Tiff Mapel
Escalante-Class Member
Good morning, Wordlings,
Your Wednesday edition of old Lake Powell Magazine articles is here. Aleson Arch!
Enjoy,
Tiff
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High in the Navajo Sandstone above a small pocket known as Flying Eagle Cove, Aleson Arch stands sentinel overlooking Lake Powell north to the Henry Mountains. You can find Flying Eagle Cove just uplake from the Rincon, between buoys #77 and #78.
Aleson Arch is named for Harry Aleson, a colorful character from Glen Canyon history. Harry LeRoy Aleson was born on March 9, 1899, in Waterville, Iowa. In 1918 while still in high school, he enlisted in the Army and served in the First World War. When he returned to the U.S. in 1920, he completed his high school education and then went to college for an electrical engineering degree. He never finished college, and held a variety of jobs. On April 7, 1928, Aleson married Thursa Winona Arnold. In March of 1940, they legally separated without children.
Aleson’s first encounter with the Colorado River came in 1939, when he rented a motorboat and toured Lake Mead for five days. He took his boat to the last rapid in western Grand Canyon. He was so impressed, he stayed and conducted small lake tours. He later purchased his first boat, which he named the "Uplake." Aleson loved taking his motorized boat up through the rapids in the Grand Canyon. Each time he tried, he'd get further up the canyon. His goal was to make it all the way up to Lees Ferry.
Throughout Aleson's impressive Grand Canyon and Glen Canyon adventures, he was associated with a variety of notable people of canyon history. In 1945, Aleson up-ran Glen Canyon from Lees Ferry to the mouth of the Escalante River. In June of 1947, he went again with Georgie White. And again in April of 1948, Aleson took Stella Knight Ruess, mother of Everett Ruess--the artist/writer who in 1934 mysteriously disappeared in the Escalante River wilderness. Aleson took Mrs. Ruess to the stone inscription in Davis Gulch, NEMO 1934, which is said to have been carved by Everett. In July of 1945, Aleson up-ran the Colorado from Hite Crossing to the foot of Dark Canyon Rapid in Cataract Canyon. Later in 1945, he up-ran more rapids above Moab, Utah for a distance of 10 miles. In July of 1947, he up-ran the Colorado from Green River, Utah to Moab, Utah. When Aleson was at the mouth of the San Rafael River, he visited the home of notorious boatman Bert Loper and his wife Rachel. Then in July of 1949, Aleson was on the very river trip through Grand Canyon when Bert Loper died of a presumed heart attack in 24 ½ rapid.
In 1961, while conducting a river tour through Glen Canyon, Aleson met Dorothy Donaldson Keyes, a social worker from San Diego County. In 1962, they were married in Glen Canyon with river historian Otis "Dock" Marston and fellow outfitter Ken Sleight as witnesses. Through Aleson’s journals from his river trips, he noted the sighting of an arch, which he called “Flying Eagle Bridge,” for the eagle that soared over it. He spent his life on the Colorado River where he was happiest, and worked with his longtime friend, Georgie White. The two used to float down Grand Canyon with only life jackets. Aleson was certainly never lacking for adventure.
On March 27, 1972, Aleson passed away in the Yavapai Community Hospital at Prescott, Arizona, losing his battle with cancer. His burial was performed in Oceanside, California, with the eulogy given by Otis “Dock” Marston. After Aleson’s death, a few of his river friends began an effort to name the arch in their friend’s honor. So it is now officially called Aleson Arch.
The best way to begin your hike to Aleson Arch is to park your boat in Flying Eagle Cove. There isn’t a whole lot of space, as it is mostly rocky and steep. But you can find small patches of sand to put a boat on. Once beached securely, start hiking right up the steep incline to the right. Once you get up to the upper bench, the hiking is much easier. The hardest part of the hike is right in the beginning. There’s several hundred yards of fairly smooth slick rock as you hike up toward the arch. There’s a good view of it here, so be sure to get some pictures. It’s a large span at 98 feet wide and sits at an elevation of approximately 4,557 feet.
Also on the hike up to the arch, there are several dinosaur tracks in sandstone slabs—some as large as 20 inches long, and 12 inches wide. The locations of these tracks will not be disclosed here, so as to protect them from vandals. But if you’ve got a keen enough eye and know what to look for, the tracks will be evident.
As you near the rocky outcropping that contains the arch, you’ll want to hike around to the right side of the Navajo Sandstone domes. This is the safest way, and it will take you around to the backside of the arch. This is easy hiking—the most you’ll have to do is watch that you don’t step into a cactus. When you come to the backside of the arch, there is a magnificent view of the Henry Mountains to the north through it. You’ll have a hard time getting right down into the bowl of the arch unless you have ropes and other people to help you. Don’t do it alone, because you likely will get stuck up there.
Tucked under a rock you’ll find a flat, rectangular metal box, which contains several journals and a packet of information about Harry Aleson left by a hiker. Three of the journals were filled completely, indicating that Aleson Arch sees a lot of hiker traffic. The fourth journal was just starting, so I happily signed my name to the log. It looked like we were the first hikers of 2008 to visit.
