Arches and Fins - It's Great to be Alive!

Moab, UT
August 27, 2013

 Tuesday morning promised  sunshine and a wee bit cooler temperatures. What do you do on a morning like that in Maob? Take a hike!

 I was glad to hear that Corona Arch was a must do on Judy's list. This hike certainly ranks among the top 5 of my favorite hikes here and was also on my list for a repeat.

Joe and I hitched a ride in the Jeep next door and off we went!

 I especially like this hike because it offers such a variety of terrain...sandy washes, rock scrambling,  slickrock...






...AND because the rocks and views are spectacular!

 This view is looking back towards a  slickrock canyon. 

This is the first view of Corona Arch on the hike...just after a second climb using a cable and small steps cut into the rock. Its the only picture I have of the whole arch at about 1/4 mile away.

 All the rain from Ivo sure "greened" things up.

I was very interested in the water trickling out of the rocks below Bowtie Arch. The colors, I guess from minerals, gave the rocks the most beautiful striations.

 And there were lots of tiny plants growing along the wall.

Joe spotted one tiny bloom...you can see it in the header photo towards the left. 

Bowtie Arch

Pam (from Travelin' in the Big E-Z) asked how I made the header picture look like a painting. Answer is "I don't know." It just looked like that. I did play alittle with the exposure, but I often times do that.

 Corona is one BIG arch...

Gary under the arch...

Judy under the arch...

Joe, Gary and Judy

 This hike is not a loop...in and out is almost 3 miles.

Judy has a great eye. She spotted this tiny toad...about the size of a quarter.



As best I can tell...it is a Red-Spotted Toad. They eat insects and prefer to live in deserts, and rocky areas.







Judy also pointed out this cactus. It's called a Many Headed Barrel or a Cottontop Cactus.




Then she saw a Large Spotted Leopard Lizard. The males are smaller than the females. They eat insects, small lizards, and some plant materials.



Joe and I sure enjoyed our time hiking to Corona...again! It was nice to be with friends and seeing the "WOW!" in their eyes!

Dee in Thumper...our leader.

Later in the day, we joined friends to do Fins and Things. We had done a portion of the trail back in May and to do the entire route was something we hoped to accomplish.

 A lot of this trail was steep, but relatively smooth.

 It does have its challenges with rocks and ledges to climb. What goes up, must come down...

And my favorite...sandy washes...a reward for all the "pucker" moments!

 The most dramatic part of Fins & Things was close to the end. First, there is a series of fins...steep and narrow. At the base of the first fin, we had to straddle a very thin rock bridge.

Narrow bridge...bottom left corner

My picture doesn't show it very well, but there is a huge drop off on both sides...




Second dramatic  part is Kenny's Climb. This picture is looking down after we did the climb...the only thing I saw going up was sky! It is very steep. Pearl performed flawlessly...straight up and I do mean straight up...she went!

The smile on my face says it all!

 Here we are at the end of another month...already! I so cant believe it is Labor Day Week-end.

Take care everyone...

'till next time.

Safe travels to Judy and Gary. They are headed to Colorado...have fun!