Moab, Arches, & Monuments

The open night sky before me stretches from horizon to horizon. The stars sprinkled across the darkness give the landscape some focus. It’s comforting seeing a familiar pattern to help orient oneself on our tiny planet. As I laid on my back contemplating the cosmos I felt at peace. Complete serenity encapsulated my thoughts while I rested on some petrified sand dunes. These sandstone hills rise slightly higher than the sandy campgrounds located in Sand Flats Recreation Area. Once above on these “slickrocks” the vista reveals the canyons as well as the glow of lights from the famous town of Moab.

The "slickrocks"

My friend Zak and I arrived to Moab ready for adventure. We stopped in Arches National Park and immediately went to the visitor’s center to pick up our permit for access into the Fiery Furnace. We had done some research prior to our visit and decided from looking at aerial photos that the pattern of fins known as the Fiery Furnace was our destination. The Park mandates each visitor to the Fiery Furnace either go on a guided tour with a Field Ranger or obtain a permit by watching an informal video of the sensitive nature within that location (basically don’t walk on soils, stay on rock or washes). Zak and I opted for the permit. We impressed the Ranger giving us our permit when we mentioned we are aware about the sensitivity of cryptobiotic soil and our background with environmental sciences. The Ranger then asked for our help if we knew of any methods to protect these sensitive soils. We told her we would work on it and get back to her.

Cyrptobiotic Soil

As we walked to the top of the slickrock our vision was limited to the haze coming from Moab’s city lights. The night sky illuminated only with its stars and the moon was already set for the evening. It became a trial of relying on our other senses to traverse the steep gradient of this sandstone. My feet were adept at providing feedback to prepare my next step. At one point I closed my ears and listened to Zak’s feet shuffling to sense which direction to follow. Each step was tentative at first but gradually I became more comfortable as my body dictated my balance and pace. 

The next stop once we had our permit in hand was to Delicate Arch. It was almost sundown and we decided to catch the view from one of the more picturesque arches. I had immediate satisfaction once we arrived to the trailhead. I took off running while Zak opted for a more leisurely stroll. The heat was familiar to me and reminded me of my former days of being deployed where the desert was my everyday surrounding. The dryness was similar but the expansive rock faces and monuments were other worldly to me. As I pushed my pace I wanted to see more and more. I was running fast and taking it all in. When I arrived to Delicate Arch I collapsed in front of it and stared straight up. I caught my breath and heard Zak calling me from the outer rim of the viewing area. I headed toward him and kept looking back at the Arch confirming its majesty.  

 

Looking up to Delicate Arch

The west view from Delicate Arch

While laying on the slickrock I noticed how much grit the sandstone actually had. This place is popular for bicyclists since the rock offers tremendous grip. Zak had told me before that I would love running here since I would get great traction and he was 100% right. The night air was cool and as we stared at the cosmos our conversation was occasionally interrupted by a shooting star. The largest of the night occurred while I was in the middle of a story and I yelled “Wow! Did you see that!?” to which Zak replied he had just missed it by closing his eyes for a minute. I found it so comfortable up here that I wound up staying on this rock and sleeping with the stars over my head.

The following morning we fastpacked through The Devil’s Garden while eagerly anticipating the Fiery Furnace. We saw the arches and even climbed a few boulders to get a better view. This hike took us longer than expected but we finally made it to the Furnace and the adventure was exactly what we hoped for. The passages among the carved rock were narrow and perfect for climbing around. We kept thinking that we should have started here earlier since we could spend all day perfectly content winding around these towering sandstone walls. We came across some waterholes and took the time to use teamwork to remove some litter another visitor must have left behind. Zak grabbed my left hand while I splayed out and reached far with my right hand to pick the trash out from the waterhole. Our mission was accomplished and we left feeling satisfied having helped preserve the natural balance of this special place. The heat was upon us and we had to leave since the cool air was rapidly leaving and the radiating heat these rocks collect was beginning to release itself. We both agreed that a return to this location was entirely necessary in the future. 

Skull Arch located in the Fiery Furnace

Avoiding the cryptobiotic soil

With the midday heat in full effect we drove straight to the Colorado River. We pulled over into a recreation area and bushwhacked our way to the river. Our shoes and shirts came off as we plowed into the muddy riverbed. The force and flow of this river was immense. On the count of three Zak and I dunked our heads into the water and I immediately felt the pull of the river. The water was opaque from the sediment coming from all the mountains and canyons upstream. More importantly it was refreshingly cool and brought our body temperature down to a comfortable degree. 

Colorado River

With the sun hanging at our backs we left Moab and began the trip back to Colorado. We would end up camping outside of The Colorado National Monument for the night. It was equally enchanting and made me appreciate this state even more. I got to explore some of the canyons here the next day and run through them contently. All this exploring and running was fulfilling to my body and mind. My legs would be sore at night but come morning they were ready for some more action. At night my eyes would get their fill from the vistas and my mind would relax with the soothing calmness of nature in the dark. And when the sun rises my eyes open and see the brilliant gleams of orange. I know another day has arrived and I’m lucky enough to be alive to enjoy it.

 

Conducting some "water quality" testing