On Monday we went for a hike in Arches National Park. The park tends to wow its visitors around every corner. On the right you see the Organ, a "fin" that was left after land eroded around it. To get a sense of the scale in this picture, check out the cars just rounding the corner.
To the left of the Organ are the Three Gossips. I was intrigued by this formation. They remind me so strongly of pictures I've seen of the three wise men bearing gifts for the Christ child, with their regal stance.
We parked at the Devil's Garden trailhead, put on our hiking shoes, grabbed our water bottles, and headed off into the morning heat. The first arch we came to was the Landscape Arch (above), a massive span of a fairly thin arch. It's the longest natural arch in the world, at 290ish feet. We were impressed!
Our destination was the Double O arch, over 2 miles from the trailhead. We kept hiking up and up and up. "I feel like an old woman," I told Husband. I was gasping for air, having to stop and rest. I felt better when he reminded me that we were up at 4200 feet, and my body was reacting to the altitude. In addition, the air was so very dry that we weren't dripping with sweat, and were constantly thirsty.
Part of the trail was along very high "fins," which could be a bit scary. You can see people coming down these, which we traveled on our way to and from the Double O arch. After you got to the top of that middle fin, you continued on the trail to another fin or two, with breathtaking drop-offs on either side.
We finally reached the Double O, explored the area for a few minutes, and headed back. It was a gorgeous hike, but I was mighty glad to get back to more water and the air conditioning in the car.
And finally, just the addition of a mesa we saw in Navajo lands later in the day. I find this kind of landscape has begun to catch my eye over the years. I thought I was an island girl, and I probably still am, but there's something big and spare and open and inspirational about the desert.
On Monday we went for a hike in Arches National Park. The park tends to wow its visitors around every corner. On the right you see the Organ, a "fin" that was left after land eroded around it. To get a sense of the scale in this picture, check out the cars just rounding the corner.
To the left of the Organ are the Three Gossips. I was intrigued by this formation. They remind me so strongly of pictures I've seen of the three wise men bearing gifts for the Christ child, with their regal stance.
We parked at the Devil's Garden trailhead, put on our hiking shoes, grabbed our water bottles, and headed off into the morning heat. The first arch we came to was the Landscape Arch (above), a massive span of a fairly thin arch. It's the longest natural arch in the world, at 290ish feet. We were impressed!
Our destination was the Double O arch, over 2 miles from the trailhead. We kept hiking up and up and up. "I feel like an old woman," I told Husband. I was gasping for air, having to stop and rest. I felt better when he reminded me that we were up at 4200 feet, and my body was reacting to the altitude. In addition, the air was so very dry that we weren't dripping with sweat, and were constantly thirsty.
Part of the trail was along very high "fins," which could be a bit scary. You can see people coming down these, which we traveled on our way to and from the Double O arch. After you got to the top of that middle fin, you continued on the trail to another fin or two, with breathtaking drop-offs on either side.
We finally reached the Double O, explored the area for a few minutes, and headed back. It was a gorgeous hike, but I was mighty glad to get back to more water and the air conditioning in the car. 
And finally, just the addition of a mesa we saw in Navajo lands later in the day. I find this kind of landscape has begun to catch my eye over the years. I thought I was an island girl, and I probably still am, but there's something big and spare and open and inspirational about the desert.
mesa: desert island
ReplyDeleteI've visited here, too. On a mission trip in high school we stopped at a place near the road where there was a large almost flat rock and we had evening vespers there in view of Delicate Arch. The breeze was blowing and it was SILENT. It was fabulous.
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