Into the Frying Pan

Determined. Our first full day in the desert found Cat and I up and on the trail to Landscape Arch in Arches National Park, a little later than we had intended, but still fairly early. Before the heat of the day, anyway. The trail to the iconic arch had a fair amount of traffic on it, but our destination lay beyond the first arch. We headed farther, up the trail to Double O Arch and a couple of short side trails to smaller arches embedded in the same fin of rusty sandstone. Devil's Garden is a playground of canyons, arches, fins and monoliths that is accessed by the trail to Landscape Arch, several shorter side trails, and the Primitive Loop, a 7ish mile trail that takes you to all of the major arches while circling the Garden. Can you guess which trail Cat and I were there for? It was our first day in the desert, however, which meant our bodies had to acclimate to the dryer air, greater altitude, and lack of significant shade.

Partition Arch

Starting a hike after dawn wasn't a mistake we made again. The trail was beautiful, of course, as are all trails in the desert. We spent some time at Landscape Arch, then went on to the side trails to Navajo Arch and Partition Arch. Less well-known and a little bit out of the way, these arches are often skipped by hikers on their way to Double-O Arch. We had the trail to ourselves for the most part, and also could get right up into the arches for the obligatory arch portrait.

Cat resting in Partition Arch

We hit Double-O Arch right as it started to get hot, and crowded into the shade of a fin along with all of the other hikers that morning.

Double-O Arch

Soon after, though, we lost the crowds and turned down the less used and aptly named Primitive Loop. Winding around the garden and offering panoramic vistas and cool canyon potholes, the Devil's Garden Primitive Loop is comparable to the better known Fiery Furnace for its abundance of sandstone fins, except it has a marked trail.

And definitely isn't for someone afraid of heights. Cat and I meandered through the Garden, sticking to the shade as much as possible. The last bit of trail was brutal: exposed desert with only the occasional stunted juniper to use as relief from the sun.

Even sucking down water, we were hot and tired and a little dehydrated. The hike was worth it, but next time I'll probably give myself some time in the sun before I try a longer hike, especially now that I'm living near sea level!

What I'm listening to: The Adventure Begins by Howard Shore