Emma and I hatch a plan ; we’ll leave the kids at the hotel and revisit Arches . We can’t leave this place without doing the ‘ Delicate Arch’ hike . Apparently , it’s a must do .The kids have told us they are not leaving the hotel and who can blame then when it’s 38 Celsius (100 f ) .
I bribe Leroy . I let him know that there’s a cash reward for coming with us . It’s probably stupid of me but I just want my kids to experience these type of things . They may never see it again , but in reality they just don’t care . They’re not old enough yet and that includes Tex who is 16 . Tex opts out ,Leroy comes . Emma and I are quiet. We know it’s only a 4 mile hike ( 6 or so ks ) but it’s rated hard and is all up hill on the way in . It doesn’t take Leroy long to realise this when we round a bend , revealing a long ascent up a huge rock embankment. “ I’m not going any further . You didn’t tell me it was uphill “, he protests . It takes us several minutes to convince him to continue, and a promise of a new baseball bat .
The funny thing is yesterday we abandoned an attempt to walk Delicate Arch partly due to fatigue and also a freak thunderstorm that just happened to creep up over the hills . The next day the same thing happened on cue . Emma and I looked at each other and didn’t say a word . We are doing this fucker ! Leroy included . Dark , bloody dark . Lightening too . We just lock our jaw and keep marching and hope Leroy doesn’t feel our sense of foreboding.
We are not alone . There is still a few people braving the heat and the dark skies to see the jewel of Moab , Delicate Arch . It’s not just hardy travellers, hikers and seasoned backpackers doing these walks . There’s families with young kids , grandparents and even dads with babies strapped to their chests . The walk is strenuous, nothing extreme but the altitude is noticeable. Staying calm , controlling your breathing and not trying too hard to suck in the big breaths is helpful . We see one elderly woman bent over in a nauseous state . There’s not much we can do , she has family at her assistance. Eventually the site of this incredible rock formation is the worth the effort . Delicate Arch ……stunning .
Arches is a feast for the eyes . I haven’t seen everything or even a lot but for pure photographic fervour this is the place . You could take a thousand photos on your iPhone and not realise it until you look through your phone at the end of the day. This is the most incredible landscape I have ever seen . No exaggeration.
The arches , the rock formations . The ease with which you can drive from one stunning backdrop to another makes this a park in high demand . 800 cars at a time are only allowed in the park . At 7am it’s reported that most of those 800 cars are already lined up to get in through the rangers booth . The park opens at 8am . We decide to hit the park around 3 pm . We know it’s hot but we also know the park is quiet and we also know that the early evening traffic is a couple of hours away . It pays dividends . It’s approximately a 45 mile round route with several stops along the way taking you to a host of incredible rock formations .
This is it kiddos . I’ve been to a lot of National Parks . I’ve been to The Great Barrier Reef , Uluru , Yosemite , The Grand Canyon , a shitload of others and a few more on this trip but Arches National Park is pretty hard to beat . I just wish you could’ve seen what I’ve seen with your own eyes . You’ll be mesmerised .
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