After learning that there was a very real chance of a fairly
significant snowstorm heading to the area, I altered my plans to allow myself
to be a little closer to home. I decided
to head down to the Needles section of Canyonlands National Park. I headed into the visitor’s center to get
some advice on what hike to take. The
ranger recommended the Chesler Park View Point trail. She also recommended the next stretch of the
trail just past the view point if I had the time and energy for it. With her advice in mind and a trail map in
hand, I headed down the dirt road to the trail head.
One of the many reasons I absolutely adore hiking the trails
in the Needles is because they twist, turn, follow along cliff edges, and thread
their way through narrow passages! This
trail was no exception! At one point,
the passage that the trail wound through was just barely wide enough to allow
me to walk straight through it! The
sights to be seen along these trails are made just that much more spectacular
and special due to the fact that you have to put forth some effort and take
part in an adventure to get to the perfect vantage point to take it in!
This particular trail led me up to ridge with an outstanding
view of the needles. The needles are
these striped rock pinnacles that are sticking up all over the landscape. They are bizarre, striking, and beautiful! As if the extraordinarily gorgeous scenery
weren’t enough, there was a pictograph of hands situated in the nook of an alcove
on the way up to the view point! It’s so
amazing that these markings from so long ago have survived for us to
enjoy! It’s remarkably strange to
simultaneously feel as if you are discovering a remote wilderness and realize
that people have been traveling and existing on that exact spot for thousands
of years! Just another reason why this
is such a special and magical place!
I took the ranger’s advice and decided to continue on the trail
which leads down into the canyon. There
was not a less than spectacular view to be had in any direction! I found myself turning around in circles
several times on the trail. When I got
to the end of that particular section of the trail, I decided to take a
slightly different way back to the return trail by following the path that led
to several of the backcountry campsite.
That section of trail was especially enjoyable since it seemed to be
much less traveled than any other part of the trail I had been on. I wound my way down some rocky ledges and across
some open sections of slick rock. As I
made my way back to the main trail, it started getting colder and darker. By the time I got to the last mile and a half
of the trail, it was snowing pretty hard.
It was thrilling to get to see the landscape get coated by snow while having
the added challenge of making my way over slick rock that really lives up to
its name when it is wet or icy. Luckily,
I was able to make it off the trail and back to the paved road before the
conditions got too bad.
No comments:
Post a Comment