, then ttntinued on the main jeep rail up out of the canyon. Isre, as the trail topped out, wo of three vehicles had ninor difficulties climbing the ast very steep, poor-traction nfrvffi:: Hv; v r -'" ' irr'y v , .;-t- 'v ..,?,.'.',w i ,:-..',. '.w, , . yx. V ,.;..- . .- . - . -V r: . . . -y y . . - ' . . tJi--s .- .J4-'' Wrvv' ' l itsi stop for the Grand Mesa Jeep Club on its Be-hir.d-the Rocks safari was several miles up l'itilutt stretch, but all finally made the grade without winching. Next stop was at the Pritchett Prit-chett Arch traiihead where again almost all of the group hikt d up the foot trail to this well - kn wn span and the several Kss spectacular arches ar-ches that are in the vicinity. Two of the more adventurous in the party made the short but tricky climb up into the top of Pritchett Arch, while several young folks in the group entertained themselves ar.d ethers by climbing up the steep slickrck slope under ar.d just behind tltj arch, then 'polishing" their jeans by sliding down a water-smooth water-smooth runway in the rock! From Pritchett Arch, Ot-tir.ger Ot-tir.ger next led the way to the deep ar.d spectacular spring-fed spring-fed pool near where the jeep trail crosses the Hunter Can-yen Can-yen drainage. Cub members were awed by the massive pool, as they viewed it from beside the natural bridge that graces the lip of the high 'dry waterfall'' some 50 or 60 ft. above the pool. A thick layer of ice on the pool, plus several big, white-ice cas cades made by froen springs around the grotto, all added to the beauty of the Setting. Before leaving the pool area, ar-ea, several safari members had a go at climb. ng some of the nearby sand duius with thrir big-tired vehicles. None were too successful, ns most four-wheel drive vehicles are too heavy for this sport. As the jicp trail up out cf Hunter Canyon crested and j"ined the old truck road that parallels the rim of Can-; Creek Canyon, the safari once attain st. pp-d for a break. This time the group scattered alxjiit seeking Indian arrowheads, arrow-heads, again without much success. The long but beautiful trek suth along the truck road to where it joins U.S. 1G3 at the summit of Blue Hill some 15 miles south of Moab, ended end-ed the safari with a stretch of relatively easy driving through spectacular and almost al-most unspoiled Behind - the-Rocks the-Rocks scenery. The sun was nearing the horizon as the tired but happy Coloradoans hit the pavement and headed for home. " ' : -.y: r-r'HWr-. : yy- :,-..y . yMf i - , yy-.yt ::,...- ' i :-v :?y;fy a : y;-v .:-.- y , --yy yMy 1 . y-y-'-yy;SfZp-iy.- ; - ' y- y r 'S-, , 7mj "'-4't- -' ' yy . vt-;;-'.; ; ;vf f . .. : y yUriiipp: yi: vyy y: '-y y' . isjy':y. -V'" t" ':w-"-- ' . y.--c '. "... '"--y-iir"-ri-7C. x" -. , : fy ,.-v-'.svt'M' After a hike up to Hall Bridge and lunch near Ostrich Rock and Window Arch in Pritchett Canyon, the jeep safari from Grand Junction headed for the summit of this rugged canyon. Here, safari members watch" a strag- gler who had a little difficulty making the last very steep stretch just before the trail tops out of Pritchett Canyon. Canyon, where guide I. in Ottingor led the group up a side canyon to a small but interesting natural bridge. Jan Wilt, club vice president, presi-dent, expressed the monuments monu-ments of the group by claiming claim-ing that the day's trip was believed by all to be "the Ix-t safari" the club had ever ev-er taken. Wilt indicated that club members were quite pleased with the guidance given by Lin Ottinger, and that they planned to continue to use his guide services on other scheduled trips to M ab. AI Iok. well known authpr of -lO'O Million Years in the Colorado Plateau Land of Uranium" and other books, accompanied the safari, made all the side-trip hikes, and expressed himself this way, in a "thank you" letter. "All the jcepstcrs 1 talked to said the trip was one of their best very interesting and delightful. I'm of the 'fame opinion." Thank you, Al IxKik and the Grand Mesa Jeep Club. You are our favorite kind of guests! Come back any time We still have a few things to show you in this vast and beautiful canyonlands of ours! |