May 7
On the hike up to Delicate Arch at 5 AM, there were two groups ahead of me. One was five ladies, the other a man and woman couple. All had donned headlamps while in the parking lot. Shucks, I was just planning on being like Hiawatha and the Iroquois and just use the moonlight to light the way. The weather forecasters had said today would be sunny. Well, they got that wrong. No moon in sight. I let the two groups start on the trail first. But halfway up they took a break. I said “Good Morning” as I passed by, and kept chugging. The group of five gained on me as we were trying to stay on the trail. Darkness has a way of hiding the thin NPS marker posts. Eventually, I wound up going to the right and they went to the left. I ended up coming to Delicate Arch via the bowl, while the ladies had found the standard route. As we were waiting for the sun to come over the rim, we had a chance to talk. The group concurred they are the Desert Whale troupe. They had visited Canyonlands NP the day before, climbing Whale Rock as one activity. But remember, the thing about no moonlight? Well, the thick cloud cover was still around at 6:10 AM, the time for sunrise. Oh well, always another day to take the 3-mile roundtrip hike.
I met another lady on the rim who said she wants to visit all 424 National Parks in her lifetime. I mentioned the National Park Travelers Club as a great resource for that objective and wished her the best. On the way back to the parking lot I passed that group of five ladies. They will fully understand the funny statement I made, using a phrase from one of them in our earlier discussion at the arch… “The quote for the day, is to xxx xxx xx xx xxx.” The hike back did not require headlamps. Then on to Sand Dune Arch. About 150 yards of walking in deep sand from a side trail was needed to reach the arch. As with the other arches in the park, the effort was worth it.
Canyonlands NP had placed two placards prior to the entrance kiosk. The first said, “1 Hour wait from here”. The second said, “30 Minutes wait from here.” I had heard that on Saturday the wait had been up to one hour. For whatever reasons, no cars were ahead of me, a welcome change from yesterday at Arches.
Aztec Butte should be a hike for anyone who likes to walk on slickrock sandstone. And I do not mean horizontally. After about a mile of a flat sand path, the rock Butte was upon me. If you have ever seen the movie Tremors, the approach looked like that. Then, upwards. The slope ranged from 10 degrees to 45 degrees. This was basically a scramble, for 200-feet of elevation. What fun! Be sure your shoes/boots have excellent traction.
Upheaval Dome requires plenty of stone-stepping to reach the two vantage points of the deep crater. Scientists do not know how this odd formation was created. This was the first place this weekend where parking was at a premium. I had to circle one time to find a spot.
Finally, Mesa Arch. Elizabeth and I had brought Anne and Kyle to this worldwide known arch many years ago, as I tried to introduce them to the National Parks. About 20 people were milling around the arch, each taking their turn to be photographed with the arch in the background. This was now the afternoon, with the sun to the west, the perfect position for photographing the structure. Five of the visitors could be called the 5-Man CBB Band (actually three men and two women), with CBB being an acronym for Canyonland Best Buddies. One of the young men spent a couple years doing mission work in the Kenmore area of Akron, Ohio. We both agree that Pav’s Creamery is the place to get ice cream in the Akron area.
Only two of the myriad hotels in Moab had “__ Vacancy” showing on their signs. And this is just early May. Do not forget to make lodging reservations well ahead of time for your visit. For me, Moab is one of the places everyone should tour at some point. It is the Outdoor Capital (land activities) of the country. Yes, I know some folks will argue other locales should get this title, but the challenge is put forth for them to prove as such.