This is one of the most incredible places on the planet! When we first came to Utah back in 2004, Arches Nat'l Park overloaded my senses. We went on many of the various trails and saw most of the park, but we missed Devils Garden. Not this time.
The trail in Devils Garden is the longest, most strenuous in the park. There are many places where one must scramble over huge boulders or rock formations. It is 7.2 mi. round trip, which includes some spur trails that take one out to an arch viewpoint. There are eight incredible arches on this hike, but to get to them requires maneuvering over some narrow ledges. One, about fifty yards long with a long fall on either side, was particularly hairy. We were buffeted by about a 30 MPH wind as we slowly worked our way across it, including one place that required one to jump from one surface to the next.
It was necessary that I prove to myself that turning seventy was no impediment to my accomplishing this tough hike. I plead guilty, however, to definitely feeling my age by the time we returned to the trailhead. We were exhausted.
But the highlight of Arches Nat'l Park, for me, is Balanced Rock. This has stood for who-knows-how-long, and will continue to stand until who-knows-when. I wanted to light a cigar and spend a day just sitting and staring at it. I am mesmerized by Balanced Rock. I am not a religious person, but this is about as close as I'll ever get to having a religious experience. It seems almost like a godhead to me. One moves around this phenomenon, taking it in from various perspectives, marveling at its immensity as well as its fragility. It is at once precarious and eternal.
I shall put some Arches photos in my Photo section.