Arch Canyon Trail: Organ Pipe National Monument

Either of us can invoke the “safety rule” and we turn around and go back.  It is not open for discussion or negotiation.  And afterwards we evaluate what we did, whether we recognized a safety situation quickly enough, etc. 

The Arch Canyon Trail seemed like a fairly benign trail, but only because we really didn’t understand what the description meant.  It actually is a moderately easy trail until the trail ends, at about ¾ of a mile, and then a climb begins on an unofficial trail.  Then it is a scramble/climb along steep ridges.  

 

Talked to park worker later who said that the final ascent requires ropes.  We got a ways up this part of the trail, realized we were in over our heads, invoked the safety rule, and carefully and s-l-o-w-l-y crawled down.  

Our recommendation to most people is to stop at this sign that indicates the trail gets rocky and steep.  We should have.

 

We had a “first” today.  We wondered if we would ever do this.  We ran into someone who we had seen at an earlier stop—David, from England.  We had seen him at Madera Canyon a week earlier.  

We used the rest of the day walking to the Victoria Mine.  An easy 4.2 mile hike with 500 foot elevation gain.  We felt we had earned something easier, and it felt good to just stretch out and walk.