Dean M. Chriss
Delicate Arch and La Sal Mountains, Winter Sunset
(Click image to enlarge)
I first photographed the sunset at Delicate Arch nearly 40 years ago. Back
then there was often no one at the arch between September and April, and
when there were others there weren't many. Witnessing the drama of sunset at
the 58 foot (16m) tall Delicate Arch in quiet solitude is a sublime experience beyond anything my words or photographs can convey. That
experience does not exist today. In 2022 there are 3 billion more people on
the planet, 111 million more in America, and usually as many as can
physically crowd themselves onto every surface flat enough to stand on around Delicate
Arch. In part the crowding is a result of population growth; there are more
people everywhere. To a larger extent the crowding is the result greed in
the form of concerted efforts to bring more tourist dollars into Moab. That
ruined the character of Moab and made Arches the most
crowded national park in America. Because Delicate Arch is nearly always
used as a symbol of the entire area, it became the most popular place in
America's most crowded national park. Sunset at Delicate Arch came to be
known by Park Service employees as "the nightly melee", often attended by
"hundreds".
In 1996 I stopped going to Delicate Arch completely and began avoiding
Arches National Park except during the hours between about 4AM and 9AM,
depending on the season. For some photographers, myself included,
photography is about more than photographs. It is about trying to convey the
experience of places like this, and the photographs are artifacts of those
experiences. It is rather disingenuous to capture photographs in a mob of frantic
paparazzi and then pretend they depict a magnificent experience in
nature.
My old memories of evenings at Delicate Arch remain
among the most special I have. The place symbolizes my early photographic
journeys, the reasons my life has taken the path it has, and the unfortunate
fate of all natural places in America. Because of that I often wished I had
a high resolution digital photograph of Delicate Arch, but cameras to
produce those did not exist when I stopped visiting. Moreover, even if I
endured the mob to attempt such an image, there was no guarantee that the
conditions would make an good photograph, or that I could even capture an
one without people in it.
Then during February of 2022 I was in Moab when an
unusual, enormous, and severe winter weather pattern gripped most of
the United States, including the desert southwest. Weather in the low
elevation oasis of Moab improved rapidly but areas beyond remained mired
down with snow, ice, and freezing rain that kept many at home. When I
discovered that there were only four guests at my motel I realized this
could be a unique chance to see Delicate Arch in relative peace one last time, and
maybe capture the digital image I wanted.
The trail's 630 foot elevation gain in just 1.6 miles seemed more difficult
than it was decades earlier. The most exposed and dangerous section of
the trail was completely ice covered, requiring traction devices to traverse
it safely. In spite of those conditions quite a few people made the same
hike that evening, but there were considerably fewer than on my previous
visit in 1996. To capture photographs I sat on the same rocks that I sat on
for that purpose 40 years earlier, and I saw the same image in my camera's
viewfinder. All of this brought back the most vivid memories of previous
visits and dear departed friends who lived in Moab at the time. The
objective experience that evening was not one of quiet magnificence, but it
was reasonable and fulfilling. It also allowed me to capture a very high
quality digital
image that matches my old memories.
It is no longer possible to experience a
sunset at Delicate Arch without the antics and clamor of a crowd, but I
could hardly ask for more than I have already received from this place. I
remain sad that younger people can never experience
these wonders as I did long ago.
You can read about the devolution of Moab
here.