Thursday, September 12 – We headed about 20 miles East of Moab on SR-128 along the Colorado River this morning to hike the Fisher Towers Trail. (Reminder…you can click on any photo in any post to see it up close and personal.)
We hit the road by 7 a.m.
We traveled a dirt road about 2 miles off SR-128 to reach the trailhead.
There it is.
Courtesy of Summitpost.org
We had to wait out a short rain before we could begin our hike. We also got sprinkled on twice during the hike.
A moderate 2.2-mile (one way) hiking trail took us along the base of the towers and spires to a scenic overlook. The trail is well marked in most places by piles of rocks called cairns. We soon began to rely on these markers to find our way among the washes, across slick rock, around the curves and up and down over the rocks. This trail has just about anything we have ever met on a hike.
Ledge walking
Steep up and down grades.
Easiest part.
Through the wash.
At one point we descended a metal ladder for about 10 feet. Here we couldn't see a cairn and walked down the wash through some muddy clay before we realized we must have taken a wrong turn. After back tracking we found our error. At the base of the ladder, we should have moved UP the wash.
Marsha wasn't too thrilled about this part.
After hiking about an hour (including “Kodak Moments” for photos), we reached the base of Titan. The tallest of the towers at 900 feet. We were hoping to see some rock climbers on the towers but none were found.
Next to Titan is Ancient Art rock, a skinny tower. This tower was recently featured in a Citibank commercial. A young lady is pictured standing atop this monolith modeling her new shoes (climbing shoes not high heels), and new nylons (ropes not hose). Cute!
At trails end you reach the base of Fisher Towers. This area is called the saddle, a peninsula, 5430 feet above sea level. What a wonderful hike. One of our favorites. This trail is rated moderate on most of the sites on the Internet. We totally agree.
If you plan to hike this trail, wear good hiking boots. And DO NOT do as these people did.
We wished we had time to see how long it took them until they turned around. This photo was taken about 100 yards from the start of the trail. Some people are just down-right dumb!
Just so much beauty on all sides.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day.
yeah. . .I join ya in the sentiment of not being excited about the ladder. . .hmmmm. . .nope. . .not happening. . .but fabulous rewards for your effort. . .really great!
ReplyDeleteSuch an amazing place! For now I am enjoying it through your pictures.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit surprised Marsha didn't recreate the Citibank commercial while you were there. Next time....right?
ReplyDeleteI suspect it was too wet for climbers--slippery?
ReplyDeleteAnd not wet enough for that family; where's their water bottles?
Glad you enjoyed it, though. Except for Marsha and the ladder.
I am just getting more and more excited about seeing all this beauty!!
ReplyDeleteI have always liked the Citibank commercial(at least the music)..never knew where it was suppose to be. Cool
Great pictures!!
It sure is great to be living through your Blog this week! Great pictures again!
ReplyDeleteAn early start to an nice hike. Good job on that ladder descent, Marsha, even though you look a little stressed.
ReplyDeleteLooks like another gorgeous day on the trails. Well, not so sure I'd like the rain on those rocks. That could be pretty slippery.
ReplyDeleteYour hikes and pictures just keep getting better and better. With all that red rock don't your shoes and clothing end up coated in red dust?
ReplyDeleteMore awesome photos again, looks like you had another awesome day!
ReplyDeleteSo glad the weather improved for your hike.
ReplyDeleteWe missed that hike. Looks like fun! Except for the ladder, of course.
ReplyDeleteAnd you in the middle! Just read Sherry's adventures on the Maine coast, Nina's post on the Oregon Coast (Rick's coming up) and enjoyed every moment with you. Rich and I were fascinated with the red rock--we didn't run into rain, but it would have been a relief in the heat we hiked in. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures!
ReplyDeleteMarsha, you are one brave woman to add a ladder to your hike! Yikes! Astounding photos!
ReplyDeleteThese sights are so reminiscent of many trails in Sedona...gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteEven more great pictures!! That trail looked a bit challenging to me.
ReplyDeletewe LOVED the Fisher Towers hike. One of the best, and thats saying a lot in an area like Moab!
ReplyDeleteLost Jo if hiking involves a ladder :-)
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