Skybridge arch has been tagged with spray paint several times over the years. If you have ever hiked to this arch, you can see the 1000's of carvings in the top of the arch.
Sky Bridge in the Daniel Boone National Forest is the second most popular Arch destination in Kentucky behind Natural Bridge. Unlike Natural Bridge, Sky Bridge is much more easily accessible. A short hike will put you right on top of the arch. One thing you will immediately notice when you begin to walk across the deck are the etchings and it is not just a few etchings, it is etchings, upon etchings, upon etchings. From one end to the next. Ninety Nine percent of the etchings you see here were created in the modern era. Though sitting down and etching your name, or the year, or who you love at that time might seem innocent, it is not. Besides breaking the law, etching accelerates the eventual collapse of the arch. Often folks like to claim, “The Native Americans did it...” Yes they did, but there is a difference between pre-modern civilization Native Americans and those of us that live in the modern era. Pre-modern civilization there were no written texts. The only avenue for communication was etchings. Though the general consensus at what point in time etchings are considered historical varies, most agree that around the end of World War II is the cut off point between historical and modern. Here is the thing, people 100 years from now aren’t going to look at the etchings of “JM + PC 2021” as historic, the authors are going to be looked at as idiots. In the modern era we have so many outlets to record our history that in this day and age etching is nothing more than graffiti. Let us work together to educate our children, friends and family to not deface our beautiful natural landforms so future generations can enjoy them unmolested.
Accompanying the etching photos on Sky Bridge are several photos of spray paint that has been applied to the arch over the years. Some feature arrows pointing at the graffiti. We’re going to get into spray paint in a later post, but like etching, spray paint, especially on sandstone, is just as damaging.
Please share so we can educate and encourage others to help prevent the damage occurring to our natural landforms.
Check out Sky Bridge Arch in the database.
