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Show Si I i I I I I :. "7' . . ... .v . 7ri'ri , ; t .. ' J '.'"- v . -.'t :, ,..'.V .-,V,i ; v " - f4r ; -v-V . , : ; i.V. - "- V v'v-.' -. ; - v.-v . ; ;- " -i,-. f ' . r v ':Cr; ;. 'vr-,'? -w-" V - - r . , Vv. .: ,' 4i ; 'Jbi-:f Frxa the rocky rx-iint th.u iliskk-s upper Sevenmilc Canyon into its ir.ijor branches, ihc icw downcanyon is lovely. Below, die paved . Exploring SevetiEnile is Rewarding I By Fna Banjt-s ; 5:; :a miles from shore i isvid read to Dead Hrse I : - :ccs out. after s"-v-.tch- ::itj 'X- (sr. of SevenrriiTo vGrx. iz bcor.spicuous high ri sltd The Knoll stands a fw meters of the "i: 'c e east, is ::cky fcebs g3 In can-;is can-;is oxtntry. The Knoll :rt3d in itself, but it has a significance nonethe'.ess because be-cause a: 6316 feet elevation, it is the highest point in a rather large expanse of elevated el-evated terrain. As such, the Knoll serves as a hub from h-ch a highly impressive series of canyon systems radiate, ra-diate, somewhat like the sp kes of a giganuc wheel. Starting to the north and going clockwise are the north i ""-V, - - x ...... j-o t : . " ' ." " ' .... . .s W-r; " - !. v -- x ' t ' a tr - - 1' U- ,v .. ; - - " " r - , ' i ' ; -r. ,-" v - - , - r ' ' y''r- ' A . . . 1 -. . ' " ' :.? :. Jn-ft .... - ' . - r , r- J -r . r f . ... - ' " ... of'V0" J':' P trail that follows thc rim thf: south fork of Scvcnmile Canyon v.. an old cowboy camp. Here, a v",1? 'prin vvrv' f-liannclcd into a if;n troueh for watering cattle and ' The remains of thc trough is t I i road to Dead Horse Point parallels thc broad, sandy wash bottom. In the distance, some of the high country in Arches National Park. and south forks of Sevenmile Canyon, the several forks of Bull Canyon, Long Canyon, the alcoves of the broad amphitheater am-phitheater to the west of the Texas Gulf potash plant, the middle and east forks of Shafer Canyon and Spring Canyon. All of these are worthy wor-thy of detailed exploration by off-road vehicles and on foot, "and win be described visible in thc lower left ot this pnoto. The alcove high above thc spring sccm-' sccm-' Cd to be a likely place for an Indian dwelling or camp, but there was no evidence of this. (Phctos by F. A. Barnes , y in future articles, except for the two that have already been discussed in this publication, pub-lication, Taylor Canyon and Long Canyon. Sevenmile Canyon is a good place to start. Lower Sevemile Canyon was described recently in these pages. Th north fork of upper Sevenmile, which the paved road to Dead Horse Point enters for a short distance dis-tance before climbing up and out of the canyon, will be the subject of a later article. The south fork of Seven-mile Seven-mile can be explored on two levels from a jeep trail that roughly parallels its rim for several miles, and by driving and walking up the sandy floor of the canyon. Between the two, a full day or more can be spent just giving fne. canyon the once-over-lightly. Still more days can be spent exploring the south fork's several se-veral delightful side canyons on foot. Turn on D.H.P. Road To travel the rim trail above the south fork of Sevenmile, Sev-enmile, drive north from Mo-ab Mo-ab on U.S. 163, then turn west on the paved road to Dead Horse Point. The road enters en-ters the upper, western por- tion of Sevenmile Canyon almost al-most immdiately. After several sev-eral miles, the scenic canyon forks. The branch to the left is the south fork, the one to thc right, which the paved road enters, is the north fork. . Stay on the paved road as it enters the north fork, then doubles abruptly back and climbs the canyon slope in a steep switchback. Near the head of Ais switchback, shortly before the road makes a sharp right bend, an inconspicuous, unmarked un-marked jeep trail cuts off fo the left between thc road and the canyon rim. This is the south fork rim trail. Traveling Trav-eling it requires some type of off-road vehicle.. Almost immediately on this jeep trail, a short spur trail ieads out onto the slickrock of the point of land that forms the "V" between the north, and south forks of Sevenmile. A short walk out onto this point affords an interesting view down the colorful 'canyon 'can-yon toward the main highway high-way and beyond to Arches National Park. A Number of views The main rim trail continues contin-ues on for some three miles after leaving the paved road, offering a number of views down into Sevenmile, and several se-veral large and interesting alcoves al-coves under a still higher