return to arches

June 24, 2016 Meg

While our first attempt at checking out Arches leading us to Canyonlands, my friend and I were not about to give up that easily, especially since my traveling buddy had never been. As per our conversation with the always-friendly park ranger (my love for them is never-ending), we planned to arrive at the break of dawn. With the sun just beginning to peek up from the horizon and the moon still high in the sky, we made our way to the trail leading to Delicate Arch.

I’m not going to lie. I kind of scoffed at the description of difficult in the visitor guide. It's 480 feet up in 1.5 miles. What they don't tell you is that you climb most of those feet in a very short distance. Halfway up the giant mound of rock before us and I was seriously doubting myself, wondering if the burning in my bum muscles was worth it. The obvious answer is - YES. Delicate is one of the most popular sites at Arches and for good reason. The freestanding 65 feet tall arch etched into the sandstone is mesmerizing to behold. Better yet, due to our sunrise climb, there were only two other people there which provided some peace and quiet to take in the epic views as well as explore a bit of the area.

After a bit of neighborly chats, photo taking, and breakfast munching, we set our sights on scurrying on over to the northern end of the park to Devil’s Garden. This was the only part of Arches that I had previously explored (by foot) and it was just as lovely as I remembered it to be. Oodles of arches and just enough scrambles to keep it interesting without questioning one's sanity. The last time I was here, my friend and I ended up hiking with a father/son duo and chatted about life all along the primitive trail. Once again we ended up chatting with a new hiking buddy the whole way back along the primitive trail. I don’t know exactly what it is about this park but it truly brings out the best in people. Or maybe the friendliest people visit? Is it something in the water?

My return to Arches has only further solidified my love for this region and the desert in general. While before this trip I may have mentioned my love for Utah and its red rocks at appropriate times in conversation, I am now at the point of awkward proclaimer of my undying love. You may want to chat about the impact of Brexit on the world economies - you know what else has an impact? Southern Utah. On my heart. Oh yes friends, this relationship is just getting started. Return trip planning is already in the works.

notes:

arches can get incredibly crowded during the summers and over holidays (there’s even a handy graph). we left the park around 11 am on a monday and there was already quite a wait for parking at the devil's garden trailhead. also, it’s the desert. by the time 10 am rolls around, it is getting hot and shade is hard to come by. if you’re not up for sunrise hiking, i would be sure to get to the trails by 8 am at the latest and carry plenty of water.

we covered about 13.5 miles or so in 5 hours as we found the trails at arches to be less strenuous for us than what we encountered at canyonlands. that being said, there are a number of places where you could very easily slip off the side of a ledge so mind your feets.

i really wanted to check out fiery furnace this time around but was pretty foolish and didn’t think to reserve us spots in advance. if you are up for some ranger-led scrambles in the middle of arches, be sure to make a reservation.

along the lines of the previous point, i also didn’t reserve a campsite because devils garden has some first come, first served spots? so let’s just wing it? we ended up sleeping in big bertha at a turn off near the 128/191 intersection by the park entrance. just an option to keep in mind should you find yourself in a similar situation.

the entire time i was at arches, i could not get this song out of my head. (i'll leave the surmising about why that song would be on repeat in my noggin for debate on another day.) now for the disclaimer - we here at the lupine blog do not condone violence regardless of whether it is endorsed by your mother. glad we cleared that up.

canyonlands national park, ut

June 23, 2016 Meg

Last time I was writing in this neck-of-the-woods it was a doozy so let's lighten things up a bit around here, shall we? You may have thought that when I returned from six weeks in Jamaica I would have prioritized getting my ducks in a row back in NYC. You would be wrong. After spending most of spring in the Caribbean, I thought what better way to adjust back to life stateside than by going on vacation. I know it's a rough life.

I've mentioned before that I have a friend who's just as crazy if not crazier when it comes to planning epic hiking adventures. Our current goal is to hit up a new national park each year. Past trips include British Columbia and Montana but after a couple years of hiking in snow and avoiding post-hibernation bears we both were ready for something a bit warmer. When the opportunity to spend a week in Park City presented itself, we went for it knowing that Moab would be less than a morning’s drive away.

Since the weather in Park City was expected to be rainy and cold the first couple of days we were in Utah, we decided to throw some blankets in big bertha and head on down to the desert. (I name my cars… I can't help it. And yes, they’re all cars. I don't care if you’re a hemi pick-up. I'll still call you a car. I know; I'm special. And I digress.) Our initial plan was to check out Arches National Park. My friend had never been and it's definitely worth the hype. Apparently, this is a well-known fact because when we arrived at the park entrance, there was a long line of cars backed up to the main road. We moseyed our way in and eventually made it to the visitor center. I've probably mentioned this before but my first stop to any park is to chat it up with the park rangers. They know the best spots to check out for the time of year you are visiting, any hazards to be aware of, and are just genuinely awesome people. Actually, I have yet to run into a parks person that I didn’t like - even the gift shop lady got me a bandaid from her purse! Anyway, the friendly folks at Arches told us that unless we wanted to spend our day with the masses, we should take the time to drive to Canyonlands. Given that we both prefer hikes when you forget other people exist, we hightailed it on over to the Needles.

