After the Spirit visit to Moab was announced, spaces for the hike filled up quickly! There were fifteen participants total, representing China, Thailand, and Turkey. When we picked up the participants, everyone received a goody bag, which contained a Spirit drawstring bag, Spirit hat, several bottles of water, Gatorade, apples, bananas, and granola bars.
After entering the park, we drove twenty minutes through the beautiful scenery on the way to our hiking destination – the Delicate Arch trailhead.
The hike was a three-mile loop and a steady incline to Delicate Arch. It was a very warm day at around 96 degrees, so they made several stops on the way to hydrate. As we hiked, we chatted with the participants about their Summer Work Travel experience.
One participant from Turkey had a passion for painting and was interested in signing up for the dance or art classes offered at the Moab Arts and Recreation Center. A first-year university student said she hopes to come on the program two more times and work in different areas of the country, so she can experience different regional aspects of U.S. culture! One of the participants working at McDonald’s said that her favorite item to eat at work is the Southwest Chicken Salad, which they don’t have back home.
When we got to Delicate Arch, participants enjoyed taking pictures and selfies near the arch. They even had a cool interaction with a local American high school student. He had been studying Chinese since he was four years old and was able to converse with the Chinese girls from the group! They commented that his Chinese was very good and that they were surprised to meet an American who spoke such good Chinese.
After spending 45 minutes at the arch, we hiked back down and went to Pasta Jay's in Moab for a lunch of pizza and salads. It was fun getting to know our participants and spending a day surrounded by all the beauty that Moab, Utah has to offer!
Be sure to check out more photos from our hike below: