Getting into the warm sunshine of Arches National Park on Wednesday night was a nice feeling. After getting settled into our campground we realized that the only water available had to be filled up into jugs, carried to your camper, and funneled into your water tank. Since we needed water for bathrooms, showers, dishes, and drinking this required some water gathering trips…but I guess that is part of being in a desert.
On Wednesday we took a long 7.2-mile hike through Devils Garden that led to Landscape Arch and Double O Arch. The hike was one of the better we had been on and went through diverse landscapes and challenging elevations. Seeing arches that had formed over millions of years was fascinating; it’s hard to wrap your mind around all the forces required to form these arches.
Double O Arch
Turret Arch
Double Arch
On Thursday morning, we went on a Park Ranger-led hike through the Fiery Furnace area. This is a maze of rock formations that without intricate knowledge of the area most would get lost in. The hike was about 3 hours long and required some scaling of boulders, shimmying through tight crevasses in canyons, and of course breathtaking arches along the way.
Crawling through the Fiery Furnace
Surprise Arch in the Fiery Furnace
A view of the Fiery Furnace with the LaSal mountains in the background
Later that day we drove to Canyonlands National Park about 30 minutes away. We decided that since this park was so close, we should check it off our list while we’re in Utah. It had some nice scenic views and Jack went on a 1 hour hike, but mostly it was just right for a quick drive through and we were glad we didn’t waste a whole trip going to see it.
A view from the rim of Canyonlands
On our way back to Arches we stopped in Moab to hit up the Moab brewery (along with seeing every National Park we are trying to visit as many micro breweries as we can). After a quick drink we headed back to the park and got ready for a 2.5-mile hike to Delicate Arch at sunset. Though we had seen many pictures of the arch, it is much more impressive in person. We watched the sun set on the arch and let our feet rest before descending down what was a steep climb on the way up. After all of that we were exhausted, but had successfully done everything we had wanted in the park.
Delicate Arch
On Friday we drove about six hours to Zion National park. When we arrived in the afternoon we set up camp and enjoyed relaxing outside in the warm weather. We have some pretty strenuous hikes planned the next few days so a little rest and relaxation is well called for. We’ll be back home in Texas in less than a week!
No comments:
Post a Comment