Our last full day of the trip started with a little less excitement than the day before. So while we were aiming for a similar start time, we were a bit more sluggish in getting started. We stopped at a bakery in Moab for fresh coffee and pastries to wake us up and then made our way back into Arches for our final hike of the trip. After all of the sights and all of the hikes, we were going to hike out to Delicate Arch, probably the most famous image of the Utah National Parks and the symbol found on the Utah license plate.
Even fully charged with coffee and pastries, the hike was a struggle… not physically due to difficulty, but mentally due to motivation. The kids and I were beat after so many days of go, go, go. But as always, we found our stride and were able to make it without complaint.
And like all previous hikes, we met some friendly people along the trail, including a 65 year old woman who had just celebrated her birthday and retirement and was hiking to commemorate it, a two year old who wanted to hike (not hitch a ride in his carrier) and gave us all high fives as he passed and the woman from Sud Tyrol who chatted with Martin for a bit in German. Meeting these individuals and all of the other people throughout the trip reminded me of the community that can be found in the National Parks and hiking in general. I am hopeful that I will continue to hike once we get home and possibly strike out on my own for a few.
We enjoyed a final dinner out at Moab Brewery and the following morning we began the long drive back to Las Vegas and then home.
No comments:
Post a Comment