I feel head over heels in love with Arches today. When we were here six years ago, Ellie was at a stage that required a leash. She fondly called it her leash buddy and I got over the judging from other parents. We didn’t do any hikes other than ones that Zak could carry her on his shoulders. It was a pleasant enough experience, but very hot and crowded and not very fun with a two year old.
When we were here last year we spent some time at the touristy stuff and then went on a hike on the primitive trail in the Devil’s Garden. A couple of miles into the hike we were faced with one of the most challenging events I have ever been through, a flash flood. It was awful. It was scary. It made me realize how we don’t have power on these adventures. Mother Nature gets to play the last card. As Ellie likes to say, we survived. But we didn’t finish the hike. And that was a priority for me this trip.
Given the extreme heat wave here, we woke up at 5 to start as early as we could. By the time we got ready, waited so patiently for the coffee shoppe, Love Muffin, to open, drive to the park, make our way to the very north end of the park, and hit the trailhead it was 7:15. The temperature was relatively cool and the beginning was very pleasant. Lots of little creatures and critters were out enjoying the morning and the arches are just amazing to look at.
Within a couple of miles we took a right onto the more difficult, primitive trail. That’s when I felt the desert really came to life. We were certainly more secluded and the scenery seems just a touch more beautiful than the main trail. As we worked our way along we spent a lot of time reminiscing about the flood last year and trying to identify the tree we put hid under as the hail pounded down, the rock we first noticed the rain bouncing off of, the spot we made the decision to turn around, and the dry river bed that was a full fledged river.
We eventually got to the bottom of the canyon and the hike just got more and more amazing. I wish I could describe each moment, each view, each step. You would get out here immediately to check it out for yourself. It was all breathtaking.
It turned out to be a pretty tough hike. There was a decent amount of scrambling, some tiny ledges, jumps we had to make, narrow ribbons of rocks we had to walk along, and lots of climbing up slippery rocks. As tough as it was, it was awesome! At one particularly difficult spot we happened to run into a couple. I told that then despite the fact we just had our kids do THAT, we are responsible parents.
My favorite part was the 0.8ish mile spur to Private Arch. It was accurately named, as I don’t think anyone other than us could even see it during those moments we were there. The temperature there was cooler and there was a lovely breeze. It was the perfect opportunity to regroup and take in the moment.
About 2/3 of the way into the 9.5 mile hike the temperature really got hot. I’m sure everyone else will mention that it is 111 degrees here today, but I’ll confirm it too. That’s hot to be hiking in the desert. There were a handful of moments of near breakdowns from the girls, but we powered through. In fact, we completed each and every spur offered on the hike, so we didn’t miss a thing.
So it took this hot, long hike, in combination with our day doing Fiery Furnace to really love this park. Now I don’t want to leave and can’t wait to come back.
Side story: Years ago when I first read Cheryl Strayed’s “Wild” I remember being very intrigued by the fact that she lost her toenails while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. In my mind that meant she was a badass. Well, I lost my first toenail of the trip last night. Last year I lost three, but not until we got home. I don’t know why I lost this one so early on, if it was an specific injury or just the general stress on that toe. Regardless, I’ve decided that I’m a badass (or I need boots that fit my goofy toes better.)
Of course you’re a badass!