Arches National Park
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Delicate Arch Arches National Park |
April 19, 2011
This has been quite a day already. I have taken the awesome Fiery
Furnace tour, investigated features of the Windows Section of the park,
returned to Moab for a two-hour respite, and now I'm back.
Excepting my visit to The Wave just five days ago, this is the walk I have
anticipated most on my ten-day odyssey; for I long have ranked Delicate
Arch as my second-most favorite place in the whole world.
Not a very exciting start from the trailhead
At 5:30 p.m. there is a slight breeze about, and the temperature is
in the 60s — just another perfect evening for exploration.
Plenty of hikers are out
Showing off his climbing technique
Once the ascent begins, the route becomes solid rock
The park service did a wonderful bit of engineering with this trail. Countless tons of sandstone were blasted away on this 'back side' of the hill, seemingly just in order to create a route which enables hikers virtually to achieve the destination without getting so much as a glimpse of it in advance.
The pathway might look scary, because it isn't all that wide and there are no handrails of any kind. The trail surface, however, has been cleverly slanted downward into the hillside, which has the effect of imparting an amazing feeling of security to walkers. If anyone should stumble and fall, that person would tend to roll toward the wall of rock, not down the steep slope.
A very special stretch of trail
On the northern side of the canyon is a big, noteworthy arch that receives virtually no mention from other writers:
Echo Arch
Suddenly, the trail ends at a natural sandstone wall. I peek over
the top and — surprise! There is Delicate Arch, basking
in the afternoon sun. It is only now that the motivation of the
trail-designers becomes clear, for the sensory visual effect is
mind-blowing. When the single most unique land formation on
the planet suddenly springs into view — well, if you've not
visited here previously, your jaw is guaranteed to bounce off your knees.
Many folk are just hanging out, watching the colors change
The formation was named by Frank Beckwith, leader of the
Arches National Monument Scientific Expedition
in 1933-1934. The fanciful tale that the names of
Delicate Arch and Landscape Arch were inadvertently swapped is false.
A camera buff investigates alternative shooting angles, at some risk
Oddly enough, this arch wasn't even a part of the original national monument, created in 1929; the boundaries were expanded in 1938. Also, in the 1950s the Park Service contemplated the notion of encasing the arch in plastic so as to stave off further erosion. That abhorrent idea ultimately was abandoned as impractical and contrary to NPS principles. Duh.
A side view reveals how delicate the structure actually is
Some guy really gets around
The photo geeks establish their territories
Most visitors want a picture of themselves standing underneath the
arch. That is all well and good — provided that they
don't interfere with the important business of serious photography!
At the moment, however, cloud cover is in the way. I find myself
a good spot among the other guys along the top of the bowl, set up my
tripod and camera, and prepare to wait for the sun to come out.
We humor ourselves by contemplating how to prevent folks from 'hogging'
the arch' at critical times. Various remedies are proposed including
a slingshot, a BB-gun, and a park regulation requiring that anyone
starting out from the trailhead within an hour of sunset be required to
carry a tripod. Now that would weed out the riff-raff!
He'll have something to show the grandchildren, but he
won't even be recognizable in the photo
There being little blue in the sky tonight, any photos will be arguably imperfect; but we must make do with what nature offers. Finally, some sunlight does flood the arch, and everybody starts shooting.
⇔
Yes, that is a nice photo, but not good enough — too dark.
Still waiting. Another enterprising photographer has taken up a position across the bowl at an unusual angle to the arch. He 'flashes' us in a friendly fashion, and somebody flashes him back.
Still waiting... Finally:
Oh, my! This is the shot I drove 1,500 miles
for ⇔
They should put this picture on the Utah license plate!
Oh, wait — they already did that.
I suppose that a wider-angle view is in order as well:
The La Sal Mountains provide a fine backdrop for any scene ⇔
Perhaps the lighting will become even better as the sun drops to the
horizon; but I didn't think to pack my new headlamp, and I've no wish to
negotiate the trail in the dark. I pack up and start back,
confident of having captured some of my best-ever photographs on
one of my best-ever hiking days.
A short way down the trail, a window appears in the rock on the left; I have been saving it for now. Scrambling up to the opening, I am treated to yet another fine view.
Note the adventurers on the rocks above
This is why they call it Frame Arch ⇔
As sunset approaches, the lighting becomes ever more interesting.
In the distance is South Window, which I walked completely around just a few short hours ago.
It is nearly dark now. I can barely see the trail.
Near the parking lot is a spur loop to a panel of Ute Indian petroglyphs behind the historic Wolfe's Ranch. Perhaps there is enough light remaining to get a shot of the ancient drawings. Yes, there is.
The Sheep Rock Panel, circa 1650-1850
§: This walk was extra-special, in that bagged my second
'10' of the day — a first for me.
Despite the great popularity of this pathway to the most famous arch in
the world, it is a must-do hike. For best results, make the
pilgrimage in later afternoon as I did. That photograph of Delicate
Arch now brightens my living room.
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| Solitude |  |
