Happy Independence Day everyone!
Woohoo! July 4th is by far my favorite holiday, considering living in the US is a beautiful place of freedom! I can’t lie, I’m a sucker for blasting prideful country and rock’n’roll tunes as I partake in the overflow of happiness for what this country has rightfully accomplished. With that said, in today’s blog (sorry, two days ago now!), I’m going to chat about our #tripday 3; when we hiked into a corner of Arches National Park from our killer campsite. As I do, I’ll be expressing how freeing it is to be among others who enjoy gettin’ down and dirty with Nature, scraped knee caps and all!
#Tripday 3: Hike into Marching Men, Moab, UT
The glorious Moab sunrises enchanted us a little more with each day that passed. It was like we had been casted into a delightful daydream of no return- and starting to feel out a morning routine was like strawberries added inside of a mouth watering pancake. Our racing minds eagerly woke us before our buzzing alarms ever did, leading us to be fully energized after some much needed stretching. Slowly adjusting to our daily morning tasks, Seth and I agreed upon a satisfying breakfast full of protein and caffeine, where we’d happily chat amongst the others of the day’s agenda.
As 8 o’clock rolled around, a flexible plan had been set, and everyone got to buzzing like bees to ensure an early departure from the campsite. Between everyone promptly tying down hiking boots, double checking camelbaks, assuring plenty of snacks, lathering up with sunscreen, and getting the pups prepared- we swiftly took off!
Conversations quickly uproared as our bodies gained a synchronizing rhythm, drowning ourselves in an amazing sense of compassion as we traveled by foot into the teasing desert lands. For this hike, we had myself, Seth, Zen, Destiny, Tate, Drew, and Colin, as well as being accompanied by those we’d been waiting to arrive, giving us a hearty crew of 16 people and 4 dogs!
As our ambitious footprints carried us forward, there was a compelling happiness that sweetly settled as one looked back at our unique crew. Spread out over the giant, looming rocks like energetic ants, we deemed Marching Men our personal playground for the day. Often enough, I think about these significant moments, and imagine how it must have felt for first soul who’d stumbled upon the same, ginormous canyons. Did they find themselves fooled with uncertainty, questioning their every forbidden step as they approach the monstrous views? Or was it a newfound happiness, a start of a new sport, a new addiction? I’d like to believe it was an overwhelming experience for the settlers unknowing eyes- unleashing a prurient barrel of curiosity within them. I see those early years of discovery as to what helped create the irresistible rumble of freedom that is felt by the country today. A single rumble that secured a place in this country’s heart, demanding we do our best to preserve these magical places we’re privileged to call National Parks. That sense of freedom was a shake to the world; a bewildering eye opener to those who were finally able to witness an almost untraceable beauty, for their time. Our breathtaking land was a fountain of treasure; where an artist’s representation of the newly captured land, became a tangible piece of colorful history in the making. I’m forever incredibly appreciative for the numerous victories that history’s has daringly accomplished, and as I proudly watch our crew openly challenge themselves throughout this maze of mystery, I brightly beam.
Scattering here, pulling up there, respectfully following our bodies instinct to push beyond our comfort zones, the sunset orange and red slickrock brought us to a delightful lunch spot. We hungrily posted up in a shady, rippled rock half dome a good four miles deep into our hike, with a view one would
dream of. With water starting to run dry in our camelbaks and exhaustion creeping upon our muscles, we’d admire Mother Nature’s empowering views, and mosey back to our welcoming campground.
Our mesmerizing hike back down and around these ginormous, naturally sculpted knights of rock formations was impeccable! What I imagined a group hike to consist of, well, this hike nailed it. As we approached a different angle of getting back over these rock beasts, we realized one issue- we weren’t all suitable for getting back up and onto these creatures ourselves; that’s when Drew got to leading.
A little background on Drew- he is a killer climber, skier, snowboarder, inline skater- the whole extreme sport expert in a nutshell. He’s a person who’s naturally athletic, and fear isn’t exactly a feeling that crosses his mind.. I think ever. With that said, it was Drew, Seth, and Julian, who’d gone to scope out a moderately intense route for us to get back!
During our wait time, a number of us kept moving forward to check out potential spots to climb up and over, and the rest of our awaited Drew’s stamp of approval. With everyone having different levels of comfort when it came to climbing, we knew we’d have to do our best to accommodate, yet encourage, for this trek to be a sweet success. After a hot twenty minutes later, the boys had discovered a way to victory! It would involve endless amounts of encouragement and teamwork for two “climbs”, but everyone was geared up for the challenge.
Our first support system challenge involved Seth on the lowest rock, where he could help pull and push up the person or dog climbing, where he’d then handoff the support to Julian. Julian was perfectly staged on a slightly higher rock edge, where the rocks created a split, making it so one could use their arm strength to push themselves up the rest of the way, or look to Drew for his hand as he pulled them onto their feet! Hooting and hollering, we sounded like a gooney bunch, cheerfully proclaiming our win due to our slick team efforts. It was positivity through the roof from here on out! With our newly conquered quest, it was time for the more complicated round two. The second spot of teamwork was a tad more difficult, for the mere fact that it was a higher scale of steep. With everyone geared up with trust, we had the guys explain how we’d position ourselves. Dogs and all, Seth stationed himself on the bottom left side, and julian to the right bottom side. This would allow for Tate to be the spot from behind, incase any extra handling was needed! Colin was the first to go, propping both his feet into the hands of Seth and Julian. Tate used an upward force on Colin’s backpack for an extra ounce of trust, as he reached high for Drew’s wanky grasp as he’d pull him all the way up this steep crevice type feature. Drew’s support spot was the scariest in my opinion, as he had to squat to have a solid hold on his feet, then once the one being pulled up to the top was in his position, he’d swing his body towards the slickrock wall, but it was an exciting success!
That was our most thrilling day, merely for the sake of having to perform soon crazily well-executed teamwork (thank you, Vail Resorts.) As the high fives passed, laughing grew contagious, and sweat trickled from our worn bodies again, our free spirits danced our way back to our lovely campsite. From there we turned up our funky jams, got ourselves situated with some “fresh” clothes, and naturally started up a warming campfire as the sun set behind the snow capped mountains in the distance. Freedom enclosed us in a comforting cocoon, softly fading into the background as we cheerfully gather together our different meals, ecstatically chatting of the day's endeavours.
Moab we love you!
All way groovy.
Happy holiday week everyone!