At 61, mountaineer and academic David Roberts
can’t resist the chance to rack up another first. Comb Ridge
is a jutting sandstone escarpment that runs from Kayenta, Ariz., to
Blanding, Utah. One hundred miles long from end to end, the ridge
was one of the few remaining hikes that no one had completed. But
Roberts pulled it off, and lived to tell the tale in his new book,
Sandstone Spine.
Roberts sets out on
the epic hike with two friends, wilderness guide Vaughn Hadenfeldt
and photographer Greg Child, who is also an accomplished rock
climber. At 47, Child is the youngest of the three.
Roberts paints himself and his friends with all their blemishes,
detailing their fallen arches, aching backs, and sometimes grumpy
and competitive relationship. The three middle-aged men impose a
one-dollar fine each time anyone mentions the word “beer” — a
rule that proves increasingly expensive for Roberts as the days of
arid hiking stretch on.
The three compete to spot
interesting Anasazi artifacts, which Roberts illuminates with
well-researched historical tidbits. He notes that the ruins of
granaries, structures used to store corn and other food, are often
found at the end of frightening climbs that intimidate even these
experienced outdoorsmen. Roberts explains that this was one way the
Native Americans defended their food from raiders, an
often-devastating reality of their everyday life.
It’s clear this hike will hold a lasting place in
Roberts’ heart: “Moments of the most piercing happiness came
over me during those eighteen days, moments whose joy was all the
keener for having shared them with two of my best friends.”
Sandstone Spine
David
Roberts
240 pages, softcover: $24.95.
The
Mountaineer Books, 2006
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Dry-hiking in a desert awash with history.
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