What I did over spring break (or gigantasaurus rocks)

What we woke up to on Monday morning.

A snow covered campsite.

Snow swirls on the Green River plateau.

The same view as the day before, just snow covered.

Mesa Arch in the snow.

Getting cold yet?

The boys at Delicate Arch.

I had no idea Delicate Arch was so big. This picture of the man inside the arch puts its size in greater perspective.

Some early graffiti. Even national parks aren't immune from tagging.

The boys at Double O Arch.

The view from the rock fin we had to pass on the way to and from Double O Arch.

Partition Arch.

Landscape Arch.

Balanced Rock.

At the visitors center.

Notwithstanding Alex's prayer the night before, we woke to two inches of snow on our car. Upon questioning him, he said that he had prayed that we'd have good weather at Arches, not Canyonlands. And in that regard, Alex's prayer was answered. After retracing all our steps to see the same sites in snow, we drove down the road to Arches, where there was no evidence of snow whatsoever.

Arches is an amazing park. We spent a full day hiking among all the rock formations. The three-mile hike to Delicate Arch was Asher's favorite. Alex loved the four-mile hike to Double O Arch. I just loved being out hiking with my boys.

I had a bit of an epiphany as we hiked. The path to Delicate Arch was not really long, but it was strenuous and Alex was being whiny. The day before, Alex had no problem hiking to the Owachomo Bridge. And then it hit me. At Owachomo Bridge, Alex could see the bridge right from the start, so he could see the progress he made as he walked toward it. At Delicate Arch, the trail climbs and winds outside the view of the named feature. Upon seeing the arch, Alex was much happier.

Like Alex, I think our journey is easier when we have the certainty of seeing our final destination and taking the steps that get us there. It is much tougher to plod along when the trail is tough and we don't know where we're going. It is hard to trust an uncertain path and disregard the calls to turn back or give up. But the payoff for staying on the trail is much greater when we don't know exactly where we're going, but still press forward. At some point in our lives (or maybe throughout our lives), we have to have faith that the trials we are enduring and the steps we are taking are helping us reach our desired destination, without always having a full perspective or even the ability to see around the next bend. That is what I learned as we hiked in Arches National Park.

We ate a quick bite at the Hogi Yogi in Moab, then drove back to southeastern Utah. We were going to camp at Goosenecks State Park, so we could be close to the Four Corners. Instead, I convinced myself it would be better if we stayed in a hotel, so we could shower and get a good night's sleep. So much for roughin' it. We stayed at the Kokopelli Inn in Bluff, Utah.