Amasa Back

Saturday, March 3, 2012

The Original Trip Report on ADVENTR.CO

After spending the last two weeks in the Chicago area, and not having been to Moab in almost a month (February is one of my favorite times to hike around Moab since the weather is usually nice and there aren't any crowds yet), it was time for me to get back out into the desert for a long hike alone. I left home in the morning without any particular destination in mind, but by the time I reached Moab I had decided to hike out onto Amasa Back following the Cliffhanger Jeep Trail. This is actually one of the few Jeep trails around Moab that I have not driven before, so it was nice to finally be able to check it out.

A short way into the hike I found a small and faded petroglyph panel.

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Cliffhanger Petroglyphs by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Before continuing to Amasa Back I decided to stop an revisit the amazing Owl Petroglyph Panel nearby.

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Owl Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I also searched the area to find these very interesting petroglyphs that I had missed before.

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Lines & Sheep by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

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Lines by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

This lone figure was carved in the sandstone high above what may have been a structure at one time.

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The Watchman by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Hiking out to Amasa Back. Jackson Hole is at the bottom of the drop-off to the left.

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Amasa Back by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I found a few pictographs along the way including this red shield figure. If you look very closely to the right of the pictographs, you can see there are a few faint petroglyphs here, too.

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Amasa Warrior by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

There were great views of the La Sal Mountains and Behind the Rocks areas from up here.

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Fins & Mountains by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The turnaround point of my hike was at the Piggyback Panel. This is a very large petroglyph of a bighorn sheep with two smaller sheep on it's back.

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Piggyback Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A closer look at the petroglyphs.

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Piggyback Sheep by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

On my way back to the Jeep I even managed to find a large boulder that had a few dinosaur tracks on it. There are three tracks in this photo, but two of them are pretty hard to make out. Can you find them all?

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Three Dinosaur Tracks by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A view of an eye-shaped alcove from within Kane Creek Canyon.

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Eye Alcove by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Before leaving Kane Creek Canyon, I made a quick stop at the famous Birthing Rock petroglyphs.

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Feet by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The Birthing Scene.

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Birthing Scene by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Just a photo of my Jeep in Kane Creek Canyon.

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ADVENTR Jeep by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I stopped and took photos of a few of the numerous petroglyph panels found along Kane Creek Road on my way back into town.

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Tracks Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

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River Rocks Panel by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

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Medallion Panel Scene by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

When I made it back into town, I grabbed a quick dinner and then stopped by the grand opening of The Edge Gallery to say hi to Bret and check out his new gallery. He's done a great job with it, so next time you are in Moab make sure to stop by!

On my way home I was driving by the Fisher Towers as the sun was setting again, so I stopped along the Colorado River for a few photos.

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Sunlit Towers by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

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Red Rock Reflection by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

It was great to get back out in the desert on a beautiful day for a long hike alone. It's exactly what I needed!

>> Amasa Back Photo Gallery

nice TR Randy thanks !!!

Very nice. Love the last Fisher Tower shot and the behind the rocks/la sal shot. Reminds me of the view from Poison Spider but looking down from higher up.

All good stuff, but love the last two! :2thumbs:

Great pictures, Randy !

Philippe