skip to main |
skip to sidebar
southwest road trip - day 4 - fiery furnace hike
We headed back to Arches National Park this morning for a ranger-guided hike through the "Fiery Furnace". The Fiery Furnace is a maze of red and cream sandstone fins, pinnacles and narrow canyons. It was named by early pioneers who thought the fingers of rock, in the late afternoon sun, looked like flames in a furnace. Although our hike began in the bright morning sun, the outcrops still looked impressive.
There are no marked hiking trails in the Fiery Furnace and people have often got lost in the maze of rocks so permits are required to go into this region of the park. Ranger Patrick was our guide for today's adventure. He started with a talk about the area we were about to enter and explained that we should be careful where we tread, sticking to the washes of dry streams and areas of bare rock so that we didn't damage the "cryptobiotic soil crust". Although it looks like bare soil, it contains tinay cyanobacteria, lichen, algae and fungi that combat erosion, absorb moisture and provide other nutrients for plant growth in this delicately balanced dry desert region.
As we descended towards the dry "wash" in the first canyon it was amazing to see how much plant life was supported including this gnarled Utah Juniper which can live for 600 years.
Our group of about 20 hikers heads into the first canyon.
The walls of this narrow canyon seem to bend over us. The dark brown streaks on the salmon-colored walls are known as "desert varnish" which is formed by biochemical reaction of bacteria on the clay, black manganese and red iron oxides on the rock surfaces. 
"All eyes on Ranger Patrick". We take a rest in the shade in Raven Canyon as Patrick tells us about the small pool of permanent water called a "pothole" that contains a surprising amount of life and attracts native animals & birds. During infrequent thunderstorms this canyon becomes awash with water. The tall walls of the canyon provide enough shade that the water trapped in potholes like these is very slow to evaporate. Apparently this pool is a popular drinking spot for the local ravens.
Apparently this pool is also a popular spot for the local ranger guides, who get a kick out of distracting their audience with the tales of the pool so that they fail to notice the spectacular Twin Arch (also known as Skull Arch) that is sitting behind and above them!
As we explored deeper into the furnace we had to scramble over rock crevices...
... and through some narrow slot canyons that were a tight squeeze!
The scenery was amazing...
... and clearly our intrepid hikers were up to the task!
We continued upward through the maze of rock fins and it was easy to see how one could get lost in this place with walls so tall there was no way to "see a way out".
After scrambling through another narrow slot we came upon Surprise Arch.
"I think the way out is through here..."
The sun shining into the narrow canyons cast some interesting light on the salmon-colored rocks. Mike took this picture of Heather, whose orange shirt matched the glow of the walls.
Even this lizard seemed to blend well with the colors of the rocks.
In places the canyons were quite wide and dotted with vegetation. We loved the contrast of the green plants, red rock and blue sky.
Here and there, spring blooming cactus added pretty decoration.
After 3 hours of "exploring" we passed underneath the "kissing rocks"...
...and saw our way out of the Fiery Furnace.
We headed back to Arches National Park this morning for a ranger-guided hike through the "Fiery Furnace". The Fiery Furnace is a maze of red and cream sandstone fins, pinnacles and narrow canyons. It was named by early pioneers who thought the fingers of rock, in the late afternoon sun, looked like flames in a furnace. Although our hike began in the bright morning sun, the outcrops still looked impressive.
There are no marked hiking trails in the Fiery Furnace and people have often got lost in the maze of rocks so permits are required to go into this region of the park. Ranger Patrick was our guide for today's adventure. He started with a talk about the area we were about to enter and explained that we should be careful where we tread, sticking to the washes of dry streams and areas of bare rock so that we didn't damage the "cryptobiotic soil crust". Although it looks like bare soil, it contains tinay cyanobacteria, lichen, algae and fungi that combat erosion, absorb moisture and provide other nutrients for plant growth in this delicately balanced dry desert region.
As we descended towards the dry "wash" in the first canyon it was amazing to see how much plant life was supported including this gnarled Utah Juniper which can live for 600 years.
Our group of about 20 hikers heads into the first canyon.
The walls of this narrow canyon seem to bend over us. The dark brown streaks on the salmon-colored walls are known as "desert varnish" which is formed by biochemical reaction of bacteria on the clay, black manganese and red iron oxides on the rock surfaces. 
"All eyes on Ranger Patrick". We take a rest in the shade in Raven Canyon as Patrick tells us about the small pool of permanent water called a "pothole" that contains a surprising amount of life and attracts native animals & birds. During infrequent thunderstorms this canyon becomes awash with water. The tall walls of the canyon provide enough shade that the water trapped in potholes like these is very slow to evaporate. Apparently this pool is a popular drinking spot for the local ravens.
Apparently this pool is also a popular spot for the local ranger guides, who get a kick out of distracting their audience with the tales of the pool so that they fail to notice the spectacular Twin Arch (also known as Skull Arch) that is sitting behind and above them!
As we explored deeper into the furnace we had to scramble over rock crevices...
... and through some narrow slot canyons that were a tight squeeze!
The scenery was amazing...
... and clearly our intrepid hikers were up to the task!
We continued upward through the maze of rock fins and it was easy to see how one could get lost in this place with walls so tall there was no way to "see a way out".
After scrambling through another narrow slot we came upon Surprise Arch.
"I think the way out is through here..."
The sun shining into the narrow canyons cast some interesting light on the salmon-colored rocks. Mike took this picture of Heather, whose orange shirt matched the glow of the walls.
Even this lizard seemed to blend well with the colors of the rocks.
In places the canyons were quite wide and dotted with vegetation. We loved the contrast of the green plants, red rock and blue sky.
Here and there, spring blooming cactus added pretty decoration.
After 3 hours of "exploring" we passed underneath the "kissing rocks"...
...and saw our way out of the Fiery Furnace.
No comments:
Post a Comment