Getting Wowed

A kaleidoscope of leaves carpets the trail at West Fork.  Wow!  This trail runs 3.2 miles (you can go farther if you want to wade) in Oak Creek Canyon north of Sedona.  The trail crosses Oak Creek 13 times.  It winds and rolls through a spectacular forest of maples, oaks, and ponderosa pines.  The canyon walls tower above it all, and it is one of the most incredible places to spend an hour or a day.  Today was my last full day in Sedona, and I enjoyed every minute of this glorious fall hike.

A maple blazes in the bright sun, under a turquoise Arizona sky!  I chatted briefly with a woman hiking just ahead of me.  We were both oohhing and aahhing, and taking many pictures.  She said "It's a total viewgasm."  Excuse me?  "You know," she said, "like a foodgasm."  My new favorite words!

Three bugs ride a maple leaf raft along Oak Creek.

Thanks to everyone who has kept me company out here and I hope you can come out and visit some time.  I love playing tour guide!  It will be good to get home and I'm glad I missed the huge windstorm.

Getting Crazy

Stairway to heaven?  I was warned that this trail, the Grandview, is steep.  Steep?  That does not begin to describe it! 

The weather finally cleared over northern AZ and I was able to spend a day at the south rim of the Grand Canyon.  This trail is east of the busy Village area, is less used and not maintained.  It begins at 7481' and after going about a mile on the steep switchbacks, I stopped at a little saddle at 6332'.  OK, I did the math!  That is a drop of 1149'.  This trail makes the S. Kaibab and Bright Angel look like cake walks.  Was it worth it?  Every step, every gasp for breath, every creak in the knees, without a doubt.  I could have gone another 2 miles to Horseshoe Mesa, which was my original goal.  I will save that for another day, when I can get an earlier start.  It was an excellent adventure!

These views of the canyon make it all worthwhile!

My trusty hiking pole shows the how narrow this trail is in some areas!

This is the outside edge of the trail, (looking up from a switchback below) showing how it is "supported" on the slope!  Probably a good thing I didn't see this before heading down.  Ha!  The remnants of a copper mine are at Horseshoe Mesa, and this trail is what the miners used.  Can't even imagine how they built this thing!

This is where I stopped and had my lunch before heading back up.  The most tragic part of this hike?  I stopped at a switchback to catch my breath, remembering that I had an apple in my pack.  I took it out, was zipping up my pack...and dropped my apple!  I watched in horror as it rolled a few feet and then...thunkthunkthunk as it went over the edge!  NOOO!  That was a yummy Honey Crisp, and now some critter will have an unexpected treat.  I did not mean to feed the wildlife...I meant to feed myself!

Getting Winded

Two very steep trails today in Oak Creek Canyon - Telephone Trail and Harding Springs Trail.  Tough on the lungs going up, tough on the nerves coming down!  Telephone was steeper and longer, but it provided views like the above, and the really cool spot was The Peepholes - a wall of rock eroded into a series of windows.  Harding Springs went through the forest and it smelled wonderful.

Some of my friends have voiced concerns over my hiking excursions, and that I often hike alone.  What you should be concerned about...is geocaching!  If you don't know what this is, it's sort of a treasure hunt using hand-held GPS units to find "treasures" placed by other cachers.  I am amazed at where I will go to look for a cache!  If a hiking expert told me to go these places, I'd say "no way."  But, I will walk along wet creek shorelines, climb up rock slides, hike steep trails and look into crevices and hollow trees and under boulders.  Why?  Because my GPS told me to!  It is great fun when you have success, great frustration when you don't.  I searched for 5 today and found only 2.

I picked up a lot of trash today, mostly on the parking aprons along the highway in the canyon.  So sad.  I hate that people come to such a beautiful place (or any place, for that matter) and leave such ugliness behind.  And here it is - anyone who leaves a dirty diaper any place other than a trash can, deserves to be rolled in honey, left in the hot sun in a red ant pile, with a dirty diaper taped over their nose and mouth.

