Our time in Utah has wrapped up. For the final time in 2018, we’ve left the state I’ve fallen so in love with. For several years now, I’ve stated that Utah is my favorite state and if I could move anywhere it would be there. Unfortunately, I’m the only one in the family with that strong of an urge, so we won’t be Utah residents anytime soon.
The day started exactly the same as the other two days in Moab. Early alarm. Quick shower. Oranges from the Inca Inn breakfast bar. Coffee from Love Muffin. And to the park entrance by 7:30. It’s funny how we find routines in the chaos of our trips.
We were slated to do a hike in the Park Avenue section of the park and got a few hundred vertical feet into it before turning around. The boulders were impressively slick and the girls were having a lot of hesitations. Luckily, we ran into a ranger who kindly pointed us in the direction of Tower Arch, a hike we had never before considered.
What luck it was that we ran into him. Tower Arch hike was perfect for today. The views were absolutely incredible, literally taking my breath away at some points. Once again we found solitude in a park full of thousands of people. The arch itself was surprisingly huge and just as stunning as some of the more “famous” arches. Another group joined us shortly after we arrived, but by the time we were done relaxing in the shade of the arch they were on their way. We had the whole place to ourselves, to explore, to scramble, to reflect on our time at Arches.
The hike back down to the car went by fairly quickly, the heat being the only challenging factor. At temperatures of over 100*, the heat is intense. We do our very best to keep cool with wet bandanas and drinking lots of water. The infrequent breezes feel heavenly as they gently blow across our sweat. You’d be shocked to see how much we all sweat in this heat. By the end of each hike we’ve done this trip my clothes are soaked through. During the hikes, my eyes continuously sting as each drip of sweat makes it into my eyeballs. Somehow my elbows gather a lot of sweat and a drop flies forward for each step I take. Deodorant, although it doesn’t do much good, has become mandatory for every member of the family this year. When I finish each hike and remove my socks and boots, my feet are always died the color of my hiking socks from the sweat mixing with the sock dye. I’ve become accustomed to wearing waterproof mascara, preventing any smudges during the hikes. This whole look isn’t pretty. It isn’t comfortable. It smells. But each drop is worth it and I wouldn’t have wanted to spend my summer in any other way. #sweatpower #owningmysweat
After leaving the park though the north, on an unmarked dirt road, and leaving Utah, we returned to Colorado. This is our last day in the desert and I’m going to miss it terribly. We’re finishing it up right though, with a little rodeo fun!
