Delicate Arch is one of the most remote places we have been to in the U.S. Even though we were already in the middle of nowhere Utah, getting to the trailhead from the main "highway" still took over two hours of backcountry driving across sharp rocks and washboard roads. It was a miracle our Toyota Corolla made it out there without a flat tire.

When we arrived at the location on Google Maps, we found that there was no trailhead or markings at all. Our only guides were footprints in the sand from past visitors wandering around in circles in the same confusion we were experiencing. I felt bad for future hikers who choose to follow in our footsteps. We walked around in circles for a good part of an hour.

After we accepted the fact that this was one of those DIY trails, we figured out the direction we needed to be heading and just started walking out into the desert. We stepped over brushes, climbed down canyons, then climbed back up, celebrating whenever we found old footprints indicating at least someone else had come this way before; it did slightly concern me that all the footprints we found went out, and not back... Thankfully the terrain was mostly flat, and we spotted the arch after an hour of walking.

We met another photographer, Mike, who was already there, and another photographer soon joined us with her family. We got to know each other while waiting for the sun to set; and there was a brief flurry of excitement when we found broken pottery under a rock by the arch, but it turns out that is a common occurrence out there. When the sun finally set, the sky turned a beautiful pink and purple, which perfectly complemented the red rocks and the desert stretching across the expanse.

All of us walked back together to our cars, DIY-style, as we were quickly enveloped in darkness. Mike kindly offered to drive behind us in his 4-wheel drive SUV, so we wouldn't be stuck out in the desert if we ran into a flat tire on the drive back. That evening, we were treated with an amazing view and in great company — I couldn't have asked for a more serene way to close out 2017.

You can check out Mike's Instagram at @mhitchner1