Four U.S. National Parks in five days:
Arches National Park:
A pre-dawn hike to Delicate Arch.
The alarm is set for 03:30 but I don’t get to hear it. I’m up long before then and turn it off so as not to wake my father, sleeping in the other bed.
I haven’t slept well; I’m too excited to finally hike the trail to Delicate Arch. I don’t remember when I first saw a photo of the arch or heard of the national park, but I’ve been wanting to visit for as long as I can remember. I went once with my parents when I was much younger, but I have no memory of that visit and we didn’t do this hike. Now I have my chance.
We’re the fourth car in the parking lot. It’s a little over an hour before the sunrise and we set out in the dark. I give my aunt my headlamp and a hiking pole and we set out towards the arch, following headlamps and flashlights that dot the path before us.
Even so, we lose the way. The path isn’t well sign-posted and in the dark we take a wrong turn. Checking google maps I find the path outlined before us and quickly make a correction. By then many more cars have arrived and there’s a small stream of people now making the hike. In the pre-dawn light the landscape looks ethereal.
As I pause to wait for my aunt, a man and his two children approach. He walks on with his son; his elementery-school-aged daughter lags a little behind. I end up walking with her. It’s her first hike and she’s pretty sure she enjoys it. They’ve brought their dog but had to leave him at the hotel; he’s not allowed in the park. She’s looking forward to seeing him again, but for now she’s focused on putting one foot in front of the other.
Near the end of the hike there’s a small arch seemingly carved into the rock. I don’t realize it, but the Delicate Arch is just around the bend. My hiking partner has continued on, following her father, and I catch a last glimpse of her just before she disappears.
It seems like a classic move on these hikes, where the main attraction reveals itself just around the bend. I’m reminded of our hike to the base of the towers in Torres del Paine. Even though we didn’t see the famous towers at the end, there was a similar reveal as you round an outcropping of rocks to be rewarded with a view of the lagoon and the towers just above.
There are maybe ten people before us at the arch. It’s quiet and beautiful and I feel lucky to be able to behold it alongside the few who have made this pilgrimmage in the pre-dawn hour.
With the few people here at this hour, it’s easy to take photos without the crowds. We take turns standing under the arch and taking photos of each other. We are each happy to each other space and to return the favor of having our photo taken.
One older couple hands me their phone and encourages me to take as many photos of them as I want. They want to make sure to capture the moment as they don’t plan on coming back. It’s a once in a lifetime trip for them. I’m happy to comply.
I can’t stop taking photos. My aunt calls my name as the sun breaks over the ridge, but I’m more interested in seeing how the light illuminates the arch. And soon I am rewarded as the sun creeps over a ledge and paints the top of the arch red. The delicate pink shades painted by the pre-dawn light are lit aflame.
The hike back feels easier and faster than the hike there. The sun is up and warms us from behind. The crowds have thickened and they all wear sunglasses or shade their eyes with hats and hands as they walk directly west into the light.
Near the parking lot we see a sign directing us to a wall of petroglyphs, carved sometime between A.D. 1650 and 1850. They’re typical examples of Ute Indian art work and we pause to admire them and rest our legs before heading back to the car.
En route to the park entrance we stop at a view point for its expansive views over the surrondings. Benches have been set up in the center for star gazing and in the back of my mind I consider coming back at midnight to look at the night sky. In truth, I’ll be exhausted and asleep before the sun sets.
Closer to the entrance we spot the Balanced Rock. It’s still early and so we stop to take pictures and do the short hike around it before driving back to the hotel for a well-deserved breakfast.
24 May 2023
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