ridge to the right of the trail. The trail ends near what ap pears to be an old cowboy camp, with an "improved" spring nearby and traces of not-so-modern trash. The spring was evidently "improved" for both human and animal use. An explosive charge was placed at the base of a huge, ancient Cottonwood Cot-tonwood tree. The blast toppled top-pled the tree and gouged a round hollow in the rocky grotto. This hollow served as a collection point for seeping seep-ing spring water. The water was then channeled from the hollow into a wooden trough from which horses and catt?e could drink. Today, the dLad and shattered shat-tered trunk and limbs of the dead Cottonwood lie grotesquely grotes-quely in the grotto, and the watering trough is partly collapsed col-lapsed and filled with dirt and rock from the steep slope above it. But the blasted blast-ed hollow still offers thirsty animals, and explorers, a cool drink of crystal clear water. Going Up the Bottom To explore the south fork of Sevenmile from the canyon can-yon floor, simply drop down into the sandy canyon bottom bot-tom from the paved road, in any of several places between U.S. 163 and where Sevenmile forks. One such place, about a half mile downcanyon from where the paved road climbs up out of the canyon, goes by a large spring-fed pool, then drops down into a sandy san-dy bottom kept moist by seepage. Shortly, however, dry sand prevails. Again, an off-road veh'cle of some sort is needed. need-ed. The broad, winding canyon can-yon floor is easy to travel for such vehicles, at least for several miles, but soft sand is common. And later, as the canyon naiTOws, rocky patches, dune sand and dead tree trunks and limbs make the going rough even for off-road off-road vehicles. The narrowing, branching canyon is a marvel of unspoiled un-spoiled beauty. Aside from an occasional set of tire marks, left by some other seeker of solitude and beauty, beau-ty, the only trace of man in the canyon is an old movie site, and even this is not easy to spot.- At one point, around two1 miles up the south fork, a shallow cave or alcove, on the left and slightly slight-ly above the canyon floor, was once used as a movie set. Fake Petroglyphs Today, the only evidence of this is a batch of fake Indian "petroglyphs" gouged into the cave walls with a steel chisel, plus the scars of a Continued on Page B" Seven mile Canyon . . . Continued from Page pi drill-and.bla-:t hole on the upper up-per rim of the cave, and the debris that was blasted ofr. j This explosion was evidently a part of the movie plot, because be-cause no other reason (or it is apparent. One delightful aspect of the canyon is that the dry itreamcourse is bordered by dozens, even hundreds of living liv-ing Cottonwood trees. Some of these are tall and graceful, grace-ful, others have been twisted and gnarled by their long battles bat-tles for survival against the infrequent, battering flash floods that rage down the narrow gorge. But whether the trees offer shade, or have been distorted distort-ed by the mindless elements into grotesque works of art, their graceful forms and verdant ver-dant beauty serve to brighten bright-en the dusty grays of the desert brush, and soften the strong lines of the rrdroek walls, that oiherwise dominate domin-ate the canyon. A Shady Spot At one point several miles up the canyon .almost to the point where it is easier and faster to walk than drive, a grove of tall cottonvvoods offers of-fers a shady site to pause for lunch or a hike. Here, the low cliff r.im is graced by three small arches. One of these is unique in that the thin shell of the arch somehow some-how supports the weight of a hnge balanced boulder. The south fork of Seven-mile Seven-mile Canyon retains its nature na-ture as a canyon for some nine miles upstream from where it branches. Only about a third of this length can be reasonably negotiated by vehicle. The rest, plus the several intriguing side canyons, can-yons, must be explored on foot. As with so many lovly canyons can-yons within canyonlands country, this fork of Seven-mile Seven-mile is well worth the time and effort it takes to sec It. And, again like many- others, this cannon is unique in many ma-ny ways it has its own special moods, shapes, colors and personality. The canyons of canyonlands are somewhat like people. Superficially, if you have seen one canyon, or person, you- have seen them all. But if you take the time and trouble to get to know either more intimately, you will find them all wonderfully varied and well , worth knowing. |