Sandstone Spine: First Traverse of the Comb Ridge

 (22 customer reviews)

Climber, writer and archaeological explorer David Roberts, climber and writer Greg Child, and wilderness guide Vaughn Hadenfeldt team up to traverse the Comb, a sandstone ridge in the Southwestern wilderness.

Roberts focuses primarily on the Anasazi ruins on the Comb, on their history and that of the region, theories about the Anasazi and their fate, and the echoes of the past in the oral history of the local Navajo people. The information about the Anasazi (Roberts argues well for the continued use of that term) and the apparent civil strife among them is fascinating, as is the way Navajo oral tradition has passed down and transformed the past. When describing his interactions with and feelings about the ruins, Roberts is particularly evocative.

This is also the story of three guys on a fiendishly grueling backpacking trip, and Roberts conveys that element well too, although it would have been nice had Child, an accomplished writer in his own right, contributed...Read more

What promises to be a fascinating exploration of some rarely seen Southwest sites, told firsthand by some of the local experts, only pays off occasionally. It soon devolves into an examination of small group dynamics, where Greg Child's experience with groups stuck together over stretches of time on big mountains probably pays off, keeping him out of the fray for the most part. David Roberts and Vaughn Hadenfeldt start wrestling for control early and passively aggressively snipe at each other for the remainder of the journey. I was exceedingly dismayed to read a particular passage where the author recounts an incident where he throws a temper tantrum at a couple who had taken the time to remind him not to touch any of the ruins. He seemed disdainful of regular everyday visitors who would presume to tell him how to act around the ruins, even though they really had the best interest of the ruins in mind. Even looking back on the incident he doesn't seem to express any remorse, only...Read more

The Sandstone Spine of the title is the Comb Ridge, a 125 mile long crescent that crosses the desert of northern Arizona and southern Utah. Dave Roberts and two friends undertake to hike the Comb Ridge end-to-end while exploring the Anasazi ruins that are found there. No one has done the entire length of the ridge before. The youngest among them is 47; the oldest is 61. A local Navajo jokingly tells them "When I see the ravens circling, I'll know it's you guys." Hiking in the desert is not easy. The friends place water caches along the way and arrange for resupply. They carry sixty-pound packs while hiking up and down in ninety-degree heat. They have planned well. The worst that happens is that they occasionally argue about where to set up their camp.

What makes this book special are the descriptions of the ruins and the recounting of the history of the Anasazi and the people who followed them into the region after their departure. The Anasazi, who lived throughout the...Read more