Utah

Love and hatred; art and nonsense; genius and psycho… The line between all of them is so tiny that sometimes it’s even hard to say – What is What. Lots of love stories are based on experiences of people who once despised each other; it is also said that men of many talent often tend to be at least a little bit crazy (I bet you know the story about Van Gogh’s cut ear (or…have you ever seen a movie “Beautiful mind”?:)). So does it mean, that some things can be incredibly beautiful but completely unwelcoming and dangerous at the same time? Well, I totally agree that it could. Water and fire. Heaven and hell at once… In       U T A H. (?!)

Thanks MF for this amazing panorama shot 😉

Part 1: Desert

<We were hiking for 5 hours already and I was barely talking. Though my friends were discussing various topics all the time. As we finally finished our hike and sat into the car I said: I didn’t talk a lot yeah? But it was just because I couldn’t, it was too gorgeous.. I wanted to absorb everything I see and it was just too much!>
As you probably know, I grew up in a tiny country which is as flat as a pancake pan… White during the winter and green during the summer, always safe, mild and cool. That is why my perception to all the mountainous and rocky surfaces is a little bit unclear. I’m not used to that! This is the reason why I couldn’t take care of my dropped jaw in Yosemite and could barely talk while hiking in Arches National Park in Utah! And guess how the trail was called…  D e v i l ‘ s   G a r d e n !  (Isn’t it cool? So is The Dark Angel or Goblin Valley :DD).

So, Devil’s garden, ha? Perfect name! Unbelievable colors, scaring heights, breathtaking scenery and natural art! (Hard to explain, but that’s why pictures are here ;))) The most exciting part was the trail itself, because it was super challenging and never boring. I had to climb, I had to jump, walk up the hill, go down and of course… Rest. (We stopped probably 5 times during the hike just to have our beloved super American lunch – peanut butter – jelly sandwiches, and yes, they were amazing!:))

The most impressive landscape I’ve seen! It’s gonna be hard to beat it ;( but.. please…”just beat it(!)”

What is more, we also managed to find water in the desert! And not only once. I had a chance to swim in Colorado River (yes yes, the one which is responsible for the formation of The Grand Canyon and many others…) and dance under the waterfall (that’s how the short video was born). I shouldn’t forget tiny oasis either.. with super cold water and super hot air surrounded by trees, bushes and walls made of rock.

I wanted to be really dramatic at the start… But it’s not working. I’m  p o s i t i v e  as always, though I’ll try to explain briefly why one could find hell in Utah. So first of all, it’s super hot and sweaty (and by that I mean… You drink 3 liters of water in 6 hours and you don’t even need to use restroom ;D (but that only happens when you’re hiking, so it’s not that bad I guess)).. What else? It is a little bit dangerous, e.g. you cannot enter slot canyons if it’s raining, because you can drown there (slot canyons are really narrow and they get flooded really easily if it’s raining). Haha.. would be weird to drown in a desert, but that’s totally possible! And it’s not the only way to die there… You can be struck by lightning if a storm comes or you can get super dehydrated or get a sunstroke … Or you can fall from one of the huge arches while posing for a picture ! 😀

You can also die because of angry Goblins who turn into stone during daytime and become alive at night.. (What the hell??) Mhmm.. I’m kidding, but then why would one name a place Goblin Valley? ^^

Chimney climbing in Little Wild Horse Canyon

I shouldn’t also forget that Utah is not only about deserts. It’s also about mountains, Great Salt Lake, Mormons, weird liqueur laws and superb skiing (that makes sense, remember 2002 and winter Olympics in Salt Lake City?), beautiful fall colors and stargazing. And yes! For me Utah was also about friends.. But that’s another story ;))) …
To be continued!