It's always interesting to revisit places that you haven't been to since you were a child.
Because it's weird to see what's completely the same as you remember it. And what is completely different or you totally forgot about.
This past weekend I had one of those opportunities.
Where I finally. FINALLY got to return to the Marching Men/Tower Arch hike in Arches National Park.
Honestly, I think the last time I was there was like....in Jr. High, if not in Elementary.
Because it's been ages since we've been back.
Seriously, I feel like we only went on this hike a couple of times...
But it may have happened more when I was younger younger.
In any case.
The Tower Arch/Marching Men hike in Arches is a less common hike for us to visit because often it was a choice between doing this hike or the Double O/Dark Angel loop.
And the latter was more 'fun' and less 'tiring' than the former.
So when push came to shove....Dark Angel it was!! lol.
It's not like we haven't tried to return before now.
It's just been that factors outside of our control...well have controlled our ability to return.
Whether it was the weather, or timing, or temperatures or what...
We just never got around to returning to this hike.
Though about every other time we'd go to Arches...I would express an interest in going out to that hike.
The main problem is that Tower Arch...
Is it's off the main road.
You have to take a dirt road to get to it.
A road that can be impassible if the weather's been bad.
Which is nice If you want to avoid the people.
Because seriously, you could go out there and be the only ones there the entire day.
-At least that's how I remember it lol.
I remember only encountering maybe one or two other groups on the trail when I was younger.
And even this past weekend it wasn't that much different.
For a holiday weekend, Tower Arch still remained mostly deserted. There were like 6 cars in the parking lot instead of the usual one or two...but not enough to make a difference really.
But because of that distance and the inconsistency in how many people make it out...
Was also part of the reason why the last time my family and I ventured down to Arches....we chose not to go.
It had been in the plan like two years ago when me, my brother and my daddoo went.
To go hike that trail.
But at the last minute Dad had a 'don't go there feeling.'
Which ended up being a good thing that we didn't go...
because our car ended up breaking down....and breaking down at Tower Arch would have been way worse than breaking down in Canyonlands. :S
In any case.
Back on topic.
This past weekend we finally made it to Tower Arch!
The weather was perfect. (no soul-sucking heat to drain our energy away)
Very little people.
And yah...a nice clear dusty dirt road lol.
I really couldn't believe it when we actually made it to the parking lot leading to the hike.
I was like. O.O this is really happening.
It's really happening!!!
And like I said....I haven't been on this trail in at least ten years, if not longer. Not since before High School I'm pretty confident in saying.
So to be standing at the beginning of the trail, looking up a path that was so familiar yet so unfamiliar at the same time.
Was exhilarating.
Climbing, hiking.
It was awesome.
It was cool too to see landmarks and go "Oh I remember that!"
Like there's this wall of redrocks right...red rock cliffs with jagged top. And I totally remember me and my siblings calling those landmarks 'castles' and we each had our own 'castle' in that valley.
lol Kikay didn't remember that at all.
And then there's other things that I vaguely remember.
Like the mountain of sand we had to climb.
Like. ()_() I remember it...but I don't at the same time.... but gah. Even now it was exhausting.
Still totally worth it though.
To walk by Marching Men, to turn the corner and see Tower Arch right there!
Just ahh....
Guys I love this place.
Seriously I love Arches.
But the craziest thing about the Tower Arch Hike?
Was how SHORT it was.
Seriously it's like...a two mile round trip? It was So. Very. Short.
And this is crazy because I always think of Tower Arch as being this "Long and Arduous Hike."
Seriously, even though I just barely hiked the thing I still equate it to being as long of a hike as the Double O/ Dark Angel loop and that's like a 7 mile journey....made even longer if you take the side trails to other arches as well lol.
But nope.
It's probably about the same distance from the parking lot to Tower Arch as it is from the parking lot to Delicate Arch.
So. Very. Weird.
Yet at the same time very understandable.
I mean...if I last hiked it when I was a kid...then I was younger, shorter...
which meant that my little legs needed to cross more of a distance lol.
So it could have seemed longer. Especially if we were hiking under the blistering sun, especially making our way up that mountain of sand.
It's so different hiking it as an adult.
So very different.
Pretty easy too.
Honestly, I don't know why I don't make the effort to come out to Tower Arch more often.
Because that place was nearly deserted.
Like...it's funny I wonder if there's some sort of magicky thing there.
Because as we were approaching the arch....another group was leaving.
And we had the arch to ourselves for like 45 minutes it felt like. No people at all.
We were just able to sit and relax and bask in the mighty size of Tower Arch.
But when we left....
We encountered a group of people just coming.
It's like it was an assembly line. Where people could come and leave and enjoy the arch on their own with no others before they'd leave and more people would come.
Totally crazy. lol
And oddly enough....
Tower Arch was where I got my only injury of the trip.
Where I'd been stepping off a small fin, to the ground below to get to the arch in front of me....
And suddenly I was on my knees.
It was the weirdest thing.
I stepped down...my foot twisted...and there I was, on hands and knees with an aching ankle.
I have no idea what happened. It wasn't like it was uncertain footing or anything. The ground was literally flat where I'd put my foot.
But for whatever reason, my ankle twisted and I went down.
*shakes head*
Even my family was surprised lol. I'm known as the mountain goat in my family. I don't fall. So we were all surprised when I did. lol
Ankle still kinda hurts even a week later lol.
But otherwise. I was fine.
So weird though.
I think Tower Arch is just a weird place.
Still amazing to go to though. ^^
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
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