Back in the red rock desert of Utah. The formations are immense, the sky stretches to infinity, the colors are vibrant and my soul is at peace.

Usually this is the time of year - Dani's (of Marla and Dani, AKA "The Lovelies") spring break - we head to Europe. But this year Dani is preparing to go to college and she had schools to visit in California. Utah is a manageable detour from Seattle to California, and it is also one of the most beautiful and unique places in the world - so the decision was easy. Let's meet in Utah and hike the rare and sublime red rock desert!  

We began with Arches National Park. The picture above was taken at Devil's Garden, a fantastic trail that takes you through a varied terrain that includes Landscape Arch, a scramble up and across a thrilling hogback with a killer view (above) and a variety of other formations and arches. It is one of my favorite hikes in the world.

One of the pleasures of traveling is doing something you never thought you could, or watching one of your friends do something that stretches their limits a wee bit. Such was the case with Marla and this hike.  She has not hiked a lot, particularly on trails that require scrambling up slickrock and managing drops on both sides. She is also adept at visualizing all of the terrible things that could happen.

"A drop on both sides means my odds of falling have doubled." I imagine her thinking. Or, "This arch has to fall sometime, which means that could be while I am standing here." Or, "What happens if those clouds come over and start raining while we are up here?" (Which she did actually say).

But she kept going and by the time we stopped for lunch she was laughing and joking while helping me slice our salami and cheese with her trusty pocket knife. The trek back was a piece of cake and for the rest of the trip she tore up and down mountains like they were but the hills of Seattle.

As we hiked back to the car, Marla and I played a little game. She instructed me to make note of every sensory perception: the color of the rock, the smell of the budding plants, the sound of the wind, the feeling of the rock underfoot. All of it. She said by doing so I would be able to recall it all later and be transported back to the very trail we were on - and she was right. I am doing it right now and it works! I can hear, see, feel and smell all of it as if I were there.

This has got me thinking. I should do this more - probably every day. Certainly the beauty of Devil's Garden makes a powerful impression but so can everyday moments: a tasty meal, a kind word, or a smile from a stranger. Like Marla on a hogback, I should stretch myself a little and hold on to the result.