It's the magic number in any
casino in town--21. Also the number of participants who turned out for
the Thursday hike to Virlis Fischer. Hard by the time-forgotten town of
Nelson, the famous arch would take a bit of determination to attain.
The Fiesta Casino parking lot looked like the staging area for an AARP
convention as the merry band of adventurers convened on this final day
of January. Couldn't buy a frown or a cloud. Half had never been to
the famous dome.
It
took a half-dozen vehicles to transport the crew 30 miles to the
trailhead high above Nelson. If the Colorado River is in sight, it's a
good bet that Chuck Hawkins knows the hike du jour. And there was never
any doubt as Chuck led his serpentine train of trekkers off through the
desert. Thirty minutes into our adventure, however, the train abruptly
stopped. It was a scene right out of a Lewis Carroll tale, as one by
one, we dropped into a 'rabbit hole,' then disappeared. Really. Single
file, down into the abyss we descended, only to emerge on the far side
of the tunnel a few hundred feet distant. Pretty cool.
After
a regroup and an hour's traverse across the desert floor, the stately
arch finally appeared above us. Reaching the window itself would entail
a testy scree field and some fairly steep sandstone. But nothing would
deter this exuberant horde of hikers. After all, lunch awaited under
the arch.
Not
much for conformity, we opted for three different descent routes back
to the valley floor far below us. After gathering again and doing a
cursory head count, it was off across the undulating desert terrain.
Somewhere out there beyond the hills were six sedans, waiting to take
us home.
Narration by Mike OC. Photos by Mike and Laszlo.
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