Wise words from Jack Black...
All growing up my family and I would frequently go to Arches National Park on vacation. I think we picked this spot because it gave us easy access to places where we could toy with death (which, apparently, is my family's favorite pastime). There's nothing more fun or exhilarating than climbing to the top of a 200-foot sandstone fin, walking along the top (which is about 5-10 feet wide), looking out over the edge and thinking, Why did we come up here?
We went down to Arches again last weekend and had a great time. We did the Fiery Furnace (which is by far the best thing in the entire park), Devil's Garden, Sand Dune Arch (where we saw Jeff and Amy Parker of all random people and places), and Delicate Arch. It was a lot of fun. Here are some pictures (click the thumbnail for a larger version):
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The randomness was not in the fact that we were there, but the fact that YOU were there at the same time we were. We are hardcore too-- don't you forget :)
ReplyDeleteWe did most of the same hikes that you did (and a few outside of the park), but we didn't make it to the fiery furnace. Next time. Next time.
Amy! It was awesome seeing you there! Sorry we couldn't chat longer, we were kind of burned out at that point (we'd bee in the Fiery Furnace for like, 5 hours).
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, you definitely have to do the Fiery Furnace next time. Most of the cool pictures I put up were from in there. It's an adventurer's paradise.
And Amy - you and Jeff are SO hardcore.
Isaac,
ReplyDeleteIt was truly frightening to see the entire family toying with death.. I guess climbing these rocks would have been easy rather than to get down from them.. How do you do this with no Special aids?
Regards,
Mahesh Krishnan
Hello Mahesh!
ReplyDeleteYou're definitely right about that: it is much easier to get up these rocks than to get down. That's often the danger, because what can be pretty easy to get up can be very dangerous to get down.
How do we do it with no special aids? Two ways: first, a little bit of insanity. Second, you have to understand that sandstone (which is the type of stone in Arches National Park) is very easy to grip, especially with rubber or leather shoes.
If you ever come to Utah to visit Sybrant headquarters, you should certainly go visit Arches. :)
Man, those pictures turned out better than I thought. I wish we had caught a picture of us jumping across that crack though.
ReplyDeleteIsaac,
ReplyDeleteWould certainly have a visit to Arches National Park when i come someday to Sybrant Technologies Headquarters in Utah. The other thing that you owe me is the Pizza treat ;-). It would be worth having it after a successful climb at the Arches... What you think? lol
Note: I get reminded of the SpellCheck function that we did and the interactions we had for status updates when i type my message over here. :-)
Mahesh Krishnan
Senior Software Engineer,
Sybrant Technologies
Chennai | India.