Arches 2012

Last weekend I went to Arches National Park in Moab. IT WAS THE BEST WEEKEND EVER. Ever.

You want all the details? Good. You're getting them.

Friday after work we all met up to pack everything in the cars and hit the road. We got to our campsite just outside Moab at about 10 that night, and set up a couple tents in the glow of the headlights. We couldn't have a wood fire at the campsite so we roasted things (marshmallows, licorice, Laffy Taffy, an orange) over charcoal. There wasn't much room at the site so we spent a lot of time sitting the hood of the car or gathered around the warm charcoal. When we finally gave in to being tired we all went over to the tarp where the boys were sleeping and just sat and talked for a while until the girls decided to go to their tent for sleeping.

In the morning we saw how beautiful everything was around us and started getting really excited about the hike we had planned. We made breakfast burritos, cleaned up the campsite, jumped my dead car, and drove off to Arches.

In honor of National Parks Week, we got in for free (that's what inspired this whole trip). Our first task was Delicate Arch. The hike took about an hour and it was amazing. I love hiking, even the hard parts, and when we finally got to the top it was breathtaking. The weather was perfect and the view was incredible. We hung out around the arch for a while, exploring things, climbing things, and taking pictures of things. 

The only pictures I have are from the first hike.

on the hike, posing, because we're awesome

the view to our final destination

Delicate Arch

the view from the other side of the arch

besties

arch

besties (Hannah, Sarah, Bekah, Amanda)

the whole crew under the arch

After we hiked back down we needed sustenance so we decided on meeting at a picnic site near our next hike. Here's a funny little story: We were following one of our cars to the picnic site and it was really crowded. The parking was basically along the side of a one-way road that went in a circle. We followed them into the circle and they found a great spot but we couldn't find anything. We went all the way around the loop and started at the beginning again to see if we could find something. We found a spot at the beginning of the loop near a picnic table and figured it was a great place for lunch. No one had a functioning phone in either car so Sarah and I decided to run ahead to the first car to let them know where we were. We started running and found the other car a little ways up. No one was in the car. We hadn't decided on a definite meeting place so we had no idea where they would have gone. We started jogging a little further to see if we could see them somewhere and finally spotted them on the trail that cut through the loop, heading to the parking lot on the opposite side. They were pretty far away and we didn't want to run all the way across so I started yelling their names. They were too far away so we started running again. A few other guys were on the trail as well and I'm pretty sure they thought we were either crazy or dying. They moved aside to let us pass and we ran passed, yelling everyone's names. We finally got their attention and told them to follow us. We weren't close enough to explain where we were or to ask where they were going. They turned around and followed us back to our car, where the food was. Luckily we had left a couple guys at my car to meet up with the last car and by the time we got back everyone else was there.

We grabbed all the food and claimed a picnic table. We ate and played Pass the Pigs and tried to stay warm in the wind. After a good rest and a good scare from Will (he couldn't stop climbing on every single surface and seemed to have gotten stuck at one point) we headed out on hike #2: Landscape Arch. This hike was more like a walk but that was ok with me. It was another beautiful hike and our group stayed close together the whole way there and it was really fun! As we approached the arch we stopped at an informational plaque and learned that in 1991 a huge chunk (73 feet!) of rock fell off the bottom of it and they've since closed the trail that goes beneath the arch. You can still get pretty close to it and it is cool. I didn't have my camera on this hike but here's someone else's picture of Landscape Arch so you can see how cool it is.

cool

I don't know what kept coming over me but I suggested running back on the trail. I don't know what came over everyone else but I had a few takers. Five of us ran the whole way back and it was great! After everyone else got back we were pretty much totally spent and really sunburned. We split up and walked back to our cars to head back to Provo. It took about 20 minutes to drive through the park and it was seriously amazing. I wish I wasn't driving so I could get a really good look at everything. There were so many incredible rock formations. I loved it.

The drive back was great. We talked about all sorts or stuff and even played a few rounds of Would You Rather? There's nothing like a rousing game of Would You Rather? to really get to know someone. Most of us met up at Slab Pizza for dinner when we got back to Provo and then home to unpack the cars and get in the shower. Of course all the girls had to get a full breakdown of the weekend so we were up late recapping everything that happened.

It was such a fun trip. I was kind of sad to be home because I didn't want it to end. We will definitely be doing that again soon. Everyone was great, we all got to know each other a lot better and it was so enjoyable to spend a couple days with a group of people that I really like. I laughed so much and have a lot of great memories!

No one fell in love or anything, but who knows, this is only the beginning.