Alaska – Canada Travels 2014, Moab, UT; Canyoneering to Morning Glory Arch, October 7th.

Today we take an easy hike with Kim, Lisa and Erin to a rappel behind Morning Glory Arch. It’s a through hike so we leave a vehicle at the Negro Bill Trail Head on the Colorado River and drive back through Moab to Sand Flat on the plateau. There’s no trail so we hike cross-country guided by Lisa’s landmarks that take us to the drainage that leads to Morning Glory Arch.

Hiking to Morning Glory Arch. Us ladies: Lisa, Erin & I . . .

. . . and the guys, Jim & Kim

Kim tosses the rope into Medieval Chamber.

Our first rappel is into the Medieval Chamber. Jim enthusiastically offers to go first. The edge is rounded so we can’t get close enough to see the bottom. Jim gets on rappel and once he’s backed far enough over the edge to see what’s below he says, “There’s a big pool down there!” No one seemed to have mentioned this. 

Jim hooks in and notice the big pool at the bottom that he has to negotiate.

There are actually two pools at the bottom of each of the two pour offs on the descent into the chamber. If you don’t want to get your feet wet the trick is to try to set foot on the edge of the first pool then work the rope around the pool to the next pour off. 

Jim and Erin watch Lisa coming down to the 1st pour off.

I missed the edge of the pool and ended up in the water anyway so I just waded across to the next pour off. At the bottom of the second pour off another pool is waiting in the chamber gloom. It’s really a fun little rappel.

Kim descends down the 2nd pour off . . 

. . . and works his way to the side to avoid the pool at the bottom.

The Medieval Chamber is a somewhat circular room with sandstone walls sloping upward to a small patch of sky that fills the chamber with dim, ambient light. A slot exits from the chamber into a wide wash aglow with the bright noonday sun.

Looking into the slot entrance to the Medieval Chamber from the canyon.

Jim and Kim exit the chamber after pulling the rope.

This is the canyon we find ourselves in when we exit the Chamber.

We walk about a tenth of a mile down canyon to the top of an approximately 75-ft. cliff. There’s no arch to be seen from here because we’re standing level with its top. The arch is perpendicular to the direction of the wash with 15 ft. gap between it and the cliff. It spans the canyon from wall to wall but on the right side we can go around the gap onto the top and walk across it.

A short hike down canyon to the arch.

Jim standing on the arch.

There's about a 15 ft. gap between the cliff and the arch.

With Jim's prodding I conquered my fears and walked out on the arch. It’s a piece of cake. What a view.

My victory dance after walking across the arch.

It’s an easy rappel with a free hang into the amphitheater below the arch. This is the destination and the end of the trail for hikers coming up Negro Bill Canyon to see the arch. We had the good fortune of having a much more interesting way of seeing the arch then most people.

My descent down the cliff behind Morning Glory Arch . . .

. . . and into the shadows.

Lisa descends into the amphitheater.

Happy canyoneers.

It’s a two mile hike down the canyon to the trail head where we parked the car. It’s been another beautiful day in the canyons.

The arch blends in so well that you hardly notice it in the center of the photo.
We came down the canyon above it.

The hike out.

Negro Bill Canyon.

Our friends have to get back to work so we’ll go to Canyon Lands Island in the Sky for a few days of bicycling and hiking until we join them again for more canyoneering adventures the following week.

More to come next time from Island in the Sky.

Jackie