Friday, I woke up, packed up my campsite to be sure my tent did not blow away during the day, and went to Arches National Park. I was there early enough to beat the rush and allowed me to start hiking the trails while it was still cool and uncrowded. The first few trails were very easy, a wide level gravel path that took you from your car to the destination with little excitement in between. Then, I went to hike the only trail on the map listed as "primitive," a 7.2 mile loop that passes eight arches on the way. This trail was an absolute blast, with everything from steep slickrock scrambling to narrow rocky ledges to 360 degree panoramic as you hike along the top of rock fins. After hiking this, I was pretty much spent, and headed back to find a new campsite for the night.
Saturday, I got out the mountain bike and headed for the famous Slickrock Trail, which people in Moab claim is the most famous MTB trail in the world. Even with all of the hype around this trail, it definitely delivers as it is one of the most fun trails I have ever ridden. Riding on slickrock definately took some getting used to, but once acclimated it was a blast. Constant ups and downs, and much steeper than I expected, but the traction that the rock provides is amazing. You can really fly through corners, ride off camber sections, and hammer out of the saddle without having to worry about your tires slipping or washing out from under you. The trail here is very loosely defined, since there is nothing to distinguish the trail other than a dotted white line on the rock, so you can pick and choose all kinds of different lines to ride. Despite all of the fun I had riding the trail, there is one thing in Moab that really grinds my gears, which is sand. In more than a few places, the trail would pass through sand pits, which usually ends with me walking through. At the beginning of the ride, I tried to enter one of these sand pits coming out of a steep descent, despite realizing beforehand that it would not end well. As soon as my front wheel hit the sand, it dug in a few inches, my fork bottomed out, and I went toppling head first over my handlebars into the sand. Although this was a very soft landing, it left myself and my bike covered in sand, and for the rest of the ride I had to listen to my drivetrain beg for mercy with every turn of the pedals. After 10.5 miles of trail riding, I was ready to head in and got a chance to watch the NCSU game while eating some lunch back in town.
Sunday brought me back to my hiking boots, this time in Canyonlands National Park. With sore legs and blistered feet left over from my previous two days, I was not looking for anything too hardcore in Canyonlands, and decided to string together a number of short 1-2 mile trails instead of one of the longer more strenuous hikes. The weather also played into this decision, with scattered showers and a good number of clouds in the area, I didn't want to stray to far from home. I spent the entire time in the Island in the Sky district of CNP, since that is the northernmost section and I wanted to avoid the longer driving times to the other districts. Despite not straying from the beaten path, the hiking in CNP was superb, with excellent trails and spectacular views at the tops of climbs. Spending the day in CNP was nice, but this is an area that would be great for a longer, multiday backpacking trip. I do not think that this will be my last visit to Moab, so maybe I can work that in sometime in the future.
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