05/16/08 Hiking Druid Arch Trail: (11 mile loop)
This is to be my most challenging hike since surgery.
The Druid Arch Trail starts out at the Elephant Hill parking lot. It immediately climbs steeply up a series of slickrock and a stone staircase for 150 feet or so.
Then you're on a wide, slickrock plateau that goes on for 2 miles. Wonderful vistas from all directions.
At the two mile mark the trail dips sharply into Elephant Canyon. It's a pretty drop, as long as it's dropping. It will not be dropping on the way back.
The trail follows the canyon left with a stoney, sandy bottom with many smooth ledges to walk on. After 1/2 mile the canyon swings right with Squaw Canyon continuing straight ahead. From here it's another 2.5 miles to Druid Arch.
The trail is now heading towards The Needles (more or less) which are starting to tower up in the distance. Other formations and huge walls follow the canyon.
On the way to the arch there is one short, steep, narrow climb that requires a little care. Near the end of the trail you have to climb a ladder and negotiate a few feet of steep, sloping slickrock with a steel bar to use as a handhold/foothold.
From here the trail climbs up through a chute filled with boulders. I had no intention of climbing it on this day. Instead, I cheated and circled around the base of slickrock for a photo of Druid Arch from the bottom up. The sun screwed that shot up but it was still a good photo.
It's 5.5 miles from the parking lot to Druid Arch. I was feeling like I usually do at the end of the hike but still had the 5.5 miles to go back to the parking lot.
I had to stop for a 5 minutes sitdown 8-10 times on the way back. The muscles/joints of my upper thighs/outer groin area were aching as was my lower back. I had to climb that drop into Elephant Canyon except now it wasn't dropping. :-(.
There were a few more uphill parts you don't really notice when you're going down them. All in all it took me 7.5 hours round trip.
I think I proved to myself that I'm about 80% back to normal. I'm taking tomorrow off, though, to rest up for the next hike.
05/18/08 Hiking Chessler Park Trail: (11 mile loop)
Chessler Park Trail follows the trail described above to Elephant Canyon. Instead of turning left at the canyon, this trail continues across the canyon and begins a 1.5 mile moderate climb with no let up.
The climb was what I was after. I wanted to test myself with about a 400-500 foot climb over that distance and then being able to get back to the trailhead.
I graded myself with a 'C+', OK by not great. I stopped many times but only for 10-15 seconds.
A great view is presented as you come over the pass. You're right in the Needles and can see across a plateau to a vast array of formations in the distance.
I started right on the loop wanting to get to a real nice, shady area for lunch. I went about 1/4 miles and decided I didn't really want to do that. So I want back to where I had turned and went left instead. After 1/4 mile I decided I didn't want to do that either.
Several small groups had come up behind me and most of them turned back once they came over the pass and got the view. So I turned back too.
I didn't feel bad once I got over the pass. I was pretty tired when I got back to the trailhead but didn't have the aches as on the previous hike.