SLICK ROCK DRIVING IN ELEPHANT HILL : CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK : TRAVEL

Whats the craziest thing you might have done? Am sure as we got older, our notion of Crazy might have changed and all of us have become more sensible. I have done quite a few crazy things, so far in life and each and every one of those deserve a separate post. From diving in a Bio Luminiscent Bay in the middle of the night in Puerto Rico, to Shark Encounters in Hawaii and even Slick Rock driving across Canyons in Utah. 

Since I have been sharing stories from my traveler's book from a visit to Colorado and Utah, I thought of sharing yet another part of that long adventure. Check out my posts on MESA VERDE and ARCHES NATIONAL PARK.  We did pack in a lot on this trip.

If the cars are called Cliff Hangers, then they are called so for a reason. The Man and his friends decided it would be thrilling to drive across Canyons, in CanyonLands National Park, in Utah, over slick rock. No, there are no roads there. The car itself balances itself at every moves,and literally hangs on to the cliffs at other moments. Its just slick rock all round. There's a sharp difference in gradient at every corner. Did I mention crazy turns?! Canyonlands National Park is divided in two two districts: The Needles District and the Islands in the Sky District

 Elephant Hill(canyon) is located in the Needles District of the National Park. Colorful spires of Cedar Mesa Sandstone dominate the area, giving it its name. Its a 10 mile loop road across slick rock plateaus, high cliffs and extreme narrow sections. Not to forget loose rocks and step slopes which make driving very dangerous. This is the part designated for adventure driving. Smart phones don't have much of a network in this part of the park,and the GPS is also useless. You have to be able to read Maps the old fashioned away and follow trails.

What do you drive across these canyons? You have specially modified vehicles,with high ground clearance, which can climb up and down these slick rock canyons. 4 WD all the way, and manual gear. So it should only be attempted by experienced drivers. The slightest mistake on the part of the driver can send the entire vehicle toppling down the gorges below. Motorcycles or fancy ATVs are a strict No No. We rented a RUBICON JEEP in bright canary yellow from a local adventure sports rental in Moab. Then set off for the Needles District.

I was clearly not driving. In a party of 4, I was the only one, who was not driving,but I had no intention of being left behind. Its a straight uphill ride,which almost feels like a roller coaster at the head of the trail.

My Man enjoyed every bit of the driving he did

 

The shift in gradient is just crazy. There were some parts of the drive, where people had to get off the car, and navigate the driver.

It was the month of July and the sun was bearing on our heads like no body's business. You drive to see the Needles at Chester Park. You park your car and take a short hike. And then turn around in the Loop Road. Which means, you are on the same road again, experiencing the same sort of dizziness in the passenger seat.

From a driving enthusiast's point of view, its surely something off the Bucket List. I surely have the coolest parents,everyone knows that. The way they reacted to this trip of ours was even cooler. If you expected my parents to have shrieked in fear and panic, then you are wrong. My Dad was super happy and excited that we had done it. Mom added in saying that this is also in Dad's bucket list for a long time.

If you plan to vacation here,then make your bookings well in advance,as there are only limited number of permits which are issued every Spring, Summer and fall. These are clearly one of the most dangerous back country driving you can indulge in, if this is what gets your adrenaline rushing.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS POST: 

HIKING THE DELICATE ARCH: ARCHES NATIONAL PARK: http://journotalk.blogspot.com/2015/03/hiking-delicate-archarches-national.html

MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK: http://journotalk.blogspot.com/2015/03/mesa-verde-national-park-travel.html

DIVING IN BIO LUMINESCENT BAY IN PUERTO RICO: http://journotalk.blogspot.com/2011/05/puerto-rico-in-6-days.html

ELEPHANT HILL,CANYON LANDS NATIONAL PARK: http://www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/needlesroads.htm

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HIKING THE DELICATE ARCH : ARCHES NATIONAL PARK : TRAVEL

There are two kinds of people: The Hiking Kind and the Non Hiking Kind. And I clearly fall into the latter category. I am more of a City person. So why would you think I have hiked across the South West, North(including parts of Alaska),South and every other direction in this great country. Yes, you guessed it right. My husband is a crazy hiker and I didn't like the idea of always staying behind at home, while he went on his Hiking Trips. So I did accompany him for quite a few.

This Blogathon made me realize that I had never ever written about them. So why not start with our adventures of Hiking the Delicate Arch in Arches National Park In Utah. Its one of my favorite National Parks, after all. They were clearly the Pre-Baby Days but as parents we have hiked with our Baby quite a few times as well.

After a flight to Denver, Colorado, and driving all the way to Moab, in Utah,we had our days planned. It was filled with adventures in the various National Parks in the Moab area and around. Hiking, Slick Rock Driving, and exploring in general.

My Husband had hiked the Delicate Arch a few times before, so he had his tips ready for the first time hikers. We were a party of four. We made sure we had our share of Gatorade and water and some snacks. The idea, is you don't let dehydration hit you. You keep taking sips every now and then. The man also has a habit of underplaying things, so I knew I had to merely add numbers to the distance he was telling me about. So while he had calmly told me that it was just a 2 mile hike(round trip),my smart phone revealed that it was actually a 3 mile round trip. I knew I could manage. There was no shade all along,and it was slick rock for most parts of the way.

It was the month of August and we decided to start off at 6 am from our motel in Moab. A 10 minute drive and we were in Arches National Park. We started our hike from the Wolfe Ranch Parking Lot in  the Park.

We were clearly dressed for the occasion with sturdy shoes and comfortable clothes. But I did add in my Chanel sunglasses to the otherwise drab outfit. Hiking doesn't have to lead to out and out boring clothes.

The first part of the trail is well defined,but you have exposure to heights. Not exactly for someone with vertigo like me. Quite a bit of mountain climbing,when you decide to just look around. But I kept following the golden rule of hiking. Short Steps and maintaining a steady pace. Not Too fast and not too slow. I was not ready to give up mid way.

The part where you reach the wider slick rock was the part which got tough. You have nothing to even hold on to,even if you feel like you are about to miss your step.

Then came the part where you had to walk around a narrow ledge to finally get to the Delicate Arch.

After all this hiking,when you get to see the Arch right in front, even a non hiker like me, feels its been worth it, all the way, despite the vertigo and all the walking. The view is clearly breathtaking.To think the erosive power of the wind has craved out such a wonder, and it has been standing here, all these years. Its just marvelous.  The Arch, with the mountains in the background, the clear blue skies(which we were lucky) is enough to make you a poet almost. Once you are there, you realize why it is such an iconic Hike.

Even the Chanel sunglasses come off as you want to soak it all in and capture as much as you can.

Time just flew by and before we could realize we had already spent a couple of hours just sitting and admiring the Delicate Arch. Not to mention the 1 and 1/2 hours(90minutes) it took us to hike up. It was time to go down. The husband warned me that this was the difficult part. Its difficult to keep up your pace when you are going downhill.

Yes, we made it all the way down to the starting point. To the designated parking lot. I was clearly impressed by myself.

Then it was time to explore the other arches,which is surely another story for another day.

Its surely a must do,if you ever plan to visit Utah. Theres a reason somethings gain iconic status. 

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