Travel

Delicate Arch

And there I stood in awe of nature’s wonders

On our first morning in Moab I woke up to watch the most spectacular sunrise over the Colorado River. I relished the quiet time out on the back deck with my cup of coffee watching the sun come up and listening to the roar of the river. My body was aching from the hiking and nonstop exploring. Honestly I could have stayed in that chair all day, but I was eager to get the boys up. Today we were hiking to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park! A major bucket list dream for me. The forecast was extreme heat so we packed as much water as we could carry and set off early to avoid large crowds and afternoon heat. It was 8am and the temperature was already unbearable.

My boys are true adventurers and open to just about anything. I’m not saying these kids didn’t complain, but they are always willing to try whatever we throw their way. They conquered this intense 3 mile hike in blazing heat.

This was a very strenuous hike. The dry heat and sun beaming down on us was intense. I was really proud of the kids for making this hike and with minimal complaining. We had to stop a lot along the way to rest and hydrate. We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw two young guys with a dog on this rock face. The poor dog seemed to have collapsed and had to be carried the rest of the way. How irresponsible and cruel! Idiots.

A break while my husband performed surgery on his phone.

Taking advantage of a shady spot. I can’t begin to describe how hot it was.

We made it! There she was Delicate Arch. One of the most famous arches in the world and it lived up to all we had read about. It has become a symbol of Utah and the most recognized arch in the park.

The Wolfe Ranch Homestead located in Arches National Park. John Wesley Wolfe settled in the location in 1888 with his oldest son Fred.

Ute Rock Art. Carved sometime between A.D. 1650 and 1850.

We wanted to explore more of Arches National Park but decided to come back later in the evening . It was just too hot to be out here. On our way out we saw crowds of people making their way up to Delicate Arch, which is insane if you ask me. Quite a few gave up and turned around.