The drive to Canyonlands National Park is like no other park I have visited. Miles of windy roads interspersed with cattle force you to slow down and just take it in. This is not to say that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed my other national park adventures but hypothetically speaking I may sometimes get a bit more focused on the destination rather than the journey. It can be a struggle for me to remain focused in the present. Perhaps a bit of the human condition. Perhaps a bit personality quirk. All of this is to say, if you find yourself in need of a perspective reset, Canyonlands is the place to be.

After another stop at the Visitor Center, we eventually made it to the trailhead with maps in hand and ready to stretch our legs in the desert scenery. I could not have been more excited about it. By the time we hit the trails, we had been in the car for the better part of 7 hours and little miss does not do well being confined indoors for extended periods of time. We climbed up and down amongst the red rocks inching our way closer to the spires in the distance. Every 10 feet or so I would stop and say the same sort of phrase on repeat about the beauty of the place. I’m fairly certain my travel buddy wanted to silence me as I could not help but proclaim my awe of the world around me. The end of May/beginning of June is the perfect time to see all the spring flowers blooming and it is just so freaking gorgeous. It was spirit fingers inducing. (I wish I were joking.) Despite my best efforts, it could not be captured by pictures.

We had originally planned for a quick 6 mile hike as it was already mid afternoon by the time we reached the trailhead. Given the scenery though we just didn't want to leave. A few fellow hikers we met along the way mentioned that if we had the time, we had to make our way over to Druid Arch. We had headlamps and fresh legs so we decided to go for it, effectively doubling our proposed hike and causing some hustle in our bustles. The trail has a number of scrambles and is not for those with a fear of heights but the view is worth it. We reached the arch just as the sun was beginning to set, changing the color of the desert rock before our eyes.

As soon as we hydrated and munch on some snacks, we scampered back down the rocks and hurried along the trail in an effort to beat the setting sun. With only an hour or so to cover five miles, our steps quickly became a jog keeping ourselves (and anyone within earshot) entertained by singing Disney classics and childhood camp songs. Just as the sun slipped behind the horizon, big bertha came into view and we full out sprinted with open arms. The heaviness of the previous weeks was lifted.

"What makes the desert beautiful," said the little prince, "is that somewhere it hides a well."

-- The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

notes:

in case you are interested in following our route, we parked at elephant hill and made our way to chesler park before cutting over to druid arch. according to this handy map, the entire hike was about 12.6 miles with a fair amount of scrambling, especially as we approached the druid arch. as with any hike (but even more so with a desert hike), be sure to bring plenty of water, snacks, and sunscreen. there's limited shade and we never came across running water. i carried 4 L of water. yes, i am a camel.

we didn't have time to make our way to island in the sky or the maze while we were in canyonlands. there are rivers in between the different sections of the park so unless you plan on hiking through you need to drive around. as each part of the park has unique offerings, it would definitely worth be worth checking it out but just keep in mind you'll be logging some quality time in your vehicle.

relatedly, if you are driving on over to canyonlands from arches, make sure you get gas before you leave moab. ask me how i know…

joshua tree, ca

October 30, 2014 Meg

The mixing of groups of friends is always an ambitious undertaking. One can put much thought into the symbiosis of people's personalities. Will her go-with-the-flow attitude towards life mesh with his need for a detailed itinerary? Will someone's tendency to make obvious observations out loud drive the rest of the group crazy? The anxiety brought on by having multiple friend groups in the same place deterred me from having a Sweet 16. The what ifs were just too much to bear.

This trip came about in a haphazard kind of way. I had traveled out to California for work last October with the plan of making it to Joshua Tree before heading home to NYC. Unfortunately, Congress had other plans. Instead of exploring Seuss-like terrain, I was left with a nice but ultimately disappointing county park - a gas pipeline road should not be the main trail in a park. So when my friend mentioned an opportunity to camp with some of her high school friends before we headed to a conference in San Diego, I was all in before I could fully anticipate what that would mean.

As we neared our home for the next two nights - Black Rock Campground - I began to wonder what our next few days would like. Our ragtag group consisted of 3 childhood friends, one girlfriend, one co-worker, and one cousin of a groom from a wedding that was attended the previous night. With each of our dispositions in mind, I played out the various scenarios of how our 10 mile hike the next day would go. How long would we last before we all got on each other's nerves and someone had to be sacrificed in the middle of the desert? The good of the group over the individual, right?

But my worries were completely unfounded. Despite our very different demeanors, we worked well together as a group. At various points throughout our 6 hour excursion, we each had our moment of asking each other to slow down, take a water break, and/or eat a snack. And in those moments, no questions were asked. We all amended our plans to the immediate need. As a result, even though the hike was grueling, we were able to fully enjoy ourselves. There may have even been some sing-alongs - Down by the Bay is always a good time. Always.