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If you came for beta, skip down to Beta Bits and the photos. Otherwise, read on for some mindless ruminating.
Much has been said about Clark's Arrow over the years, with many claiming it's incredibly difficult to spot, while others claim to identify it with ease.
What's behind this mystery? Can only the sharpest eyes spot Clark's Arrow? Or perhaps only the most elite of climbers?
Let's explore this mystery together. Perhaps the true reality is that Clark's Arrow is not so much a physical landmark as it is a philosophical ideal - a concept, a dream, an aspiration of what could be, what perhaps should be - that mystical pinnacle of route-finding assurance that warms the soul as much as it guides the feet and the heart.
Perhaps it is in truth not so much a rock set before our eyes as it is a rock placed firmly in our soul - guiding forward past the uncertainties of life.
Or perhaps, in the ultimate reality, Clark's Arrow is neither a stone nor a concept or ideal; perhaps we are - each one of us individually - the true Clark's Arrow, pointing the way towards...
Ok, I'm about to gag on my own metaphor...
Enough of this nonsense!
After passing by it, I was able to look back and clearly see Clark's Arrow. Then on the return I found Clark's Arrow once again. Seconds later I found a second Clark's Arrow. As I continued along I found 3 or 4 or 5 Clark's Arrows.
Clark's Arrow is big. Clark's Arrow is small. Clark's Arrow is dramatic. Clark's Arrow is subtle. In fact, Clark's Arrow is whatever you need it to be... except for obvious and useful.
Beta Bits
The Loft route is a real jewel - far more dramatic scenery than the Keyhole route, yet hardly any people except where it meets the standard route. Walking right beneath the Palisades is an amazing experience.
A short side trip to the Notch offers an incredible and unique view of Chasm Lake, which itself is a short, easy side trip on the way down.
In theory, listed as class 3 but you'd need good route finding skills to keep it at that. Better to be prepared for a few class 4 moves. Or if you really stink at route-finding, or just want to spice it up, some low 5th can be found with minor detours - just beware of detouring onto the East Face or the Palisades themselves, where you could quickly get in over your head if you came looking for class 3.
Ships Prow and East FaceClimbers skirting waterfallLoft LedgeApproaching scrambleScramble sectionClark's Arrow?PalisadesSE LongsChasm from NotchNotchPalisadesView below summitA couple Clark's Arrows?More Clarks Arrows?East Face from Chasm Lake
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
Love this TR, first of all. And not to get all technical and such, but didn't Clark actually PAINT an arrow? Did that fade and just morphed over time into "look for unique geological feature" or "look for the spot where you would paint an arrow if you were Clark, and wherever you would paint an arrow, that's where you go"?
Also, guess I should do this soon since you mention this can allow one to move past the uncertainties of life. Sold!
Ah, but what is paint but a collection of geologic features that were mined, extracted and mixed in order to coat yet another geologic feature? And what if the paint was itself merely a stepping stone to the true stone - a purely geologic, truly sustainable feature that is fully LNT compliant? And what if that stone itself is merely a symbol of...
Ah, it's time for bed!
Clark's Arrow is an actual arrow inscribed in a circle painted on a rock. It's at the base of the rock rib directly north of the gulley that accesses the Loft from Keplinger's Couloir. It's extremely faded and difficult to spot. Here's a pic I got of it earlier this year:
Thanks for the photo, though my version is more fun, lol.
However, it would seem that my conclusion still basically stands: "In fact, Clark's Arrow is whatever you need it to be... except for obvious and useful."
Want to second the point about if your route-finding gets off, you can get into sketch real quick if you weren't prepared for it. I was aiming too high this July on the crossover off the Loft when looking for one of the gully's you traverse at the top of to find the distinctive white "flake" rock that marks the downclimb to the Arrow and wound up realizing it just before moving into "oh crap" terrain and was able to keep it Class 3 thanks to realizing that. One of the best pieces of advice is to follow the quartz trail across the Loft. I thought it seemed to enter the gully sections a little low but if I had followed them I would have been right on course instead of having to downclimb back to the "proper" line.
The Arrow itself is incredibly worn-away white paint. Alan Arnette has some great TR's regarding the Loft, if you follow his advice and study his pictures closely you'll find a jutting-out rock after the crux move on the Arrow downclimb. The jutting-out rock is at the bottom of large rock/small cliff and as you slide under, ducking your head, as you come through and turn around and look up the Arrow is right there. It's actually easier to see in your peripheral vision than it is looking right at it since direct vision is more detailed and will focus on the rock, lichen, etc rather than peripheral which just looks for "what is different or unexpected."
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