I know we say that this place is so special to Ellie, but the truth is that I hold Arches so close to my heart and many of my “this is why we do this” moments are in this park.
We arrived at Fiery Furnace early and began our fourth hike in this distinct area of the park. In previous years we’ve done two ranger led hikes and once on our own. We were confident we could explore this maze on our own again, and we did just that. It was fun to approach landmarks and say, “This is where…” “That’s the spot that…” The Fiery Furnace is truly magical and we got to experience some of that magic again. Ellie was our self appointed ranger who led us up and over the fins, through the washes, and around the maze. We’ve always been in awe of the vast amount of knowledge rangers all have and Ellie filled our brains with all sorts of commentary. She’d point to a plant and tell us all about it. She’d lead us around a corner and share the geological history of the rocks. I’m not sure what percentage of what she told us was fact, but at one point she pointed ahead and said, verbatim, “Fun fact about this spot. Peacocks used to live right here.” Based on that alone, I’m confident everything else she told us was fact. EllieFact.
One thing that I noticed about this trip to Arches compared to our other four is the vast amount of green. The area has received a lot more rain that usual this year and everything is just bursting with life. The plants are lush and stunning against the orange background of the sand. The life is indefatigable in the harsh desert conditions and we are lucky witnesses.
Once the hike finished we found a picnic spot and did some of the smaller, more touristy, hikes we haven’t done in awhile. Then we headed back to the visitors center.
The next part is Ellie’s story to tell and I look forward to her sharing it with you. I will say that my heart is so full, because Ellie is the happiest I’ve seen her in a year. We are all so fortunate to know Ranger Mike, but that she can call him a mentor, a friend, a hero is the greatest gift.
While Ellie was busy, Zak, Zoe, and I did a super short hike to Courthouse Wash Rock Art Panel. It was nice to be hiking with just one kid and we all really enjoyed the scrambling required to get to the panel. A few hundred feet above the ground is the panel and on it are dozens of petroglyphs. I just love admiring these pieces of art and I wonder what was happening at the time for them to be created in that spot.
After the little hike, we picked up Ellie and came back to the hotel for the first swim of the trip. We are meeting Ranger Mike for dinner and I know we’ll all sleep well tonight!
(I know there are a lot of pictures again, and I even went though them this time!)