Weather: 85ยบ, hot & sunny
About this Hike: I’ll start by saying I’m done with Bell Rock. A few years ago I blogged about “failing to
ring the bell on top”. Today I hiked along
the Bell Rock Climb trail until the U.S. Forest Service cairns vanished. I reached what I believe to be as high as
sane humans can go. It’s a spire on the
north side of the butte. Getting up
there is tricky, but the dry sandstone offers good traction.
Some European tourists hiked ahead of me and were seated
atop the spire. I had no such luck. I
got to the base of the spire but could go no further. My fear of heights kicked in. Getting down off that thing was very tricky
and I felt panicky at times. There’s not
a well-definied trail, and it takes a lot of careful scrambling. Meanwhile the cairns of the official (easier,
safer) trail seem tauntingly close as you work your way down a layer cake of
sandstone.
So, with RV and bus parking abundant at the (fee) trailhead,
I feel that Bell Rock is a tourist trap and not worth my time. But, for all intents and purposes I reached
the top, and I no longer believe there’s a bell up there to ring…
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| The spire I could've gone to the top of...close enough |
