This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Kenny and Aryn are apparently bent on sharing their love for each other with the world, but the Bureau of Land Management wishes they hadn't advertised it on the sandstone walls of Zebra Slot Canyon.
On Saturday, a hiker in the canyon, famous for its narrow, wavy colorful walls, photographed the couple's graffiti . Alex Chamberlain, a professional photographer from Toquerville, sent his shots to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument officials and news media.
"It was a nice expression of love, but it is illegal," said monument spokesman Larry Crutchfield. "We sent rangers out to start the process of removal so there aren't copycats."
Zebra is a popular canyon located about 5 miles down the Hole-in-the-Rock Road from Escalante.
The vandals scratched the names "Kenny" and "Aryn" along with "2016" into the rock and carved a heart around them. The damage is a tiny piece of a pressing and costly problem for public-land managers who oversee Utah's scenic geologic wonders.
With visitation increasing in recent years, graffiti on rocks has been increasing at the monument and southern Utah national parks. Last year, monument patrols restored 1,234 square feet of rock that had been defaced.
"Park rangers spent thousands of hours using wire brushes, spray bottles and even toothbrushes to painstakingly remove painted, scratched and carved images," Crutchfield said. "We have seen a doubling in the amount in the past year."
The Escalante region is sliced with slot canyons, which drew 900,000 visitors in 2015, according to Crutchfield.
The monument set up a hotline at 1-800-227-7286 for visitors to call to report damage.