Holy smokes that was a trip.
I’ve been on vacations, family road excursions, weekend getaways, and flights a few mornings after the classic “lets go here - because why not?”
This one felt different. It was extraordinary. Not in the form of a fancy Airbnb or spendy night out on the town. It was unusual in the sense that I was awestruck at almost all times. I’m a big hiker and thoroughly enjoy the outdoors. I’ve seen a lot of nature’s beauty in different parts of the country - hidden streams, forests with wildlife all around, and mountain ranges that seemed endless. The scenery on this trip exceeded all of it. It was nearly unbelievable, not to mention difficult to put into words.
Moab
This was one destination that’s always been on the bucket list although I can’t say what put it there first - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade or a photo? Whichever it was I can honestly say that the experience is much better in person. The desert full of rock formations immediately makes you question how they happened. The sandstone arches have been eroding away for thousands of years and warp, fracture through, and establish crazy looking patterns! There’s also boulders that weigh over 3 tons just balancing on thin rock formations that really raise an eyebrow (think of a mushroom).
Among the many sights a few stood out. The Corona Arch was a hike to get to but the size and patterns throughout were wild! The Double Arch was even larger and splits in the middle with a drop-off just on the other side. The opening spanned 144 feet wide and really kept us on our toes as we climbed. We settled in at the Turret Arch and wrapped up our a-okay day.
Zion National Park
As cool as Moab was the day before I could not wait to check out Zion. We were all anxious to get there; as we were getting close the landscape was changing right before our eyes. We were already short on words. Right as we’re about to pull in the park one of our buddies lifted his head out the window and shouted at the top of his lungs “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!”
The scenery in Zion is nothing short of amazing. As we drove through the only words I could seem to utter were wow, that’s crazy, and wow. The red-orange sedimentary rock formations seemed to shoot endlessly into the blue sky. The trees and shrubbery were greener than your spinach. It felt like we were on another planet.
We parked and started a mile hike up the Canyon Overlook Trail. Along the way were crevasses, running water, and a tarantula on the path saying hi to everyone. As we rounded a corner at the top and looked over my breath left me for a moment; the trail is properly named.
We relaxed for a while and took in the views. Pictures will never fully do it justice. The vastness of the canyon is tough to put into words. We were there, as present or “in the moment” as a person could possibly be, and it still didn’t seem real.
See that tiny road weaving through at the bottom of the valley? We drove the rest of the way through and looked up towards where we had just been standing. The people looked like dots you would make on a piece of paper with your pen.
We grabbed some grub and then stood in line to get on the shuttle to take us to our next adventure. The Narrows is a challenging hike up a river through a thin passageway. The sandstone walls towered thousands of feet beside us as we pushed through the current and rock. The hike weaves around several turns and at one point we were hiking in belly-high water. Due to time constraint we turned around after a couple hours and took a few pictures. Guides told us to not miss the last bus at 8:15pm - turns out a 8 mile hike back in the dark is not recommended.
The trip was nothing short of wild. I could go on and on but the scenery simply took my breath. If you ever need a few ideas for that big road trip I’d HIGHLY recommend swinging through Utah. I will definitely be going back!
To circle this up - nature is amazing. We’ve always known that. I’m a big advocate for spending as much time outside and away from our devices as we can. The sights in Utah only energized that belief. In nature we find not only clarity, but perspective. I couldn’t grasp just how small I felt out there. We worry about spilled milk, celebrities, bills, what other people think of us, how many likes we got on our last picture, and so on and so forth. Are these important long term?
I get caught up in worrying about tiny things in my own life. The time spent outside in Utah gave me a refreshing perspective. We are so small in the grand scheme of things. In short we are born, we live, and we die. The middle one seems like we have an eternity and yet we catch ourselves at 18, at 40, at 81 saying one thing - “time flies.”
Experience all that you can. Take chances. Tell people how you feel. Travel. Eat the ice cream. Laugh. Love. Don’t sweat the small things. See the sights. After all…
Anything is possible.
theitsjustjakeblog@gmail.com