Sunday, September 27, 2009

Shhhh! A Secret Hike!

For about 10 years I've seen a picture of an ancient dwelling with the Canyonlands in the background, but I've never been able to find out where it was. A member of the WINs, Linda, knows where it is and has offered to take me, Phil, and Chuck.

It turns out it is what the park service calls a "Class 2 Hike." The Visitors Center will tell you how to get there only if you know enough to give them the name, photograph, or description of the destination.


The hike starts out easy enough. Beautiful views, with the Green River in the background.


But soon gets tougher, with some rock scrampling on the side of a cliff.


Our destination is up in that small hole in the middle of the picture.


You have to go past it a ways and then work your way up.


Whew! Almost there!


Yippee! I made it! The site is called "False Kiva" because people falsely believed the round structure is a kiva or ceremonial room. However, these structures were fairly common shelters for ancestral Puebloan people living in the area around A.D. 1200.


The front door had a great view of Candlestick Tower.


When we got there, the site was half in the sun and half not. Of course we waited around until the sun was just right. I took some pictures in raw format, which I had never done before. This is one of them.


Now all we have to do is find our way back to the car. Phil took most of these hiking pictures, because I was too focused on trying not to kill myself.


Don't look down!

10 comments:

  1. WOW! What a great story! I'm glad you lived to tell the tale. ;)

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  2. Now you can cross that off your list. Pretty cool place and love the picture taken in raw format.

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  3. Cool stuff. I had never heard of the False Kiva.

    It took me a few minutes to locate it on line. Once I found it, I was surprised to see how close we came to it a little over 2 years ago (September 23) along the road to the Upheaval Dome. Of course, we were 500 feet or so above on the plateau. Again, cool stuff.

    I had never thought about native ruins in Canyonlands, or Arches, for that matter. It makes sense that there would be, with all of those in relatively nearby areas. Of course, after having just been at Mesa Verde...,

    Travel safe and have fun.

    Mike Goad
    currently at home in Arkansas
    Haw Creek Out 'n About

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  4. One adventure after another. There's a big one waiting for you at Bullfrog!!

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  5. Hey Diana, wow what marvelous pictures, and I'm so glad you got to take your hike and didn't kill yourself. Looks like it was fun, I would love to do that.

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  6. Great pictures es of a wonderful hike!

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  7. that's me--anonymous! Rita from Tn.

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  8. What fun this must have been...looks like a trail where you have to keep an eye on the trail! What a great spot to take wonderful photos!!

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  9. So here it is ...
    Class 1 to Class 5 hiking is explained at this link...

    http://www.utahoutside.com/2010/07/hiking-trail-difficulty-ratings-got-class-now-you-do/

    do you need some rope ?

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