Moab '15

I know, I know...2 days in a row is kind of a big deal.

This might be the start of something great...

Or just the start of something.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to camp - for 5 days and 4 nights in beautiful southern Utah - Moab to be exact. I have spent some time there before, but it's been a while. I absolutely love Moab. Not the part that feels like I'm visiting the sun, but the fact that there are so many beautiful things to see and so much adventure to be had.

I didn't take my big camera, so I'll share some of the masterpieces I captured with my phone.

I'm kidding. They're actually not that great, so I'll probably steal some pix from other sites taken by super professional photographers. There definitely is no shortage of amazing pictures of Moab floating around the interweb.

I'm not much of a camper. 5 days without running water is pretty much the scariest thing I can think of and I had some major anxiety about it. Also, I was worried about the food situation since it's hard to not want to eat all manner of bad food when camping.

I mean s'mores. C'mon.

But, with a little planning and a lot of preparation, I survived and didn't even have any major panic attacks.

At least not about food or the lack of running water/flushable toilets. I, for sure, had the biggest panic attack in recorded history when I was thrown out the raft in the largest set of rapids I have ever seen in my entire life on the Colorado river.

But that's a story for another day/post.

Also, I am happy to report that I didn't gain any weight. I actually lost 3 lbs that week.

Hooray! 

This was a direct result of the fact that it was 150 degrees every single day we were there and I basically sweat off 3 lbs of water. But, actually, not really. I did pretty well in the food department. When I couldn't control what I ate or just wanted to splurge, I just made sure I didn't eat very much. Oh, and also, we hiked...a lot. 

And, by a lot, I mean more than I ever have in my whole life combined. Ok, not really, but we did cover a lot of ground.

Have you ever been to the Fiery Furnace? It's no nature walk, that's for sure:

(lol...don't worry for a second that I'm a card-carrying member of the 5-finger forehead club. Seriously, maybe I should consider bangs! Also, just for the record, I was so pasty white because this was the 1st day. I did get some good sun and returned home at the end of the week with a nice sunburn - oops - that turned to a nice golden tan).

We literally walked over, around and under HUGE boulders. We squeezed through slot canyons and jumped over super deep ravines. Like fall and you die drop-offs.

It was awesome!

But, the best part - my favorite part by far was the fact that I could do it. I could keep up with most everyone (we had some extreme athletes in the group) and it wasn't even that hard. Ok, it was hard, but so fun. I have always been the world's worst hiker, but not any more. It was beyond hot and super tiring...and I loved every second of it!

There is absolutely no way I could have done the fiery furnace a couple of years ago. It's a pretty big deal and I am beyond excited that I got to experience it.

I have definitely missed out on things because of my weight. Some that I couldn't physically do, but most that I didn't want to even try because of my insecurities and my fear of failure and, let's be honest, the judgement of others.

My favorite part of this trip to Moab was our night hike to Delicate Arch. It is definitely in my top five experiences ever. Since it was dark and I only had my phone, I got ZERO good pictures. Here is a slightly creepy picture just to prove I was there:

Okay, I guess technically it doesn't prove anything because I'm not in it, but I was there. I promise.

The hike itself was great. It's a pretty strenuous (and really scary in places!) hike but since it was at night, it wasn't hot so that helped a whole lot. We actually got lost and missed a turn and ended up going 1/2 again as far as we needed to, but that was okay by us. All part of the adventure.

Here's a professional picture of the arch at night. I got it here.

It was incredible. I can't wait to go back!

I definitely struggle every single day keeping a good balance with diet, exercise and life but it is so worth any amount of effort I put into it. I am far from perfect but I am definitely still headed in the right direction.