Phipps Arch - Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

March 12, 2009

Destination, Phipps Arch.

Location, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Phipps Arch towers over Phipps Wash, which drains into the Escalante River. Its location is tricky to find, especially if you don't bother taking a map or have great directions. In the above photo, the arch is on the far side of the wash, which means we will have to climb down about 200 feet. And back up again. Twice.

Today's adventure includes my friends Laurie, Joel and Trigger, the most photogenic of all Border Collies I have ever seen. Especially since he's an Australian Shepherd.

Joel brought his GPS unit along, and luckily it was of little help directing us. Because when I go for a hike, bicycle ride, motorcycle ride or any kind of journey, I always find wonderful unexpected treasures when I'm not focused on the destination, not constantly checking a map and not in a hurry to arrive.

Today was one of those days.

The first thing I found was this arrow point, just lying on the sand. Laurie and Joel had hiked right past it. It's still there, somewhere. Happy hunting!

We hiked due south from the parking area on Highway 12 (between mile posts 71 and 72) and should have angle farther to the east. Instead, we arrived at the rim of Phipps Wash about a mile from the arch. It was a lucky mistake because the hike along the rim had lots to explore. Piled-up red sandstone surrounded terraces of white sandstone.
We played on the hard, smooth surfaces and enjoyed lots of sandy areas in between the rock sections. This area has loads of cryptobiotic soil (not "probiotic or "diabet-iotic" as certain people suggested), so we were careful to stay in the washes or on the rocks. Crypto soil takes centuries to repair itself and is critical in preventing erosion and providing plants a fair chance at putting down roots.

We found the narrow trail to the canyon bottom after a few minutes of scouting for the best route, and Joel noticed this excellent rock statue of HR Puffenstuff. If you liked that silly children's TV show, I'm sorry for you.

We crossed the canyon bottom and found the trail up the other side. This trail is not for anyone who fear heights or doesn't like heaving themselves up over steep cliff wall. The farthest you can fall is only a few hundred feet and if your brain doesn't like this kind of exposure, this is not a hike for you.

The area surrounding the arch is a fabulous playland of red sandstone. We enjoyed lunch at the best table in the restaurant.

We hiked back down and decided to go back a different way. There are secret things to be found on this route and I hoped to be able to find them to show Laurie and Joel. I have been sworn to secrecy about these things, and am not allowed to disclose anything about what they are or where they are. Sorry. Do the hike and keep your eyes open for all unexpected and unusual things. Perhaps you will be lucky.

Here, I am finding a handhold so I can boost my butt up this smooth section. Just behind Trigger is a deep water tank covered with a skim of ice. We cant' tell how deep the water is, and it would have been impassible if someone hadn't dragged a log across it. You can see the top end of the log in this photo.

Just after we had all scrambled up this section, I walked across the log without any problem. Trigger, however, couldn't wait and simply jumped into the water tank, broke through the ice and furiously began paddling. Without hesitation, Joel leaned over and plucked the soaking wet dog from the water. "Time to throw the dog" he said with a grin and scooped Trigger up and heaved him across the water tank. I grabbed his fur, but the dog launched into a fifteen-minute dance of joy and glee. He raced across the sandstone in one direction, spun around and raced back across, leaping and twisting all the way. We decided that Trigger was celebrating his first flight.

This photo is after Trigger's flight. He's still a bit wet, but most of the water is on Joel and Laurie.

On the way back, we missed the parking area by about a half mile and wandered along the side of Highway 12, where we found a pile of "Moki" ball -- perfectly round rocks made of an iron compound. One was broken in half, exposing the layers of iron inside. They truly look manmade.

The entire hike of approximately 10 miles took about 5 hours, which included many wrong turns, at least 30 minutes of sitting and contemplating and a few minutes messing with the GPS.

This hike has all of my favorite features -- a deep wash, indian artifacts, interesting rock formations, crazy vegetation growing from impossible crevasses and secrets.