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Show ZION PARK PARTY MAKES DIFFICULT CANYON CLIMB ZION NATIONAL PARK, Jan. 3. After a lapse of 25 years, human hu-man beings again stood on the famous natural bridge high up on the side of Bridge mountain, in Zion national park. A party consisting of Superintendent Superin-tendent E. T. Scoyen, Chief Banger Ban-ger D. J. Jolley and Ranger A. G. Schiefer, of the 1 park force, succeeded suc-ceeded in reaching this natural wonder after an all day effort, which was feautred by spectacular spectacu-lar and difficult climbing among the great cliffs of. Zion canyon. At one time the party was about to accept defeat when a way was discovered up over the last remaining re-maining obstacle through a crack so narrow that progress could only be made at a rate of a few inches at a time. To date only five people have ever stood on this bridge. In 1904 Lewis and John Crawford of Sprihgdale were successful in their attempt, but since that time no one has been able to find a way up until this feat was accomplished. accom-plished. However, the successful climb was made only after three previous ones by the same party had ended in failure. After spending hours to find a way up to the bridge, the climbers climb-ers were very much surprised to find a band of six mountain sheep grazing in the small valley below the bridge. The route that those animals apparently follow to reach this point appears much too difficult dif-ficult for man to traverse unless he is equipped with ropes and picks. The bridge itself is a very unique structure. It has a span of 120 feetj and is so light and graceful grace-ful that it appears almost like a giant feather balanced against the side of the cliff. It is tilted up at an angle of about 45 degrees, de-grees, and from strictly the architectural archi-tectural standpoint, can probably be better described as a natural flying buttress, than as a natural nat-ural bridge. The main purpose of the trip was to study the practicability of building a foot trail to the bridge site. Such a trail can easily be constructed; but even under the best of conditions it is expected ex-pected that it will always remain a trip for the more venturesome and hardy hiker, as the topography topog-raphy of the section traversed is much too rough and broken to ever permit easy access. |