The many attitudes of Delicate Arch

 

Fred clambering up the slippery sandstone to get an unusual angle to Delicate Arch.

The classic angle.

Delicate Arch from a window in the rock along the trail, another climbing moment from Fred and patiently waiting for a people free moment.

The Kersten's at Delicate Arch

A magical moment, taking in the magnificence of Delicate Arch.

In planning our stay in Moab, I figured we would use the 4 night stay to to do a whole lot of different outings. Once we spent our first day in Arches, it was not even a debate, we would spend all our time in this one park. We have travelled extensively all over the world and into many natural wonders and hands down Arches has completely captured our souls. 

Our return to Delicate Arch was along a fabulous trail, rated as difficult because of the 5 kms with a steep 150m elevation gain and the exposure to heights. 

We relished being on the trail. 

There is no sign of the Arch until you round the exposed cliff path and then there it is. 

Delicate Arch floats high above the valley on the brink of a canyon, with the dramatic snow-capped Le Sal Mountains as a backdrop. 

Fred at the Arch in what we called the TikTok generation pose.
It's what most of the youngsters do, whizz down, take a photo and leave.

Arches National Park, Utah: and our first viewing of the iconic Delicate Arch.

Delicate Arch from the Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint, a short sharp trail to view the Arch from across a ravine.

Our first day exploring the Arches National Park on a clear, big blue-sky day. 

Our road trip to Moab, which lies just south of the park, brings us to this time and this place-both Fred and I have always spoken about coming back to Utah and taking in the magnificence of Arches. Fred already has hundreds of photos but it's perfect to start with Delicate Arch. It is synonymous with Utah, from stamps to vehicle license plates and everything else imaginable. 

And it is completely magnificent. 

Delicate Arch in context from the viewpoint.

A quiet meditative moment, completely at peace and marvelling at the beauty of Delicate Arch.
The special aura of time, silence and scale.

PS: Thank you Adrienne for this Tennyson quote, it resonates on all levels