We made multiple stops at Hite. The complete disappearance of Lake Powell from the marina is such a jarring sight. I used to wonder what Glen Canyon would become if the Glen Canyon Dam were to disappear. How would the vegetation come back? What would become of the lake sediments? How would the river course develop? Well, Hite answers many of those questions. It was once a busy "marina," but now you can drive all the way to the end of the boat ramp. The river is still about a half mile away. It is a wild sight. There is a good chance Lake Powell will never fill again, so what a shame that the original town of Hite was flooded for only a handful years. My understanding is itnwas mostly a ghost town by then anyways, but it didn't have to be. With all the amazing scenery around there, it could easily have become the next Escalante.
After Hite, we made a stop in Blanding for fuel and to drop off my rent money. It was sad to see the "No Monument" stickers on a few cars around town. Blanding is the gateway community to the new Bears Ears National Monument, and many, mostly white residents, hate it. The monument encompasses sites sacred to several local tribes. Looting and vandalism have been ever increasing, so the tribes asked then-President Obama to designate the area as a national monument to protect it. It was controversial before designation and controversial still. Many land-uses are still allowed like grazing and mining, but the spiritual sites are more protected. However, Blanding has a long tradition of looting these sites as a community activity. For that side of Blanding's history, I recommend Craig Childs' "Finders Keepers" on the ethics of archeology. The first place we saw an anti-monument sticker was at the gas station where the driver of that vehicle and our crew were the few whites I saw. It was all natives walking in and out of the store and getting fuel.
After Blanding, we started making our way to the Needles. Dropped off a cache on the Beef Basin Road. Dropped off another just outside Canyonlands. I wanted to try to drop it at Needles Outpost, but they were closed. We were there during the hours it was supposed to be open according to their signage, but I guess it was not meant to be. The State Trust land it sits on is for sale, so they may be resigned to their fate or maybe they just had to make a town run? I don't know, but if you have around 1.5 million dollars, you can own an 11 site campground with camp store and two fuel pumps. Tough to pay that loan off.
We stopped at Newspaper Rock! Such an amazing site. I could sit and look at this for hours. The depictions of animal tracks alone is worth the time. The layers of carvings you can see. Why are they there? Was it religious or cultural or just a creative outlet? Is it a greeting post? Is there an energy that draws people to make their mark on panels like this? Is the same energy at work when modern people feel the need to make their mark next to it? Or is it just hubris on the part of the vandal?
Finally made it to Moab, where we are a traditional Moab dinner of Fiesta Mexicana. Stayed at the semi-traditional Rustic Inn. Next day I hit the trail!
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