Rain broke out sporadically overnight but we rose for an early start in the Arches National Park. Sam had planned a strenuous 7 mile hike that would take us to most of the most famous arches in the Park. It certainly was demanding and I was soon huffing and puffing as my Yosemite and Grand Canyon experience was repeated.
This was another sandstone experience, the different being that the stone weathers and erodes into long round fluted forms into which the various arches form. The trail involved negotiating a way between, around and over these forms and quite a lot of scrambling and lots of walking on bare rock was involved. This felt much more like real hiking than in the more heavily managed parks we’ve seen so far. The scenery itself was dramatic, to say the least. The pay-off for this early start was to get back to camp for lunch and some chill out time before hiking to Delicate Arch for the sunset. This also was presented as a challenging 3 mile round trip.
This was another sandstone experience, the different being that the stone weathers and erodes into long round fluted forms into which the various arches form. The trail involved negotiating a way between, around and over these forms and quite a lot of scrambling and lots of walking on bare rock was involved. This felt much more like real hiking than in the more heavily managed parks we’ve seen so far. The scenery itself was dramatic, to say the least. The pay-off for this early start was to get back to camp for lunch and some chill out time before hiking to Delicate Arch for the sunset. This also was presented as a challenging 3 mile round trip.
I added another mile to the day’s total by being dropped in town where I was able to find a shop that sold me a memory card. I should be able to hold out now until Vegas and my reunion with my camera bag!
I spent most of the lunch break trying to get the blog up to date but this was hampered by the intermittent nature of the wi-fi here. This also contributed to a frustrating Skype call to Chris that involved lots of repetition and cries of “Can you hear me?”
We left for Delicate Arch at 4.30 and the walk proved less strenuous than expected so we were there good and early for sunset. Unfortunately, the skies were covered by a lot of cloud and the chances of the sun lighting up the feature seemed slim. I opted to return and was fortunate enough to get some good photos of the cloud as the light sank away with the sun. The Arch itself is amazing: it almost seems artificial although close examination of the base confirms that it is not.
We got back in the dark and enjoyed sausages for tea along with the left over lentils from my vegetarian experiment yesterday. Very quiet now and all in bed as we have an early start again tomorrow. The wind is gusting and my tent is billowing ominously but I guess all will be well once I’m inside it.
We got back in the dark and enjoyed sausages for tea along with the left over lentils from my vegetarian experiment yesterday. Very quiet now and all in bed as we have an early start again tomorrow. The wind is gusting and my tent is billowing ominously but I guess all will be well once I’m inside it.
No comments:
Post a Comment