Thursday August 10th 2017

After finishing touring Arches National Park yesterday, I spent today recovering. There are two ways to see Arches National Park. You can drive along the park roads and stop occasionally at a pull out or you can stop at the trail heads and hike to see the arches. I chose to hike some of the trails and I’m paying for it today. I have a few aches and pains associated with muscles I haven’t used recently. The pictures in this blog entry are from yesterday’s trip to Arches National Park.

Back side of the Tunnel Arch.

If you just travel the roads of the national park you will see some beautiful scenery. There are high desert plains with red rock buttes and mountains scattered across your view. Everywhere you look there is something unique and beautiful to see, but you aren’t going to see many arches close up. An occasional arch or hole in a rock cliff can be seen in the distance.

To really see the arches you need to walk the trails. The park service has done what they can to create nice improved trails, but it isn’t possible to remove the changes in elevation or to build steps into solid rock. You need to go up and down hills on some pretty rough ground at times. All of this is at about 5000 feet in altitude.

I probably walked about 6 miles total yesterday. Unlike Monday, I had my hat, plenty of water and was wearing a good layer of sun screen. I took lots of pictures which helps to slow me down. When I don’t pause for pictures I find myself passing people half my age only to have to stop and catch my breath at the top of the hill. Then I’m right behind the people I passed again. I need to remember slow and steady wins the climb.

Heavily improved trail area near the Landmark Arch. The fences were installed to keep people away from the arch.

Scrambling up and down the rocks requires attention to your footing. The park service has tried to make sure the boulders used for steps are secure, but they have natural spacing and size. One step may be three inches and the next fourteen. My calf muscles are one of the aches I’m experiencing today. Where I drew the line, both Monday and Wednesday, was when the trail went up smooth boulders at a steep angle. Getting to the top wasn’t what I was concerned with, it was getting back down safely. I’m pretty sure some people were backing down the hill.

People scrambling up an down the rocks to get to the next arch viewing area. I chose not to make the climb.

Tomorrow I plan to go to Canyonlands National Park. The Island in the Sky section of the park is accessible from this area.