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Show : 1 , . , , v "V. ..-- - . ' .. ..i- . r-v 7s-:; tvsvv V .rv i -sr ; . .;...; ..; This scconJ arch can bo spotuJ on the westorn skyline just btfor.c the end cf the two mile-long jeep trail. A short but steep climb Two Arches Close to Moab are Worth the Little Effort It Takes to See Them --Behind the Rocks By Fran Barnes Here's a short but reward-i: reward-i: trip for those who like srr.es. one that can even be tkea by those who do not kve off-road vehicles if fcev are willing to hike a coup!e of easy miles along a fairly easy jeep trail. The- trip begins at Moab, heading south on U.S. 163. To the left of the highway is Spanish Valley, a rolling, gently sloping desert that is IS V -I ' - ' " ' - -. - . ' v -: v .-A " ' - ' f ..;-.! . . v. . V. k - - ' - - -';: , ..T ....... , I - V i s . ' . . A. 1 ' . ' Y" ' v- ' 5tvl ' t-VV A This is the first arch reached, and is about n mile and a half from U.S. 1M. A good dirt road goes the first half-mile, a jeep trail the rest of the ay. This photo was taken from beside i leads t'i the delicately -shapec span. The arch , beautifully .frames . distant LaSal Mountain- peaks. , . . - ; dotted with homes, small ranches and green-bordered contours of Pack Creek. Above Spanish Valley, red-rock red-rock escarpments stand below be-low still higher terraces the steep, verdant slopes , of ihc jeep trail. I he arch can DC pnoto-graohed pnoto-graohed against the sky from the gully . below it. Note human figure for size comparison. , ' which in . turn give way tc the La Sal Mountains. - To the right of scenic U.S. 163, tall, cliffs of raw stone-soar stone-soar gigantically above rubble rub-ble slopes, of the size of hills. As you drive along, observe ob-serve these rugged cliffs. Notice the little hidden val-' leys .that lie behind detach- 'ed sections of that twelve mile :-long wall -of rock. See. if you can spot the 150-foot finger-like spire of the vanishing van-ishing Angel. Wonder at the slow but irresistable forces that formed that sheer wail of Wlngate sandstone, topped top-ped with its jagged teeth of Navajo sandstone. This wall hides a fabulous land Behind -The -Rocks land where the scenery is fantastic even for canyon-lands canyon-lands country. ' ' Behind-The-Rocks country-shelters country-shelters many beautiful ar-chs ar-chs and natural bridges, one so huge and graceful that experts ex-perts rate it among the "top ten." Most of these spans iare difficult to reach requiring re-quiring miles of jeep traveT, plus hiking. . But there are two arches in the southern end of this grotesquely broken land that are easy to reach. One is quite large, the other, smali has an official name. Both can be reached by driving, or hiknig, along a short jeep trail that branches off of U. S.' 163 about thirteen miles south of Moab. As you leave the south end of Spanish Valley, and, ascend the steep grade of Blue Hill, watch for a dirt road that intersects U.S. 163 just after the highway tops the hill. Turn right on this dirt road. ' In less than one-half mile, a jeeptrail will branch oi ' to the right. This trail ultimately leads to Pritchett jArch and on down Pritchett Pritch-ett Canyon to the Colorado Jrti(ver. Those with standard highway high-way vehicles should leave them here and walk. Those with off-road vehcles man contnue to drive for about four more miles. . - Turn onto the Pritchett Arch jeep trail, but watch for a spur trail very soon, again to the right. Just remember re-member if in doubt, bear to the right. What you want is a trail that heads generally gener-ally back toward Moab, but ascends the rim of the rock wall that borders Spanish Valley to the west. ,' Within something like 3 miles after leaving the dirt road, watch on your' left for a large arch standing against again-st a higher cliff. This is the first of the two arches on this trail. Take a few- minutes min-utes . to .walk up under, the span, if you want to get a feel for its size. From the gully below the arch, it possible .to photograph il against' open sky. The second arch is not so easy to find or reach. Continue along the rim trail, a highly scenic drive or hike even without the extra re-. re-. .wards of natural spans, until un-til it ends a mile beyond the first arch. As you drive or walk, watch the skyline to the west. The second arch can be spotted from ,the trail just before it ends, but noc from the end. When you see the arch, stop and take your- bearings in preparation for the short but steep hike to the span from the end of the jeep trail. Nothing indicates the size of the skyline arch from a distance. It stands on top cf a rounded sandstone fin, surrounded by still similar iins, and has nothing' near it to provide scale. In fact, .this arch is smail, but its setting and odd shape more than make up for its lack of bulk. Writer and pub. lisher Dick Wilson has dubbed dub-bed it "Tukuhnikivatz," because be-cause of the magnificent view of that La Sal Peak that the tiny arch frames, but a name that long would seem to be too much of a burden for such a small and delicate span. Especially as it has another characteristic characteris-tic that could lend a less dramatic but quite appropriate appro-priate name. Viewed from the west, the little arch frames the La Sal mountains, but when studied from the other side, one end of the span bears a startling resemblance to a (horse's head, )some eight feet long. Perhaps, then, "Horsehead Arch" would be fitting? Or do you have a better idea? , Still another larger arch has been reported in this vicinity, hut its discoveer has been unable to pinpoint its exact location. Perhaps in hiking around, you can spot this arch, too. But whether or not you find this "lost" arch, the trying 'will be (vonh the effort eb.ecaus ih'.Wng in Behind-The-Rocks country is siking through ' a fantasyland beyond compari--son. |