Elephant Butte

This morning we headed back to Arches to do a little canyoneering to the summit of Elephant Butte, the highest point in the park. It was a nice morning hike, with some tricky navajo sandstone bouldering and a couple of rappels. Here are some pics:

Pete riding the Elephant

This afternoon we drove to the La Sal mountains in order to hike to the top of Mt Peale tomorrow. When we first got into the Moab area, we decided to skip Mt Peale because all of the snow had melted from the route, due to the record heat in Southern Utah. Without snow, we would not be able to practice using crampons and ice axes, which was the point of the hike. However, after a few days in the heat, we decided that even without the snow, the hike might be a good way to get out of the heat. At about 2 miles in of the 7 mile gravel road to the base of the hike, we saw evidence of the rapidly melting snow -- the creek had overtaken the road. So we pulled up next to the creek to reassess our plans. The Mt Peale hike is 3 miles and 3000' feet. We were not excited about adding another 5 miles and 1500' each way.

We pulled out our camp chairs and were sitting next to the van, enjoying the cooler weather, while trying to decide what we should do next. Just as we were wondering if anyone had already crossed the creek, or if it was possible (it got about knee deep in the middle), a 4X4 came racing back across the creek, heading straight towards where we were sitting beside the van. We dove out of the way, trying to avoid receiving an ice cold shower as they careened around our van. I think we scared them as much as they scared us. 

Ultimately, we decided not to gamble with a flooded van or a cracked engine block by turning back to Moab. Instead, we'll be camping on the Colorado River tonight in preparation to mountain bike the Slickrock Trail tomorrow.