Mollies Nipple is a red/yellow sandstone cone rising about 700-ft above its base on elevated land and resembles an impressive shark's tooth when seen from a few miles away on the 4WD trail that accesses its base. One can see "forever" from its summit region: vast plateaus ending with red/yellow cliffs; Navajo Mountain the Coxcomb Formation; delicate orange sculpture far to the north (probably Bryce Canyon or the end of Table Cliff Plateau); and extensive forest of pinyon, juniper, small oaks and manzanita. The country seemed more colorful in the morning, but in the late afternoon a favorite phenomenon occurred in the west for viewing from Mollies Nipple: a succession of silhouettes of vast plateaus ending in vertical cliffs, looking as if they had been cut from different shades of dark cardboard and then stacked successively one behind another. To approach Mollies Nipple, proceed east from the junction of US HWY 89 and ALT US HWY 89 in Kanab, Utah. Drive HWY 89 for about 28.7 miles from that junction to Milepost Sign 37 where a good dirt road starts north. (Note: Look for an impressive view of Mollies Nipple as you top a rise just east of Milepost Sign 44 on HWY 89 (the milepost numbers get smaller as you go east)). Proceed north on the dirt road for about 10.3 miles to a dirt road junction with a BLM sign directing back to HWY 89 and to Parker Wash. Ignore Parker Wash road and continue on the right segment for about 1.3 miles to a jeep trail intersection. There are a couple of close, lone, prominent rocks SE of the road at this trail intersection one of which reminded me of a large ellipsoid maybe 15 feet high. Proceed to the right (SE) on the jeep trail for about 5.3 miles to the wide, shallow saddle (about 6600-ft elevation) joining the southwest side of Mollies Nipple. The jeep trail comprises one set of vehicle tracks and is easily passable and scenic, but 4WD is essential due to sand. Climb Mollies Nipple directly from the aforementioned jeep saddle connected to its SW face. I reached a good viewing spot about 20-vertical and 100-horizontal feet from the highest point. Had I a companion and possibly a belay I would have continued the remaining short distance. Recalling that good-ol Country-Western: Mothers, don't raise your babies to be cowboys or solo climbers. Or maybe: There are old climbers and there are bold climbers, but no old-bold climbers.

4. Ferns Nipple. Explored 12 Oct 87. Ferns Nipple is named as such on the: Notom Quad (Utah, 15-min, 1952 (minor corrections 1972), Coordinates 814330). US Forest Service Visitors Map, Dixie National Forest (Powell, Escalante and Teasdale Ranger Districts), 1982. Map Section K-l. Capitol Reef Trails Sheet (Available at Capitol Reef National Park Visitor Center). I was enamoured with Ferns Nipple at first sight. It is a cone of white/yellow cross-bedded Navajo sandstone rising 267-ft from the crest of the Waterpocket Fold in Capitol Reef National Park. It sits an awesome 1500-ft above the junction of the Scenic Drive and Capitol Gorge Roads south of the Visitors Center, and is visible from many locations, e.g., on the Scenic Drive just north of Capitol Gorge and when approaching the Park from Torrey on Hwy 24. There are spectacular views from the Waterpocket Fold's crest at the base of Ferns Nipple: Navajo sandstone canyons/monoliths with pines in the immediate vicinity; the reddish, west-facing Waterpocket escarpment curving westward to pass "unendingly" north of Torrey; extensive/high Boulder and Thousand Lake Mts to the west and NW; Mts. Ellen and Pennell in the Henry Mts. to the east; and the San Rafael Reef far off to the NW. Looking SW from the top of the crest at rock pillars in the entrada at Quad Coordinates 812321, one visualizes "The People" of Indian legend, that assemblage of shroud-like figures, visualized so often in Canyonlands, marching eternally in lockstep to higher ground to escape the flood. To climb Ferns Nipple, park at the end of the road in Capitol Gorge (the road no longer goes all the way through the gorge as shown on the map). At the lot, take the excellent Golden Throne Trail (not printed on the topo) to the Throne Viewpoint marked by a cairn which is considered Trail's End. Viewpoint coordinates, elevation and approximate distance are 836294, 6200-ft (altimeter) and aproxiaate1y two miles, respectively. From the viewpoint, continue along its level 6200-ft ledge (via a faint path) for about 0.6-mile at which point the bottom of the awesome canyon on your left rises to meet the ledge and you can simply walk across (Crossing Coordinates

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