Travel Zine: Moab

I went to Moab a couple of years ago, but the experience has stayed with me. It was a fun trip – hiking, driving, eating ice cream sundaes at diners. It was also massively introspective. I was struck by the vastness of the place, both at Arches and Canyonlands parks. The incredible structures of Earth are on full display here, but what stuck with me most of all was the ancient petroglyphs.

There was a trail in Arches that had a designated outpost where you could view some – it was crowded with tourists and the drawings were limited. Later, though, we were driving down a random road on the hunt for a hidden trailhead to one of the most massive arches in the area (outside of the park itself). I was staring out the window at the wall of stone next to me when we passed a small road sign that simply said ‘Petroglyphs’ with an arrow pointing at the wall. We pulled off and walked back, craning our necks to see the illustrations adorning the site. They were incredible – they were everywhere, some more faded than others. It made me feel very small in the grand scheme of the universe, and also very whole as a human experiencing it.

This piece explores isolation and timelessness — how being in that vast stillness reveals humanity’s persistence.

All images used are my own; the fonts used are from B Nicks and Pangram Pangram.