HIKE HARD (PART I)
We did a lot of hiking and walking during our vacation. I spent quite a bit of time walking around Moab, checking out the stores, getting groceries, going out for dinner, getting coffee and goodies for breakfast (only for Tim, none for me - this was boot camp you know!) and hitting MacDonalds for my almost daily ice cream cone.
There are tons of hiking trails in the national parks (Arches and Canyonlands) and in the state park (Dead Horse Point) and just around Moab in general.
After our bike ride at Dead Horse Point State Park, we spent the afternoon hiking around the Rim trail and had some amazing views.
You know, when I was standing there, I was thinking I was way too close to the edge for my liking but in the picture, it doesn't even look like I'm close to the edge.
Canyonlands National Park - Island in the Sky
Upheaval Dome is a deformity where rocks have been pushed into a dome-like structure which may have been caused by a meteorite hitting the earth some 60 million years ago.
The Syncline Loop is a strenuous trail that follows the washes on either side of Upheaval Dome. It was a lot of uphill, downhill, then more uphill. It was warm, sunny and there wasn't much shade.
At Island in the Sky we started our morning by doing a couple of longer trails, Upheaval Dome Overlook and part of the Syncline Loop and ended our day with a few shorter hikes, Whale Rock, Aztec Butte and the Mesa Arch.
Upheaval Dome is a deformity where rocks have been pushed into a dome-like structure which may have been caused by a meteorite hitting the earth some 60 million years ago.
The Syncline Loop is a strenuous trail that follows the washes on either side of Upheaval Dome. It was a lot of uphill, downhill, then more uphill. It was warm, sunny and there wasn't much shade.
Another incredible lunch spot.
Whale Rock is a fairly steep climb up a slickrock trail that resembles climbing up the back of a whale with fantastic views from the top.
Whale Rock is a fairly steep climb up a slickrock trail that resembles climbing up the back of a whale with fantastic views from the top.Tim on the back of the whale!
View from the top of the whale.
The Atzec Butte trail is a short steep trail that leads up a slickrock dome to some ancient Puebloan granaries. I found this very steep in parts and had some shaky legs at times. I eventually ended up on my butt sliding down some of the trail.
View from the top of the whale.
The Atzec Butte trail is a short steep trail that leads up a slickrock dome to some ancient Puebloan granaries. I found this very steep in parts and had some shaky legs at times. I eventually ended up on my butt sliding down some of the trail.
Things got a little tricky at one point!
The Mesa Arch is right on the edge of a 500 foot cliff, part of a 1,200 foot drop into Buck Canyon. The trail was an easy short hike and a perfect way to end the day. We asked a guy to take a picture of both Tim and I in the arch and he took the request very seriously taking quite a bit of time trying different angles and different lighting. We only really needed one picture but once he had the camera.....
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