A guided, multi-day adventure is a great way to spend a Utah outdoor vacation. But sometimes a little variety in one's life can be spicy. If that's the case, there are plenty of daily or even half-day trips that are available.  Desert Highlights in Moab offers an exciting one-day that will surely culminate afterward in a good night's sleep. This one is into Fry Canyon for some descents and (gasp) ascents.
Matt Moore, the affable proprietor of Desert Highlights, met us on a sunny Utah morning at Fry Canyon near Natural Bridges National Monument. At the canyon rim, Matt secures a rope and tosses it over, automatically yelling "rope!" even though we know there's nobody within miles. We leave it and hike along the rim for another half-hour or so. We harness up, check rappelling gear, Matt secures a second rope and we drop over the edge. We've done this many times before, but the rush never goes away. A gorgeous little slot, with a Fremont Indian granary tucked into a shelf on the other wall. How did they get to it, we wonder? No hurry, we hike up-canyon to where the first rope is dangling over the edge.
Now, time to ascend! This takes technique and some specialized gear called tibloks or clogs and a rope ladder, etriers if you're technically fancy, aiders if you're not. One leg provides the power. Push down on the ladder, slide the tibloks up the rope. Push, slide, push, slide. Slowly, eventually back on top!
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Vaughn and Marcia Hadenfeldt own and operate Far Out Expeditions in Bluff. Their passion for archeological sites, specifically Anasazi rock art, is what distinguishes their trips. Comb Ridge, a massive rock formation that looks like its name, contains more panels and ruins than any in the country. This day, we set out with Vaughn to view and photograph a few of his favorites.
We set out early. The better panels are remote, seldom visited and hard to find. We're with a couple from Colorado who have unsuccessfully tried five times, but Vaughn knows the way. We head up from Butler Wash, aiming toward an obvious landmark Vaughn aptly calls "Butt Crack Rock." The climb to the top of Comb is strenuous. Thank God it's cool. Finally, at the top, after some scrambling, we see the Procession Panel. Phenomenal, amazing, dramatic, awe-inspiring. The sheer magnitude provokes silence. Vaughn interprets, but admits it's but an educated guess. We gaze, wonder, photograph for perhaps an hour.
We depart and make our way down Comb Ridge to yet another site in an alcove with granaries, kivas and the Long Fingers panel, not as large as the Procession, but impressive with its detail. Our only neighbor in the alcove is a family of owls roosting in the cottonwoods. Look for The Sandstone Spine by David Roberts in your bookstore. www.faroutexpeditions.com
 Separate these four words from each other and tell me if they all individually sound like fun. Moab, Halloween, Bike, Fest. Now, remove the commas experience some of the best four days and nights you'll ever have. And what an experience! This is now the Moab Halloween Bike Fest, successor to the Moab Fat Tire Festival, a 26-year tradition operated by local bike shops and riders who know how to put on a rockin' good time. Rides, of course, on several of Moab's famed trails. And afterward, hoist a cool one or two with new-found riding friends at the beer garden. Events, bands, displays, raffles and schwag. The whole soiree is culminated on Halloween at the Headbanger's Ball with costumes ranging from the bizarre to the surreal.
But if you've got just one day and want to witness a fantastic event, make your way to Bartlett Wash north of town (directions posted along the way) to the Huck Fest. Here, in the late afternoon, some of the country's best, most creative and daring BMX riders put on a competitive exhibition that has to be seen to be believed. All trying to outdo the others, riders zoom down the slickrock, leap off ledges and rock cornices, defy gravity climbing walls all the time trying desperately to keep the rubber side down.
 "Specialists in Vertical Adventures" is the mantra for Moab Cliffs and Canyons. Today we'll go with owner Brett Sutteer and his guide Phillip to test the vertical adventure of Arsenic Canyon. "What's in a name?", we're wondering. Why Arsenic, the highly poisonous chemical element?" Does danger lurk today? Brett only smiles, "You'll see soon enough!" We load canyoneering gear, packs, water and lunch into Brett's truck. And rope. Lots of rope. Meters and meters of rope.
The canyon is only about 60 miles southwest from Cliffs and Canyons office in Moab, but that's "crow flies" miles. Sans wings, we drive 2-1/2 miles north, then west, then south through Hanksville. Another ½ hour east on dirt in the remote, rugged Dirty Devil River country. We park, unload, shoulder what seems like an overkill amount of rope, and begin hiking. "Here we are", Brett announces. Whoa! We peer over the edge. "Do we have enough rope?" we're thinking. We've done some drops, but this is a big-time drop, nearly 200 feet! With more than slightly dry mouths, pucker factor clicking in, we harness up, click in and back over the edge. What a rush!
On Moab Cliffs and Canyon's website the following quotation is posted: "I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies, for the hardest victory is over self." Aristotle. Info-now! code CLIFF
 We've done many adventures with our good friends Dean Woods and Travis Tomlinson of Zion Rock & Mountain Guides, Springdale. Today, we're headed to Water Canyon just outside the Utah/Arizona border town of Hildale (reputed to be a polygamy compound). This is a "Friends of Outdoor Utah" outing, with pals from Thule USA, (the car rack people), Willow Canyon Outdoor Shop, Kanab, and Stein Eriksen Lodge, Deer Valley and Joyride Bikes in Logan, along for the adventure. Dean, Travis and two other guides round out the party. The canyon is about an hour from Springdale, outside Zion National Park. We caravan on good gravel roads, past Gooseberry Mesa, the area's primo mountain bike trail, through Hildale and on to the canyon mouth. Gorgeous! And, of course, water. A pond at the bottom fed by the mountain steam that local kids are frolicking in. This is a big group, so we split up the gear and start hiking up. And up. And up! We climb most of the morning, gaining about 1400 vertical, get to the top for a well-deserved lunch break. No time for a siesta, however. Time to lose the vertical that we gained. Depending on the route, Water Canyon has up to nine rappels, several 90 to 100 feet, and one major league drop of 200+ feet. The finale is a drop that, depending on the time of the year, may involve a bit of a swim. A full day of excitement. Dean and Travis have this one and many others in their bag of tricks. Info-now! code ROCK
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