THE Trip, Arches National Park, The Last Hike, Broken Arch, The Final Steps

CABS for Reflections From the Fence

After my little excitement of sliding down the Broken Arch, and a little bit of a rest, Man and I set off to hike the rest of the loop trail, back to Big Butt.  Along the way we have two interesting encounters with other hikers.  The first was with a lovely couple from Germany, they were hiking the loop in the opposite direction, and, doing so, they had actually scampered UP the Broken Arch.  We chatted with them both times we met, and enjoyed both discussions.  We also were passed by a class of young kids with a lot of adult supervisors on a field trip.  I cannot be sure that they were on the same hiking loop we were, as there was another trail they could have been on.  I wondered, did they really slide down that huge rock?  I can tell you that they caught up to us while we were climbing a long incline between some fins (very cool, very cool!!!) and they practically ran up that long incline.  Ah, to be young again, eh??

Below: a photo of Man on that "fin" climb, the afternoon sun was really setting off glares and the tall fins were casting off deep shadows.  It was fantastic!

Below: another photo, as we climbed further into the fins, no, there are not enough photos in the world to capture all this beauty.

Below, photographic proof that sometimes even Man had to work to get to the next level of the hiking trail.  All I can say, is thank goodness for Utah pines!

In any event the last part of our hike was filled with more beauty, every corner you turn brings more interesting and stunning red and white rock formations, different shapes to continually excite one's soul.



And, thus ended our 11 nights stay in Moab Utah, it is time to move on, 2 days drive from here is Bryce Canyon National Park.  What wonders await?  Stay tuned.  It will be an adventure, lots of views, a hunk of weather, a couple of sensational hikes and a bit of really bad electric service in one of the campgrounds.


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THE Trip, Arches National Park, The Last Hike, Tapestry Arch

CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Man was ready for another hike, we had one day left in Moab before we would hit the road again, heading for Bryce Canyon.  We decide on a hike in Arches National Park.  We had at least 2 brochures to study to assist in our decision on which hike we would attempt.  We had the Arches National Park Visitor Guide dated 2010 No. 3, which on page 4 shows the hikes divided by their estimation of difficulty.  There is no way we are going to try anything more than Easy, based on previous walks we had taken at various parks.  We also had the brochure handed to us when we entered the park.  Both guides stated that the Broken Arch Trail was easy, about 1.3 miles round trip and should take us 30 to 60 minutes.  Well, we have already proven there is NO way we can do this in 60 minutes, I stop too much to gawk and take photos, we know it will take us close to twice that amount of time.

We have water, hats, sunscreen, walking sticks, snacks, extra battery for Sony, and of course, Sony.  We are ready to go.  Let's hike!  Just minutes after we begin, this is the view:

Below, sections of the trail are soft sand:

Up the trail a bit further there is a sign announcing Tapestry Arch, 300 yards.  300 yards?  Yep, gotta go have a lookie see.  Here is Man scampering over a dead Utah pine, beyond, the trail abruptly turns from soft sand to slickrock.  I actually chose to go right, ducking under another Utah pine, around most of this pile of limbs, as I felt a bit uneasy with the width of the trail.  Ya,  I picked what looked like the "easier" path.  LOL

After we scamper up that slick rock and follow the cairns over a few more, here is Tapestry Arch.  You should seriously consider clicking on the image, for the larger version, click your browser back button to return here to Reflections:

A bit closer look courtesy of Sony and photo editing:

Back on the trail, red red slick rock and formations continue to fill us with awe:

The trail has changed from rather deep soft sand to a harder packed surface.  Much easier walking.

Our first view of Broken Arch, our "destination" ??

Next, we shall take you up to the Arch, and beyond.  It is getting to the "beyond" stage that proves a bit challenging for Reflections.



* Now you know I take way too many photos, yes, I do.  Some have asked, what does Man do while I am busy shooting TOO many photos??  Well, here, have a lookie see:

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