Day 22 (September 22, 2019) - Arches

Arches National Park

Arches National Park - just the name conjures up images of something different.  It was a day to which I've been looking forward.  But I was more tired than usual this morning and thought I would be limited.  Everyone agreed that we would only do what we could with discomfort.  Luckily, Arches was only 8 miles away so it was quick jaunt to get there.

Like all the other parks in the west, Arches is huge.  Getting inside the gate is just the start.  We drove miles to get to the first hike, a 0.5 mile trail to Double Arch.

Double Arch

The second activity was a loop hike of 1.2 miles to the Windows and Turret Arch.

Turret Arch

North Window and South Window

Susan in North Window

Since nothing goes unchallenged in our group, a discussion ensued about what constituted the difference between a window and an arch.  We had nothing to reference while on the trail so no conclusion was reached.  I'll stand by my opinion that a window has an opening that doesn't reach the base of its sides.

Next up was a drive to the Delicate Arch trailhead  for 0.7 mile hike to a viewpoint below the arch.  There is a hike to the arch but it is long and hard.  No one felt up to it today.  As an aside, Delicate Arch is the symbol of Utah on its license plates.

Delicate Arch

I had planned to end my day at this point but my knees loosened up for one last push.  We tackled the Sand Dune and Broken Arch trail, a 1.5 mile trek of which 1.2 miles was a desert death march.

Desert death march

Broken Arch

Marcia and Susan in Broken Arch

The branch of the trail to Sand Dunes Arch was interesting.  It was kind of Arches' version of a slot canyon.  Hikers had to climb through a narrow slot into a a small canyon between "fins" (see below - they kind of resemble huge fish/dolphin/whale fins).

Fin examples

The canyon was filled with sand.  It was like walking on a soft beach.  Not good for aching knees.  But it was short and we made it.

Sand Dunes Arch

Susan leaving the canyon

As we were wrapping up the day, we passed Skyline Arch on the way out.

Skyline Arch

I haven't mentioned the weather for several posts.  That's because it hasn't changed since we arrived in Salt Lake City.  The days have been nearly cloudless.  The only variable is the temperature and it doesn't vary much.  We manage it by planning activities around elevations or times of day.  That helps, but the lack of shade means a lot of the day is spent in the sun.  The "feels-like" temperature can be much higher than the actual.  We often come back to the car and note the temperature in the 60's but it feels in the 80's.  I can't even imagine what it would be like to be here in July or August.

What doesn't change is that it is very very dry.  As an example, the weather forecaster said that St. George had not had a drop of rain since June, something like 96 days.  That's great for those who like the sun, but not so great for most wild mammals or plants.  The dryness has a huge impact on people.  Every park has signs to "Drink Water" or something even more ominous.

They don't have to tell me.  I have usually opened a bottle within miles of leaving the house after breakfast and drink 3-4 per day plus the other liquids I drink.

Of course, drinking that much also means recycling that much.  We are constantly looking for restrooms.  The parks have plenty.  But calling them "restrooms" is a stretch.  These parks are remote and huge.  They don't have electricity and running water everywhere.  So they use port-a-john technology with very nice permanent structures.  In other words, the structures sit over holes with big tanks of waste.  We have named these facilities "peepots".

Arches Peepot

Despite their outward very nice appearance, a peepot experience can be very pleasant or horrible.  Some of them can be ... ummm, let's say "aromatic".  The worst was at Horseshoe Bend where 8 peepots emptied into a single tank.  The aroma was noticeable from 100 yards away.  After one experience in Bryce, Marcia yelled at me to find her a "real" restroom.

Where was I going with this?  Oh, yeah, the weather.  It was different this evening and it impacted our plans.  Clouds moved in while we were at dinner at The Spoke.  The clouds were heavy enough to make us defer our plans to attend a Star Party at Dead Horse Point State Park.

Susan’s quote of the day:  “He has a crap job".  The above discussion about peepots leads directly to Susan's quote.  Peepots have to be cleaned and pumped.  We saw cleaners and a honey-dipper today.  Susan doesn't envy them.

The highlights - Arches.
The regrets - None.

Today's total miles - 83
Today's miles from start to destination - 0
Today's miles on side trips - 83
Today's miles driven by Paul - 83
Today's miles driven by Susan - 0
Today's hours in car - 2
Total Miles Hiked - 4.2

Cumulative total miles - 6,540
Cumulative miles from start to destination - 3,668
Cumulative miles on side trips - 2,872
Cumulative miles driven by Paul - 5,558
Cumulative miles driven by Susan - 587
Cumulative hours in car - 133
Cumulative Miles Hiked - 41.4