Scoring that Perfect Picture

Focused. We were on a mission to reach Delicate Arch, Arches National Park's most famous arch, in record time. Cat and I had just arrived in Moab, UT after a 13 hour drive across Nebraska and Colorado, and the first thing we did was enter the park and drive straight to the arch. It was nearly sunset, and we wanted to get to the arch before the sun went down (along with more than one hundred other people). We hadn't even gone to our campsite first, which meant we would be setting up our tent in the dark. Instead, we fought the crowds for a parking place and hightailed it to the trail head, practically running along the crushed sandstone path. We were forced to slow down as we reached the exposed sandstone ramp that makes the three mile round trip trail work for it's classification as "strenuous".

No sun, still stunning!

A quarter-mile of exposed, sloping slickrock sandstone, no shade, no flat area, no stairs, no water. A sign at the beginning of the trail encourages hikers to drink at least a gallon of water a day, and to carry at least a couple of liters if they want to attempt the hike. And that's at the beginning of the trail. Then you wend your way through the dips and crests of the desert, edging along cliffs with nothing to stop you if you fall, following the carins that mark the path to the arch. Assuming you make the ascent, you round a curve of orange sandstone, and then you see it: a free standing arch on the edge of a gigantic bowl, both of which make you instantly feel small and insignificant.

A fraction of the people who come to see Delicate Arch at sunset

Cat and I searched for a place to sit and take pictures of the arch glowing in the sunset among the other sunset enthusiasts willing to make the trek up. We found a spot high on the edge of the bowl, and tried to be out of the way. After setting up our cameras we were disappointed to realize that there was absolutely no way we would be able to get a picture of the arch without some random person standing in the middle of it, having their own picture taken under the dome. Still, we took our pictures and dealt with the crowds, then headed down with the sky still glowing sky blue-pink. Bats flitted overhead, drawn out of their slumbers by the promise of the mosquitoes that made a meal out of us. We left the park, enthusiastic for our week-long stay in the desert.

Not an easy trail, but worth every step

Fast forward to four days after we arrived in Moab, and we were at it again, this time arriving at Delicate Arch with plenty of time to spare, determined to get there ahead of the crowds and maybe, maybe be rewarded with a person-free picture. Also? I wanted a picture of the moon. We hiked more slowly on our second trip up, but still moved faster than most of the people also making their way to the arch. There were far too many human beings on the trail for my taste, but I like solitude and quiet. Especially quiet. That being said, our second attempt was more successful. We arrived early enough to claim a spot closer to the arch, with less people in the way. We both set up our cameras and waited, taking pictures occasionally as we chatted with our neighbors on either side of us. Then it happened: for one second, there was nobody in the arch!

Delicate Arch

I, along with every other person in the vicinity, started clicking away madly, desperate for that elusive shot of the most iconic arch in the park. I was beyond ecstatic; I have been to that arch on four other occasions, but have never been rewarded with that picture.  Cat and I both packed up our cameras, grabbed our bags, then headed down and around the arch while the sun was still in the sky, this time aiming for the bottom of the sandstone bowl at the base of the arch. We had both been eyeing it the first time we were there, and noticed that nobody ever made the journey to the bottom. Figuring we might get a unique perspective on the arch, we climbed down and ambled around the sandy bottom and lower lip of the bowl. We took picture after picture, and discovered that because we were so low, and there was a little bit of a crest toward the top of the bowl, if we positioned ourselves just right we could get a view of the arch that didn't have a person in it, even while people stood under the arch like they usually did. AND the moon was rising right next to the arch, that was glowing a fierce orange in the setting sun. Bonus!

Setting sun, orange arch, rising moon. Perfection.

We took our fill of pictures and views, and when the sun finally bid farewell to the arch we clambered out of the depression to access the trail. On a whim, we climbed on the cliff ledge behind the arch, where most people (especially those afraid of heights) don't go. The sun had set but there was still color in the sky, and with the arch silhouetted against it I couldn't resist but to lay down and take a picture underneath the arch. It's the little things.

"Behind" Delicate Arch

What I'm listening to: Comin' in Hot by Hollywood Undead