Although we were in Moab just a month earlier and in Sun Valley less than 24 hours prior, we found ourselves in Moab again last March. Prompted by a niece’s spring break, we made use of the opportunity despite the inopportune timing of it. Jason and I acted as tour guides and took our small group of family to Canyonlands, Arches, and Dead Horse Point. The weather wasn’t ideal as the threat of rain was nearly constant. Mother Nature didn’t hold back, and we didn’t let that hold us back. In the end, the wind was peskier than the precipitation, yet it didn’t keep us from precipices. There were many tummy-tingling moments on this stormy retreat, and I’m going to tell you all about them.
The Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park was first on our agenda. When we initially arrived, the park’s renowned prospects were hidden by a thick layer of mist clinging to its sheer sedimentary escarpments. Also, it was snowing. According to an employee, conditions like these are uncommon in the park and a special treat. We did a very standard thing in the un-standard weather, we hiked to Mesa Arch (0.5 miles RT) hoping for the vapor to clear before we undertook other treks that were more view oriented. Mesa Arch is always a popular trail, but at least it wasn’t at peak tourist flow on this particular afternoon.
Afterward, we took the group on one of our favorite hikes in the park, the White Rim Overlook, as the fog had thinned. With just 1.8 miles RT, you get a jaw dropping reveal of the White Rim as it loops between one 1,000-foot ledge and another, a ribbon of chalky alabaster twisting through the flushed desert. At the trail’s terminus, the massive boulders perched on the edge of that parched abyss beckoned, as they always do, and we stepped out farther than our self-preservation appreciated while remaining safe. What a cool path and endpoint! We were expecting a drenching during this hike. It didn’t happen, but the rain began in earnest just as we were finishing.
The next day was supposed to be windy and wet, as in 35 MPH and sopping. The wet came and went early in the morning before we made it out on a trail. The wind came and stayed. We decided to hike the Devil’s Garden Trail in Arches National Park with some extra spurs to Navajo, Partition, Pine Tree, and Tunnel Arches, a total of six miles. The Devil’s Garden has a few adventurous sections and provides many opportunities for arch encounters. It can get quite busy, but on this blustery day the tourist numbers were manageable.
The wind was also manageable, except at Navajo Arch. At Navajo, the drafts funneled to about 50 MPH freezing our appendages and turning our hair into strand tornadoes. Another oddity at Navajo was the sea of rainwater filling its alcove and oozing out of its mouth, a memento from its recent drenching.
Recall the adventurous sections I mentioned earlier? As the path nears Double O Arch, it runs along a fin about six feet wide with drop-offs on either side, one of them much more substantial. While this short section is completely doable for the surefooted, it may be daunting to those height adverse. My sister wanted to turn around when we were two-thirds through it. I reminded her we would still have two-thirds to do and none of the reward if we went back, which kept her going. It was quite gusty up on the fin, adding to the sense of precariousness, but I’d speculate that it’s always blustery up there. Double O is one of my favorite arches in the park, so I didn’t second guess the willingness of my feet to keep moving.
Since we were so close to the Dark Angel, Jason and I wanted to continue to it even if the others were too tired or afraid of the approaching dark to join us. However, curiosity beat exhaustion, and we all visited the angel. The Dark Angel is the last remains of a fin. It towers 150 feet above the surrounding stone and sand. The path to it from Double O Arch nears the boundaries of the park and provides context for how Arches connects to Salt Valley and Klondike Bluffs. Our devilish route, with all its add-ons, took us longer than expected, and we made it back just before dark, which is earlier than most Sabin hikes end.
Before returning home the next day, we stopped at Dead Horse Point State Park. Dead Horse Point is located on a different portion of the same plateau crowned by Island in the Sky. The trails around its rim are more like walks than hikes, so we took a walk. Compared to the other days, the weather was mild during this outing. A couple jackets were necessary, but it was sunny and not madly windy. We did the East and West Rim Trails plus the spurs to the Basin, Meander, Shafer, and Rim Overlooks, 4.75 miles in all. You grow accustomed to the omnipresent drop-offs as you stroll these paths, and they don’t impact your tummy as much as originally. On a viewpoint sidenote, while the Dead Horse Point Overlook, which is at the end of the plateau, may have the best views, my favorite is Shafer. At Shafer, there are convenient rocks to use as contemplation or lunch spots.
On this impromptu trip, we encountered a range of tummy intimidators from direct drop-offs to precarious-to-pass fins. Plus, unusually wet and turbulent weather put a surreal and zesty veneer on one of our favorite fiery landscapes. Hooray for Moab tummy intimidation and variation!