This Rock has a Hole in it: Moab: Part 3

There was one spot that we had set on seeing no matter how long it took while on this excursion:

Maroon Bells. One of the most iconic scenes within the entire state of Colorado, with the famous photograph being of these three mountain tops as the backdrop to this beautiful reflective lake and trees that are changing colors right in the beginning of autumn.

We knew we wouldn’t have time to see them the next day seeing as we had to drive back from Utah and make it back to Colorado before dawn hit the following day. So we made it our mission to get to Maroon Bells and capture about 1,000 photos right before sunset. This meant leaving Vail at around 3:30pm, we could make it around 6:30-7 with sunset being around 7:45pm. Talk about cutting it close.

I continued the drive there and to make this story short, we made it there by 7:06pm. We were jumping for joy, freezing, screaming, and running as fast as possible to those picturesque mountains. I wasn’t as intrigued by them as Justin was, but the minute I saw them, I couldn’t even believe what I was seeing. It literally felt as if I stepped inside my computer screen wallpaper (which, in a sense, I did) The mountaintops were topped with dusts of snow, the lake acted as a mirror reflecting the mountains perfectly, and the trees were just ever so slightly changing from green to yellow and red. We couldn’t get out our cameras fast enough. We took as many photos as humanly possible until the sun disappeared behind the mountains.  

Thus ended the adventure to Aspen and onto Moab we went!

After 2 rest stops, we arrived at the entrance to Arches National Park around 12:45am. The best part about that was because it’s after 8pm, we got to just go in for free. But it was so dark out, we could barely see anything driving up the winding road. All we could recognize were dark shadows towering over us as we drove by. We knew, even being hidden in the darkness, that we were surrounded by beauty.

Since it was so dark out, we couldn’t read any sign regarding where to camp, so we pulled off to the side of the road and decided to sleep in the car. Exhausted? Yes. Miss an opportunity to take long exposure photographs? Absolutely not! After about 2 hours of laughing hysterically while taking insane pictures in the middle of the road, we headed to bead.

The next day, we decided to wake up at 6am and drive to the nearest arch we could find and run to catch the sunrise. Even with a lack of sleep, we were ready to go. The first arch we came across was huge. Admit it, you’re thinking, “Wow, arches, how exciting. Rocks with a hole in it.” (“This cake has a hole in it” You better get the reference) I know that’s what you’re thinking because that’s what I thought. But comparing yourself to the size of these formations was like putting a pea next to an elephant. They were ENORMOUS! Just smooth rock all the way up and around. It reminded me of building blocks I had when I was little. It made me smile.

After sunrise, we went to the famous Garden that had the double arch along with at least 4 others. Justin and I decided to do a “short” hike, which actually turned into a 4 hour hike. It was the best mistake we could’ve made. The hike was incredible. I felt like I was in The Land Before Time. Standing atop these rock formations, being practically blown all over the place by the wind, knowing that one wrong step and, to be blunt, you would die. The double arch was extraordinary, just one arch on top of another, with brave people standing all the way on top. There was an arch that you can tell, one day soon, it’s going to collapse. You have to wonder how they formed. Why in this one spot, all of these arches originated? Just goes to show that nature is an incredible gift that many people don’t appreciate as much as they should.

 

The sign said it was difficult but come on, it never really is. So we continued on to do the loop trail and it definitely became extremely difficult. We had to traverse across a smooth rock where if you slipped, you were going down. Then came this traverse around a small body of water but if you slipped you went into that water, which honestly, I didn’t want to happen since I had my camera on me. That last traverse took us over a half hour to cross and it was only 20 feet long. For once, my climbing abilities came in handy. For once. I’ll be honest, for a while, I thought I was going to be stuck out there. I have a huge fear of falling and having to climb these massive rocks with no protection didn’t help whatsoever. In the end though, when we finished, we gave one another a huge high five and could proudly say we did the entire loop that not many people will even attempt, giving us the opportunity to see the double arch and all its glory, a rock that looked just like the Titanic, and these rows upon rows of thin slivers of rock that went on for miles. The unfortunate part was we used up all of our time. We wanted to continue on to the Delicate Arch but we had no time, so we drove instead and took a few photos before heading home.

 

Our Moab trip was extremely short, but what we accomplished in about 30 hours still blows my mind to this day. Those arches…..they were just rocks. But in a way, they were masterpieces. They make you think, they make you smile, they make you appreciate life. I’ve never experienced such a beautiful scene. It’s as if they were trying to tell you a story.

And their story, is what created my story that you are reading Right. This. Second.

 

Cool, huh?