Our Polygamist Family in Arches National Park

The sign at the beginning of Arches National park was very clear about a few things. In fact, let me show you verbatim what was posted at the head of the trail. I have taken the liberty of highlighting a few keys words that should have created some buzz in four very ableminded adults.

Delicate Arch
Start: Wolfe Ranch parking area
Length: 3 miles (4.8 km) round trip
Time: 2 to 3 hours
Elevation change: 480 feet (146 m)
Trail Type: Strenuous

Take at least 2 quarts (2 liters) of water per
person! Open slickrock with some exposure
to heights and no shade. The first half-mile
is a well-defined trail. Upon reaching the
slickrock, follow the rock cairns. The trail
climbs gradually and levels out toward the
top of this rock face.
Just before you get to

Delicate Arch, the trail traverses a rock ledge
for about 200 yards (183 m).

Wear sturdy shoes with enough tread to
give you good traction. Do not hike in
leather-soled shoes or boots. Some trails
cover uneven terrain and follow rock
ledges.Protect your skin with a hat, long-sleeved
shirt, and sun screen. There is little shade in
the desert. The sun is intense year round
and can easily burn your skin, especially in
the summer.

I read this and seriously thought to myself, "This sounds harder than I thought but we should be able to do it." Nevermind the fact that we had 1/4 of quart of water for 8 people to share. And we were all in flip flops. And I had my newborn with me. We set out anyway. With the kids in stollers. Needless to say, I didn't make it all the way. I found a tree and stopped halfway through the hike with my baby. The rest of the adverturers went on. Right after they left me, they passed two hikers that were on their back from the arch. These two didn't see me and as soon as they passed our group, the man said, "You can always tell when you are in Utah when you see a polygamist family out and about." I wanted to ask him where he got his facts about polygamy in Utah but I was under the impression it was a single man with multiple wives. Which didn't apply to Nicole, Ryan, Chase, Jade, Mia & Isabelle. But I thought it was funny. Later on some guy stopped and gave me a gatorade. He refused to leave until I took a drink from it. All you have to do is sit around look pathetic and people give you stuff. I told the guy that he shouldn't reward bad behavior. The bad behavior being me with my newborn in the desert. In the end, only Chase and Ryan made it all the way to the final destination. I think that in the end we had a good time, we were just grotesquely unprepared.