Not Lonely, but Alone

Ventured down to the Needles section of Canyonlands National Park.
It's a beautiful place.
More remote and less people than its neighbors (Arches and Island in the Sky).
I was there for the day and wanted a decent hike.

I set out for the Chestler Park / Joint Loop trail - 11 miles.

I started off in the rain.
Cold rain.
Both of which are rare for the desert, but I was looking forward to being in the elements a bit.

I feel something different when hiking in the rain.
The word effective comes to mind... like I'm really getting to my destination.
Working for it.
Honestly, I think I just like the sound of mud squishing beneath my feet.

A few miles in I saw a sign for Druid Arch.
Not part of my original plan, but I decided to go for it.
The trail meanders through Elephant Canyon, and being that it was constantly raining, I was basically walking up a stream.
The trail would often lead right into a pool of collected water or up a waterfall.
This was true practice for the AT and a test for whether or not my gear could withstand some serious wetness.

It was a wonderful hike.
Cold.
Wet.
But wonderful.

I finally made it through the canyon and began ascending to Druid Arch.
I was out of breath by the time I had finished scrambling up, but wow!
What a view.

Druid Arch is one of those arches that you don't actually see until it's right in front of you.
The arch itself is tall, but it also stands about 300 feet off the ground.
I found myself looking up at a magnificent arch, an easy rival for any other arch I've seen.

There was still a light drizzle (it never really stopped raining on me the entire day, other than for about 15 minutes at one point), and I could distinctly hear the sound of each raindrop colliding with the rock.

It was so quiet.

Not another sound could be heard.
I had to hold my breath just to hear the wind blowing.

I felt truly alone in this place.
Not lonely, but alone.

I had passed only one other hiker in a six mile stretch, and now, standing before this massive arch, it seemed like I was the only living soul in the wilderness.

I bit into my apple and nearly startled myself with the loudness of the juicy crunch.

It was a beautiful peacefulness, and eventually the light pit-pat of the scattered raindrops began to intensify.

It was time to head back before any serious flash floods started to form.

Total hiking distance ended up being about 13 miles.