Your Wednesday edition of old Lake Powell Magazine articles is here. Aleson Arch!
Enjoy,
Tiff
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aleson Arch
High in the Navajo Sandstone above a small pocket known as Flying Eagle Cove, Aleson Arch stands sentinel overlooking Lake Powell north to the Henry Mountains. You can find Flying Eagle Cove just uplake from the Rincon, between buoys #77 and #78.
Aleson Arch is named for Harry Aleson, a colorful character from Glen Canyon history. Harry LeRoy Aleson was born on March 9, 1899, in Waterville, Iowa. In 1918 while still in high school, he enlisted in the Army and served in the First World War. When he returned to the U.S. in 1920, he completed his high school education and then went to college for an electrical engineering degree. He never finished college, and held a variety of jobs. On April 7, 1928, Aleson married Thursa Winona Arnold. In March of 1940, they legally separated without children.
Aleson’s first encounter with the Colorado River came in 1939, when he rented a motorboat and toured Lake Mead for five days. He took his boat to the last rapid in western Grand Canyon. He was so impressed, he stayed and conducted small lake tours. He later purchased his first boat, which he named the "Uplake." Aleson loved taking his motorized boat up through the rapids in the Grand Canyon. Each time he tried, he'd get further up the canyon. His goal was to make it all the way up to Lees Ferry.
Throughout Aleson's impressive Grand Canyon and Glen Canyon adventures, he was associated with a variety of notable people of canyon history. In 1945, Aleson up-ran Glen Canyon from Lees Ferry to the mouth of the Escalante River. In June of 1947, he went again with Georgie White. And again in April of 1948, Aleson took Stella Knight Ruess, mother of Everett Ruess--the artist/writer who in 1934 mysteriously disappeared in the Escalante River wilderness. Aleson took Mrs. Ruess to the stone inscription in Davis Gulch, NEMO 1934, which is said to have been carved by Everett. In July of 1945, Aleson up-ran the Colorado from Hite Crossing to the foot of Dark Canyon Rapid in Cataract Canyon. Later in 1945, he up-ran more rapids above Moab, Utah for a distance of 10 miles. In July of 1947, he up-ran the Colorado from Green River, Utah to Moab, Utah. When Aleson was at the mouth of the San Rafael River, he visited the home of notorious boatman Bert Loper and his wife Rachel. Then in July of 1949, Aleson was on the very river trip through Grand Canyon when Bert Loper died of a presumed heart attack in 24 ½ rapid.
In 1961, while conducting a river tour through Glen Canyon, Aleson met Dorothy Donaldson Keyes, a social worker from San Diego County. In 1962, they were married in Glen Canyon with river historian Otis "Dock" Marston and fellow outfitter Ken Sleight as witnesses. Through Aleson’s journals from his river trips, he noted the sighting of an arch, which he called “Flying Eagle Bridge,” for the eagle that soared over it. He spent his life on the Colorado River where he was happiest, and worked with his longtime friend, Georgie White. The two used to float down Grand Canyon with only life jackets. Aleson was certainly never lacking for adventure.
On March 27, 1972, Aleson passed away in the Yavapai Community Hospital at Prescott, Arizona, losing his battle with cancer. His burial was performed in Oceanside, California, with the eulogy given by Otis “Dock” Marston. After Aleson’s death, a few of his river friends began an effort to name the arch in their friend’s honor. So it is now officially called Aleson Arch.
The best way to begin your hike to Aleson Arch is to park your boat in Flying Eagle Cove. There isn’t a whole lot of space, as it is mostly rocky and steep. But you can find small patches of sand to put a boat on. Once beached securely, start hiking right up the steep incline to the right. Once you get up to the upper bench, the hiking is much easier. The hardest part of the hike is right in the beginning. There’s several hundred yards of fairly smooth slick rock as you hike up toward the arch. There’s a good view of it here, so be sure to get some pictures. It’s a large span at 98 feet wide and sits at an elevation of approximately 4,557 feet.
Also on the hike up to the arch, there are several dinosaur tracks in sandstone slabs—some as large as 20 inches long, and 12 inches wide. The locations of these tracks will not be disclosed here, so as to protect them from vandals. But if you’ve got a keen enough eye and know what to look for, the tracks will be evident.
As you near the rocky outcropping that contains the arch, you’ll want to hike around to the right side of the Navajo Sandstone domes. This is the safest way, and it will take you around to the backside of the arch. This is easy hiking—the most you’ll have to do is watch that you don’t step into a cactus. When you come to the backside of the arch, there is a magnificent view of the Henry Mountains to the north through it. You’ll have a hard time getting right down into the bowl of the arch unless you have ropes and other people to help you. Don’t do it alone, because you likely will get stuck up there.
Tucked under a rock you’ll find a flat, rectangular metal box, which contains several journals and a packet of information about Harry Aleson left by a hiker. Three of the journals were filled completely, indicating that Aleson Arch sees a lot of hiker traffic. The fourth journal was just starting, so I happily signed my name to the log. It looked like we were the first hikers of 2008 to visit.
