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| Hiking in the Devils Garden |
I decided to go to Arches to hike the entire Devils Garden Loop
Trail. I followed the main part of the
trail to Dark Angel, which I hadn’t made it to before. It is easy to see how the large, dark, rock
pinnacle, that’s off by itself, got that name!
Then, I continued along the primitive trail. This section of the hike was particularly
enjoyable! You hike down among some of
the rock formations you see from the rock fin that you hike on during the first
half of the journey. I love being down
among and surrounded by the rock formations because it gives me a chance to be
more aware of the massive scale of the rock formations! So beautiful and unusual!
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| Dark Angel |
After hiking in the Devils Garden, I headed to the Delicate
Arch trail head. Delicate Arch is the
arch that appears on most signs and even on the Utah license plate. It’s particularly beautiful at sunset, when
it glows and brilliant orange color. I
hiked the trail when I was here in September, and remembered it being
moderately difficult, so I gave myself a generous amount of time to cover the
trail before sunset. Well, I guess all
the hiking I’m doing these days has gotten in shape because this time, the
trail seemed like a walk in the park and took almost no time at all! That being said, the impact of rounding the
corner and being confronted with an enormous arch that is perched right on the
edge of a canyon was no less extraordinary than it was in the fall! As with all the trails and overlooks this
time of year, there weren’t a tremendous amount of people at the arch, so I had
a chance to spend some time next to and under the arch, which was a treat! I found a fairly sheltered spot to relax
while I gazed at the wildly impressive sight before me and waited for the sun
to work its magic.
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| Hiking on the primitive trail |
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| Delicate Arch as viewed through Frame Arch |
Any arch is impressive in its own right, but Delicate Arch
truly outstanding! It’s larger than you
can possibly imagine. The fact that it’s
freestanding and perched right on the edge of a canyon makes it even more
amazing. Then there’s the fact that one
portion of the arch is balanced precariously on a small point that is eroding
away. As you sit and really look at the
arch, it becomes clear that there are cracks all over the arch, which makes the
magnificent sight seem even more precarious and remarkable. Just when you think there’s so way it can get
any cooler, the sun starts sinking in the west, and the entire landscape starts
to glow! There are no words or pictures
that can truly do it justice! It’s
totally marvelous!
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| Delicate Arch! |
