Southwest Arches Photo Gallery - National Geographic Adventure Magazine

Photo Gallery: Arch Hunters
March 2008

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Hidden Southwest: Arch Hunters Photo Gallery
The Colorado Plateau is home to the world's single greatest collection of rock arches—yet only a handful of die-hard seekers ever visit them. Prepare to explore slickrock country in a whole new way. Photograph by Dawn Kish


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Kolob Arch, Zion National Park, Utah

Here I'm hanging right beside Wade Christensen of NABS. I rappelled down to where he was measuring Kolob Arch, which is considered the second longest span on the planet. Our group was the first to conclusively measure it at 287.4 feet (87.6 meters), just shy of Landscape Arch, the world's longest known arch at 290-plus feet (88-plus meters).

I love hanging off a rope, that's my element. To get this shot, I hiked up on top of Kolob and then rappelled down, which is how you measure the arch's length. My rope is actually tied to a tree on top of the arch. I'm trying not to move around too much because I don't want my rope to get cut by the sharp edges of the arch.
—Contributing Photographer Dawn Kish

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