Cathedral in the Desert
I've been busy lately. I did find some time off to explore Cathedral in the Desert, a canyon that has opened up due to dropping water levels in Lake Powell. This gem of a canyon seems to have made all the major newspapers in the U.S. within the last month; the story that was published was kind of lame, I think, since the guys couldn't find it hiking in from the land side. They ended up hiring a boat to take them there. The group I went with did find it, and it took four different rope rappels/climbs to get into the Cathedral. It was an incredible day, and I hope that the lake doesn't fill up too much so many of these canyons are left open for viewing. They are amazing and deserve some sort of protection.
Although we have had a banner snowfall and will have record runoffs into the lake this year, it still will not "refill" due to years of continuing drought. I don't mind that particularly; I think that the canyons are worth seeing and that boaters will still have enough lake to play on, and new things to see now that the water is lower. Considering the population explosion downstream in Vegas, Phoenix, and L.A., the lake may never be at full capacity again, even if the drought ends.
The Glen Canyon Institute, a not-for-profit group that previously supported decommissioning Glen Canyon Dam and draining the lake, seems to have softened its rhetoric lately since the drought has actually helped them show off the natural features that were hidden underwater. Their push now is to make Glen Canyon Rec Area a National Park, and to keep the lake at lower levels. This actually makes sense since when the lake is at full pool, much of the water evaporates in the desert sun. At least at half-pool, the shade of the deep canyons helps protect the water from literally disappearing into thin air. The question of whether or not Glen Canyon Recreation Area should be converted into a National Park to protect the uncovered canyons seems like a long shot considering all the other budget spending that's going on in Washington these days. The National Parks now cannot support themselves, and from what I understand, there is a backlog of maintenance spending that is into the millions of dollars. The Institute has done a great job getting their message in national media outlets, and I think they've at least raised an awareness level of what's going on.
Realistically, national parks are far at the bottom of the list for Congress these days. I wish Glen Canyon Institute all the luck in world, because they will need it to get this Congress to create a new national park. For now, I'll enjoy the canyons while I can.
Although we have had a banner snowfall and will have record runoffs into the lake this year, it still will not "refill" due to years of continuing drought. I don't mind that particularly; I think that the canyons are worth seeing and that boaters will still have enough lake to play on, and new things to see now that the water is lower. Considering the population explosion downstream in Vegas, Phoenix, and L.A., the lake may never be at full capacity again, even if the drought ends.
The Glen Canyon Institute, a not-for-profit group that previously supported decommissioning Glen Canyon Dam and draining the lake, seems to have softened its rhetoric lately since the drought has actually helped them show off the natural features that were hidden underwater. Their push now is to make Glen Canyon Rec Area a National Park, and to keep the lake at lower levels. This actually makes sense since when the lake is at full pool, much of the water evaporates in the desert sun. At least at half-pool, the shade of the deep canyons helps protect the water from literally disappearing into thin air. The question of whether or not Glen Canyon Recreation Area should be converted into a National Park to protect the uncovered canyons seems like a long shot considering all the other budget spending that's going on in Washington these days. The National Parks now cannot support themselves, and from what I understand, there is a backlog of maintenance spending that is into the millions of dollars. The Institute has done a great job getting their message in national media outlets, and I think they've at least raised an awareness level of what's going on.
Realistically, national parks are far at the bottom of the list for Congress these days. I wish Glen Canyon Institute all the luck in world, because they will need it to get this Congress to create a new national park. For now, I'll enjoy the canyons while I can.
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