Two Pine Arch and Clear Creek Wash

Tuesday, August 20
Day Off

Because the Western Legends Round-Up starts on Thursday, we only had one day off for the week.  Hiking Two Pine Arch and possibly Progeny Peak, on the east side of Zion, would keep us close to home and also let us tick off another item on the to-do list.

Finding the right parking spot was a challenge because the directions are written for those travelling from the west, the opposite of our approach, and uses a  missing road sign as a key landmark.  With the help of GPS co-ordinates we located the trailhead and headed up a wash alternately composed of sand and slickrock but uniformly hot and steep.  Even with an early start and patches of shade, we were soon breathing hard and sweating generously. 

Route to Two Pine Arch

 

Two Pine Arch is quite unusual because it's a rock 'rib' jutting from the side of the cliff like a flying buttress.  The trail description (thanks, Tanya and Bo!) includes a picture that helped us spot the arch and then trace a route across and up the 450' sandstone slope to reach it.  Sitting beneath the arch winded and hot, we debated continuing to Progeny Peak, a thousand feet higher, over slickrock in full sun with a forecast of 105*.   Descent was quicker, though trickier in several places, than our ascent.

 

Whew!  Made it.

View down-canyon from Two Pine Arch

Just south of our parking spot was an access to Clear Creek we had used in June to hike up-stream toward Route 9's short tunnel.  Going downstream we were soon enclosed in a narrow passage between tall, twisting, turning dull gray walls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About half a mile below our entry point, the canyon abruptly pinched in below a sharp bend, trapping debris from recent storms and forming an unstable pile at least four feet thick.   

 

 

 

We made our way across the debris pile but feared walking in the wash beyond it because the mud was as unstable as quicksand.