Easter Memory Remembering Hiking To Delicate Arch In Arches National Park

Microsoft's OneDrive's Memories from this Day seems to be a gift which keeps on giving. Causing me to remember memories I've not remembered for a while. 

Two of my all-time photos showed up in the Memories from this Day email, on this final day of the 2024 version of March, also known, this year, as Easter.

The photos were taken with my long gone Casio digital camera with its unique selfie taking feature, years before phones made the selfie thing a common occurrence.

These two photos were taken in Arches National Park. That would be one of the state symbols of Utah in the background, known as Delicate Arch.

Staring at the camera lens, with me, that would be Wanda. 

The hike to Delicate Arch is one of the most scenic hikes I have ever hiked. There is some elevation gain, but not too strenuous an elevation gain. 

You do not need a ranger to guide you on the Delicate Arch hike, like you do on Arches National Park's Fiery Furnace hike.

Memories of trails from years past makes me wonder if I will ever once again see myself on a scenic trail in a scenic wonderland...

Linda Lou Takes Me Back To Delicate Arch With Sky Islands

Yesterday whilst blogging about Linda Lou Leading Me Back To Skagit Valley Black and Blue Berry Picking I made mention of the fact that Linda Lou had caused me to re-locate photos I had not realized I'd sort of lost, and that many of those photos had been taken with my long gone antique Casio digital camera.

Finding those sort of lost photos had me looking at scenes I had not seen in a long time.

Such as that which you see here.

My long gone Casio camera was way ahead of its time. The camera had the ability to rotate the lens which allowed for the easy taking of what we now call "selfies".

I was a frequent selfie photo taker during that era, something I have mostly balked at when doing such became so ubiquitous, and sort of annoying.

In the selfie above I believe the year was 1998. The location was Arches National Park in Utah.

If I remember right the work of Mother Nature behind me in the selfie was known as Wanda. The other work of Mother Nature behind me is known as Delicate Arch.

Delicate Arch is one of the iconic symbols of Utah. One sees it on Utah license plates.

The hike to Delicate Arch has some elevation gain, but not enough to be what one might think of as strenuous, but definitely more strenuous than most of the hikes in Arches NP, with the only other actual semi-strenuous Arches NP hike being the Fiery Furnace Hike.

The Fiery Furnace hike is a bit treacherous, and thus requires signing up for it at the Ranger Station, paying a fee, and having a Park Ranger lead the way through the confusing maze of trails.

I have twice hiked the Fiery Furnace hike, and enjoyed it both times.

I would like to see a return to Moab, and Arches National Park, and Canyonlands National Park, which is nearby.

I think I saw Canyonlands NP selfies whilst strolling through the collection. I will go see if I can find one of those...

In this selfie I am looking at you from Islands in the Sky in Canyonlands National Park. I remember it being windy that day, and cold. The month was October, if I am remembering correctly.

Well, that should end today's selfie trail down memory lane...

Spencer Jack's Pre-Thanksgiving Non-Fiery Hike To Delicate Arch & Dead Horse Point

While Spencer Jack's dad's cousins, David, Theo and Ruby spent the week before Thanksgiving in Arizona, Spencer Jack has been one state north, in Utah.

Spencer Jack flew his dad into Denver several days ago, then drove west via I-70, through the Eisenhower Tunnel, past places like Vail and Aspen, which surprised the boys due to the large number of ski lifts they were seeing.

Eventually Spencer Jack got his dad to Moab where upon arrival they secured one of the 75 daily allotments for hikes into the Fiery Furnace in Arches National Park.

Spencer Jack and his dad called after they'd booked their hike into the Fiery Furnace, telling me it was a self-guided tour. I verbalized my astonishment that such was now allowed, when previously such was strictly verbotten.

Well, that night Spencer Jack took his dad to downtown Moab in search of a restaurant for their evening feeding, and in the process talked to multiple locals about hiking unguided into the Fiery Furnace. The locals also verbalized astonishment that such was allowed.

So, Spencer Jack and his dad decided to opt out of getting lost forever in the Fiery Furnace maze and instead decided to hike to Delicate Arch, which is where Spencer Jack is sitting above, in the aforementioned Arches National Park. and then drove to Dead Horse Point State Park, near the entry to Canyonlands National Park.

Above we see Spencer Jack tired of hiking, with his dad now piggy backing him. I believe that is the Colorado River we see a glimpse of, working on scouring deeper into the canyon. I vaguely recollect going to Dead Horse Point State Park and reading the story of why it was so named. Something to do with horses being accidentally stranded somehow on a mesa, and dying for lack of food and water. Or some such thing.

I think I have only been in Moab once when the town was not in tourist mode. That was a New Year's Eve. I think the year was 1995. I recollect snow on the ground and icy hiking in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.

I have no idea where Spencer Jack and his dad will be finding turkey in Moab today.

I do know that David, Theo and Ruby are flying back to Tacoma today. I do not know if they will have turkey in Arizona first. I will call later today and find out...

Delicate Arch Evidence That Texas Has Aged Me Beyond My Years

Tonight I was looking for a picture of myself when I was fatter than I am now, due to having a use for a picture of myself being fatter than I am now.

But, I could not find a picture of myself being fatter than I am now.

While looking for a fat picture I came upon one of my all time favorite pictures. I applied the Picasa Picnik CinemaScope filter to the picture, which explains the black bars at top and bottom.

This picture was taken about a year before I moved to Texas. I'd been stuck on a Lake Powell Houseboat for 4 days, and then to Moab, where eventually we went to Arches National Park and hiked to Delicate Arch, which is what is in the background in the picture.

Looking at this picture it is appalling to see such stark evidence of the degree to which Texas and its harsh climate has so greatly aged me. Maybe the passage of 12 years made some contribution.