Canyonlands – Islands in the Sky

 We started in Canyonlands with the usual overlooks, but they are so hugely expansive that the vistas are very hard to photograph well. This panorama looks out over the Colorado river canyon, over 1000 ft below the canyon rims, and is made up from 9 separate photos.




Grand View Overlook, Canyonlands National Park, Utah



  Some of the other ‘must do’ locations include Mesa Arch (in Canyonlands, not Arches NP!), Aztec Butte, the ethereal False Kiva, and Green River overlook. Some of these are quite difficult to get to, and in particular, the trail to False Kiva was frankly beyond our current strength and fitness level. It is a shame, because the photos from there are superb. Maybe by the time we come back with Kasana & Graham, we will be able to attempt it… Hope so.

Mesa Arch is the easiest to get to, but the afternoon that we went there, was so hot that the half-mile trail from the carpark was just about enough for us. We saw a Dutch woman on her way back, who was in serious distress from the heat. Sharman gave her the bottle of water that she was carrying, and that seemed to help. The poor woman was really in trouble, but hadn’t taken any precautions and was suffering terribly. It just reinforces all the warnings that you read to take water, a hat, wear sunscreen, and take it easy with rest breaks if necessary.

Mesa Arch is an iconic place - it features on many publications. The best time to photograph it is at sunrise when the sun is reflected onto the underside of the arch from the rock wall beneath the arch. So David broke a longstanding habit and got up obscenely early (for him!), and made it there before sunrise! (He still seems to be recovering from the shock ;-) This is one of the results.



Mesa Arch Sunrise, Canyonlands National Park, Utah

   
Aztec Butte is listed in the guide book as having a trail difficulty of 2 stars - described as " A moderate hike of 1-3 hours with no major difficulty, or a short hike with some minor difficulties" . Well, Sharman had to go back to the car after about a mile or so suffering from the heat, and David was absolutely stuffed by the time he got back 2.5 hours later. He says the there were some very steep sections where it was impossible to crawl down backwards, and he had to inch down forwards on hands, feet and backside, and still was at some risk of losing traction and sliding off into the wild blue yonder.

The top of Aztec Butte is a layer of harder rock overlaying a layer of softer rock, and the soft rock has been weathered away, leaving the top layer overhanging and creating alcoves under the rim. Ancient civilizations used these alcoves to store their grain and presumably other foods as well. They are quite special and fragile, but not protected in any way. Their continued existence is a testament to the good behavior of the people who visit, although this one has been damaged at some time in the past.



Granary, Aztec Butte, Canyonlands National Park, Utah

  

 

That’s all for today, next we are off to Arches NP.