Metro to Mountain Journal

No bonafide tourist would make a trip to Arches National Park (near Moab, Utah) without taking the short hike to the most famous arch of them all - Delicate Arch.

Amy and I had hiked to see the arch on previous trips to the Park, but we still had to make a return visit. It is that spectacular and we needed to be bonafide!. We arrived at the Trailhead at a reasonable time and easily found a parking space on the front row.

The hike to the arch travels over long sections of slickrock. The featureless rock has good traction when it is dry and makes for great hiking/scrambling.

Delicate Arch sits as the centerpiece of a rock amphitheater. The hoards of hikers walk around the rim of the basin and position themselves on the rock shelves surrounding the featured arch. In years past, the arch made a pristine picture. It was easy to capture a great picture of the arch with miles and miles of Canyonland scenery in the background.

This trip was however different. When we arrived in the Arch's basin, there were already many people there. We were not early, but we were not really late either, as it was around eight. Many photographers had lined the rim looking for just the right shot. The only problem was it was impossible to get a shot without tourist in it. A steady line of posers (people wanting their pictures made under the Arch) were waiting their turn. One woman was organizing the cue line. She instructed the next group in line to take the pictures of the current posers as they took their position under the arch.

It was comical watching the posers crossing the slickrock to take their stance under the arch. If a poser would have fallen, they would have more than likely slid to a halt and got a skinned up knee, but if they instead, would have tumbled, their fate would have been much worse. We watched the routine for ten or fifteen minute. Some folks bravely ran down the slope to the posers spot under the arch, while others cautiously crawled or scooted down the rock. All the posers seem to revel in their position as the center of attention under the arch.

As we sat looking at the Arch, it was just not the same. The focus of the shot was not on the beauty of the natural arch, but of the tourists standing or trying to stand underneath it. We decided that we should have gotten there a bit earlier if we wanted the pristine shot.

As far as getting a good picture, we'll let Photoshop deal with that! IT was still a good, fun hike.

Arches National Park