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Cathedral in the Desert CANYONEERING INTO THE RE-EMERGENT GEM OF GLEN CANYON by John Hart Prof. of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder April 4, 2005 (Click on any image for a larger version and a description) INTRODUCTION Among the must-do canyoneering things in 2005 was (is) to explore the new territory exposed by the remarkable recession of Lake Powell (a.k.a. Lake Foul), due to the recent drought in the Mountain West. It has dropped about 145 feet from its "full-pool" level in the last few years. The burial of the magnificent Glen Canyon, "The Place No One Knew", by the Glen Canyon Dam in 1964+ has been partially reversed by events beyond the control of man. Well, indirectly. Some research claims that the recent drought is related to global warming, which is certainly beyond the realm of "the engineering of western water" that led to the construction of the concrete monster in the first place. In spite of the natural variability of the weather, climate change models suggest that the weakening of input into the Colorado River system may be permanent. On the other hand, our ability to forecast short-term climate variability is limited. Historical studies (of events that presumably do not include the influence of global warming), indicate that drought patterns involved with similar events in the past typically persist for 4 to 11 years. Based on this alone, the current "dry-time" could last for a few more years. Maybe. The lake level always pulses with an annual period . There are international treaties that require a specified release from the Glen Canyon dam. During the winter months this output exceeds the input from run-off, leading to a minimum "pool height" in March. Traditionally lake levels start to rise in May and peak in July, a direct consequence of snowmelt. This year, 2005, there is a lot of snow in the mountain west. The snowpack ranges from 90% of normal for the upper Green, to over 150% of normal for parts of the Colorado and San Juan river headwaters. Whether or not this is a consequence of year-to-year climate variability, or a long-term migration away from the global-warming scenario is unknown. My guess is that it is the former. In the long-term, development in the "upper-basin" states will cause Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming to drain all of their share of the Colorado River Compact 's allocation. Dismantling the dam is often claimed to be economic suicide, and is realistically a bit impractical. But persistent drought and long-lasting treaties could maintain or even enhance the current "low-water" status. This, along with global-warming's effects on weather patterns in the western US, could cause the lake levels to drop even further than the current 145 feet down. Nonetheless, it is obvious that the record snowfall will lead to a short-term reversal of the current trend, with the lake height increasing perhaps 30 feet or more in the next few months (20 feet being the historical average). SO, now is (was) the time to try and visit such icons as the Cathedral in the Desert, which has, over the years become The Symbol of what was lost when the dikes of the Glen Canyon Dam were closed. In the spirit of getting the word out, showing what this place is like today, and suggesting why we should celebrate this remarkable irony, where man himself has perhaps enabled us to rediscover the place he originally buried under 150 feet of water through misplaced priorities (IMO), here are some images from our recent trip into the Cathedral: Down from the Top. CATHEDRAL IN THE DESERT
The approach can involve a direct descent down the pothole-filled drainage of Clear Creek Canyon, dropping from quite near the end of the Hole in the Rock Road in Escalante National Monument, into the Escalante River. Some challenges, and a couple pairs of sketchy and rusty old bolts, possibly placed even before the dam closed in 1964, await the intrepid.
Our group of enthusiasts wanted to spend a lot of time in the Cathedral itself, and didn't choose to mess with the potholes. Bill Wolverton had scouted a quicker entry into the lower canyon involving a rappel down a dome on the north rim. Bill and Steve Cole, an intrepid "4 months per year" Escalante desert-explorer, had organized a trip to rappel into the Cathedral from the top, followed by a couple rope ascents and belayed dry-fall up-climbs to get back out.
Walls and Alcoves, running water, and vegetation sprouting almost-instantaneously, are all exposed with the recession of the lake. It's remarkable how quickly the canyon has restored itself!
The Cathedral in the Desert. Compare my picture on the left, taken Mar. 28 (click on it), to one taken just on March 11, 2005.
Climbing back out. No boat pickup today. Pay your dues.
For a canyon enthusiast, visiting this place, hidden over time, but resurrected for the glory of the wild, was like a dream come true, a real spiritual experience.
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