HIKING THE DELICATE ARCH : ARCHES NATIONAL PARK : TRAVEL

There are two kinds of people: The Hiking Kind and the Non Hiking Kind. And I clearly fall into the latter category. I am more of a City person. So why would you think I have hiked across the South West, North(including parts of Alaska),South and every other direction in this great country. Yes, you guessed it right. My husband is a crazy hiker and I didn't like the idea of always staying behind at home, while he went on his Hiking Trips. So I did accompany him for quite a few.

This Blogathon made me realize that I had never ever written about them. So why not start with our adventures of Hiking the Delicate Arch in Arches National Park In Utah. Its one of my favorite National Parks, after all. They were clearly the Pre-Baby Days but as parents we have hiked with our Baby quite a few times as well.

After a flight to Denver, Colorado, and driving all the way to Moab, in Utah,we had our days planned. It was filled with adventures in the various National Parks in the Moab area and around. Hiking, Slick Rock Driving, and exploring in general.

My Husband had hiked the Delicate Arch a few times before, so he had his tips ready for the first time hikers. We were a party of four. We made sure we had our share of Gatorade and water and some snacks. The idea, is you don't let dehydration hit you. You keep taking sips every now and then. The man also has a habit of underplaying things, so I knew I had to merely add numbers to the distance he was telling me about. So while he had calmly told me that it was just a 2 mile hike(round trip),my smart phone revealed that it was actually a 3 mile round trip. I knew I could manage. There was no shade all along,and it was slick rock for most parts of the way.

It was the month of August and we decided to start off at 6 am from our motel in Moab. A 10 minute drive and we were in Arches National Park. We started our hike from the Wolfe Ranch Parking Lot in  the Park.

We were clearly dressed for the occasion with sturdy shoes and comfortable clothes. But I did add in my Chanel sunglasses to the otherwise drab outfit. Hiking doesn't have to lead to out and out boring clothes.

The first part of the trail is well defined,but you have exposure to heights. Not exactly for someone with vertigo like me. Quite a bit of mountain climbing,when you decide to just look around. But I kept following the golden rule of hiking. Short Steps and maintaining a steady pace. Not Too fast and not too slow. I was not ready to give up mid way.

The part where you reach the wider slick rock was the part which got tough. You have nothing to even hold on to,even if you feel like you are about to miss your step.

Then came the part where you had to walk around a narrow ledge to finally get to the Delicate Arch.

After all this hiking,when you get to see the Arch right in front, even a non hiker like me, feels its been worth it, all the way, despite the vertigo and all the walking. The view is clearly breathtaking.To think the erosive power of the wind has craved out such a wonder, and it has been standing here, all these years. Its just marvelous.  The Arch, with the mountains in the background, the clear blue skies(which we were lucky) is enough to make you a poet almost. Once you are there, you realize why it is such an iconic Hike.

Even the Chanel sunglasses come off as you want to soak it all in and capture as much as you can.

Time just flew by and before we could realize we had already spent a couple of hours just sitting and admiring the Delicate Arch. Not to mention the 1 and 1/2 hours(90minutes) it took us to hike up. It was time to go down. The husband warned me that this was the difficult part. Its difficult to keep up your pace when you are going downhill.

Yes, we made it all the way down to the starting point. To the designated parking lot. I was clearly impressed by myself.

Then it was time to explore the other arches,which is surely another story for another day.

Its surely a must do,if you ever plan to visit Utah. Theres a reason somethings gain iconic status.