You have to up before you go down. On all my previous adventures at this site, I explored the inner canyon and largely avoided the expansive boulder-talus fields below the gorge. This time I brought my geologist buddy who was apparently not afraid of climbing through the cracks and caves of fractured, unstable sandstone…
Follow Me! This time we actually had a few hours to fully climb around the back side and see how deep we could climb into this rock. Before long he found the way in…
Just crawl into what looks like nothing only to find a space into a maze of boulders. I still think this is generally bad idea, and couldn’t stop thinking about earthquakes. Thats why its always good to have a crazy friend who will enable you to make bad choices… Jokes aside, before long we crawled our way into the secret places of the earth below the trees.
Climbing through the filtered light of the cave, we often had to chimney our way over deep fissures that appeared bottomless. It was no doubt impressive considering the upheaval that occurred here, the forces that created the canyon above and the ruble down below.
Eventually we made our way across the belly of the rock and emerged in a maze of fractures boulders at the far side.
Thanks to my fearless leader, I got to see one of my favorite nooks and crannies in a whole new way. Now all I need is a real camera, and maybe a real photographer to take better pictures of this place!
Nooks and Crannies 