Arches National Park

The Three Penguins

Today was my first visit to Arches National Park. Nestling just north east of Moab this area is popular with car based visitors, signs guide you where to park to photograph each feature.

The Three Penguins

For the petrified sand dunes stand here, for the Organ stand here. Not for us however this arms length interaction. First stop the Penguins. These three towers appear to (possibly) resemble king penguins. They are breached by a two pitch route called Right Chimney. We ran the two pitches together, and bar accidentally falling backwards off the last move, dispatched it quickly. The snow on top added interest.

Owl Tower

Second stop was a quick romp up Owl Tower. This single pitch VS even involved face holds and was rapidly climbed before we moved on to a single pitch crack route called Heart of the Desert. I was cruelly misled by the guide into taking far to many small cams, and far to few large ones. This error I regretted at my leisure whilst I struggled with the ever widening crack, frantically, and repeatedly searching my harness for elusive large cams. None appeared and I was forced to descend in search of more. Eventually, dripping blood, bruised and battered I made the loweroff.