Lee's Backbone

There are few places in the Southwest with more drama and less fame than Lee's Ferry. From a previous post, here is a quote from LDS Church President Wilford Woodruff:

"The worst hill Ridge or Mountain that I Ever attempted to Cross with a team and waggon on Earth. We had 4 Horses on a waggon of 1,500 lb. weight and for two rods we Could ownly gain from 4 inches to 24 with all the power of the horses & two men rolling at the hind wheels and going Down on the other side was still more Steep rocky and sandy which would make it much worse than going up on the North side. The trip down the backbone and across the river tested one's resolve to continue the trip. As one weary traveler observed, If Mr. Lee had a backbone as bad as that I surely pity him. It didn't seem possible for the horses to pull the wagons up as the road was so sleep and the boulders so big, and it was just as bad on the dugway on the other side. Everyone who ever came over that piece of road had great cause for thankfulness they were not killed."

From the perspective of the above photo, the ridge seems to rise at a manageable angle. But is it hard to imagine that there was ever a way for vehicles to drive up the rugged, rocky top of the ridge.  When I visited Lee's Ferry in past years, I could never really figure out where the actual crossing was or where the pioneers went when the crossed the river. Finally, I spent the time to read the history and research the locations. The crossing is about a mile up the river from the boat dock and had I spent the time to walk, I would have found a number of National Park Service signs telling me about the various locations. 

The first time we went to the actual crossing site, it was about 110 degrees and it seemed like a very long hike. The second time the temperature was in the 70s and it was much more pleasant. However, there were millions of mosquitoes and other bugs. I don't know which was worse, the mosquitoes or the heat. 

It is a very difficult place to get good pictures due to the extreme contrast between the sun and shadows. There is no neutral setting for the camera that will show both. The picture above is taken from part way along to the river towards the ferry site, looking southwest.