After getting up this morning, I discover that one of my pants pockets got torn yesterday from sliding down all the rocks and I lost my favorite Buck knife.  As I'm filtering water, I notice my knife laying on the ground nearby.  That was absolute luck that it fell out here instead of on the trail.

	My favorite Buck knife 4-9-2014 @ 7:46

     We leave camp and walk down the bed of Royal Arch Creek until coming to a large non-negotiable pouroff.  I try to convince Keith and Jonathan to go left on the "Scary Ledge" so I can get their picture, but they are having none of that.  All of us start climbing to the right to reach the bypass.

Left toward the "Ledge" 4-9-2014 @ 8:23	Non-negotiable pouroff 2887  4-9-2014 @ 8:23	Right to the bypass 4-9-2014 @ 8:23

     Keith and Jonathan back-track a little and then climb up while I find a more direct way up to the trail leading to the place where you have to crawl through an opening.
 

Keith heading to the bypass 4-9-2014 @ 8:31	Barrel Cactus 4-9-2014 @ 8:34

     We reach the bypass point in a few more minutes.  It seems like this route was only discovered within the last 10-15 years.  I'm surprised that it wasn't found earlier.  Before then, hikers were forced to go left at the pouroff onto the scary ledge, a very unpleasant experience.  We get down on all fours and pass our packs through the opening before crawling through.

The bypass 4-9-2014 @ 8:36	The bypass 4-9-2014 @ 8:37	Jonathan at the bypass 4-9-2014 @ 8:40

     After walking a little ways past the bypass point, there are a series of steep switchbacks down to the creek bed where we take a break.

	Keith past the bypass 4-9-2014 @ 8:55

     We begin walking the creek bed and soon come to gray rocks that are the beginning of the Redwall.  Its gray color is normal but not often seen.  Most Redwalls have a layer of the Supai or Hermit Shale above it and it is these layers that stain the Redwall with its red color.  For some reason, this part of the trail has no other layers above it.  We then come to a couple of challenging areas:  a large chock stone and a big step down.  We lower our packs down to make these easier.

Redwall 4-9-2014 @ 9:32	A large chock stone 4-9-2014 @ 9:52	A challenging down climb 4-9-2014 @ 10:38

     We find a few more blooming flowers as we walk along.

Flowering cactus 4-9-2014 @ 11:04	Princely Daisy 4-9-2014 @ 11:04	Scarlet Penstemon 4-9-2014 @ 11:47

     Around noon we stop for lunch at the point where the trail heads up for those doing the entire Royal Arch loop.  Jonathan announces that he is going to leave his pack here and make the climb up to the plateau so he can inspect a large rock cairn bench mark placed there in the early 1900s by the Matthes-Evans survey crew (Francois E. Matthes and Richard T. Evans), the first to do a technical survey of the Canyon.  Because today has been much harder than I thought it would be, I'm a little concerned with Jonathan expending a lot of additional effort on his day hike.  We calculate how long all this should take and agree that if Jonathan is not to the Arch by 5:00 that Keith and I will come looking for him.  He heads uphill while Keith and I continue to the Arch.  We soon come to some limestone ledges and a very pretty pool of water.

Muav Limestone ledges 4-9-2014 @ 1:01	Pool of water 4-9-2014 @ 1:09	Pool of water 4-9-2014 @ 1:11

     We find several white frogs in the water and one larger one sunning himself on a rock.  None are especially afraid of us.

White frog 4-9-2014 @ 1:13	White frog 4-9-2014 @ 1:14

     In a few more turns of the creek, we arrive at the Arch.  It's walls are very thick and it does not appear to be in any danger of collapsing.  I put on my Croc camp shoes and take Keith to the other side of the Arch where we walk the small trail to its end.  There are steep drop-offs beside the trail.  I wish I had left my hiking boots on as the narrowness of this trail makes me very nervous walking in these Crocs.

The Royal Arch 4-9-2014 @ 1:49	Rock column behind the Arch 4-9-2014 @ 1:55	Drop-off behind the Arch 4-9-2014 @ 1:55

Drop-off behind the Arch 4-9-2014 @ 1:58	The Royal Arch 4-9-2014 @ 1:59	The Royal Arch 4-9-2014 @ 2:18

     I find a few more blooming flowers at the Arch.  Keith and I set up our sleeping pads on the slick rock by the Arch and take a nap.

Prince's Plume 4-9-2014 @ 3:39	Our camp at the Arch 4-9-2014 @ 4:07	Cactus in bloom 4-9-2014 @ 5:46

     As five o'clock passes, Keith and I are getting a little worried that Jonathan has not arrived.  We pack some water and head lights and head up the trail looking for him.  We get about half-way to the trail split point before finding him.  We are very relieved.  Back at camp, Jonathan shows us some of his pictures.  He was late getting back because, after viewing the Matthes-Evans benchmark, he hiked all the way over to the rappel point.  That is a long ways.  Below are the pictures that Jonathan took on his side excursion.  The last one shows Keith and me knapping far below by the Arch.

	Matthes-Evans benchmark 4-9-2014 @ 2:16

Rapids on the Colorado 4-9-2014 @ 2:39	A green Colorado River 4-9-2014 @ 3:09	Rappel Point 4-9-2014 @ 3:18

Rappel Point 4-9-2014 @ 3:18	Flowering cactus 4-9-2014 @ 3:54	Keith and I napping far below 4-9-2014 @ 4:31

     I show Jonathan the Arch and the trail on the back side.  He picks a campsite on the other side of the Arch.  After supper, the rising moon's reflection in the creek makes for a good picture. 

Column framed by the Arch 4-9-2014 @ 3:59	Moon reflection in the water 4-9-2014 @ 6:59	A rising moon 4-9-2016 @ 7:16

     Tomorrow will be another long day as we feel we should camp closer to the rim than our first night's camping spot.  That will make the climb out the last day a little easier.

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