Getting Mooned

Wow, what a sky!  We have had so much cloud cover the last few days, that there was nothing to see.  This morning, however, the sky is clear, the full moon is spectacular.  Even with that bright light, many stars are visible.  A meteor shower peaked a couple of days ago, but the clouds prevented any hope of seeing it.   I did see one shooting star just after stepping outside.  That enticed me to grab my 2nd cup of coffee, wrap up in a blanket, and sit on the deck for a while.  Perfectly quiet, no breeze to rustle the trees, the only sound - the crowing of a rooster down the road. 

The last time I stepped out to see a full moon, a tarantula came back inside with me.  You can be sure I am on heightened "arachnid alert."  Before coming back inside, I did quite the jig to discourage any hitchhikers.  I love nature - as long as it stays outside where it belongs!

Getting sunny!

Looking down on West Sedona this morning, from Airport Mesa loop.  The top of Thunder Mountain is obscured by clouds.  Finally, a dry day although the clouds did hang around off/on.  Yesterday was awful - dark, dreary, chilly, and it rained all day and night!  Almost unheard of out here in October, and I hope we've seen the last of it.

Sedona's small airport is located atop a mesa, and the loop trail goes completely around it.  It provides 360 degree views of Sedona and is a very nice, winding trail.  The east slope is covered with 1000's of prickly pear cactus, many with fresh javelina bites (see proof in photo below).  But do I see any javelina?  Noooo.   I thought sure I heard them hiding and laughing at me, and then realized it was my stomach growling.  Good thing I had that apple in my backpack.

My shoes and pantlegs were a muddy mess, but it was a small price to pay for another great morning out on the trails!

Getting Wet

It was a stormy day in and around Sedona.  This is Thunder Mountain, shrouded in clouds late afternoon.  So much for "it never rains here in October."

I attended a great lecture this evening, sponsored by Keep Sedona Beautiful.  The subject was "Effluent to Asset,"  If you are laughing at the title, you do not qualify as a Nature Nerd!  It was very informative, about creating constructed wetlands to deal wtih waste water.  Sedona is just beginning phase one of such a project.  Constructed wetlands are a cost-effective, eco-friendly way to deal with effluent, while creating wildlife habitat.  They can be enlarged in phases as needs increase.  There is little expense after the initial creation, and Sedona currently has adequate funds for this project.  Sounds cool to me!

Getting Up Early

Spectacular sunrise this morning, on my way to hike.  Worth getting up for!

I hiked an old favorite trail, the Jim Thompson.  The trail winds and rolls along below Ship Rock and crosses below Steamboat Rock.  Great views of Midgely Bridge (or as the signs sometimes read, "Midgely BridgeLY."  It ends at the junction with the Wilson Canyon trail.  Steamboat tank had lots of water from recent rains, but as usual, I saw no wildlife.  It was on this trail a few years back that I got a great photo of a fresh mountain lion print!

My friend Kristi says that when she hikes, she attracts snakes.  Note to self - do NOT hike with Kristi.  Ha!  I, however, attract unleashed, unruly dogs with rude owners.  Has been happening far too often, including this morning.  I do not find it pleasant to come around a bend in a trail, to be met by two unleashed, snarling dogs and an owner meandering far behind.  When  I politely ask that they call/leash their dogs, I am met with appalling hostility.  Come on, people, do what's right!  Protect your pet (Hello?  mountain lions, coyotes, snakes and other hazards!) and be considerate of others.

My biggest dilemma out here?  Where should I hike tomorrow?
Aahhh, Life is Good!

Proud member of the following organizations:

Grand Canyon Association

Member and Trainer

Kane County Audubon

Getting High

The Arizona Gold Rush is on!  Hiking in Flagstaff on Sunday provided a spectacular show of aspens in the ever-changing light.  It was a somewhat overcast day, which muted the colors.  The peeks of sun illuminated pockets of aspen, and an occasional breeze brought delicate leaves floating down to the forest floor.  I walked the Lamar Haines trail, and then about half of the Kachina trail.  Both are located along the Snow Bowl road, and both were crowded on a Sunday.  I finished the adventure by stopping at the trailhead for Humphreys Peak, where the trees really put on a show.  There is already snow on the peaks, and the darkening sky was a sign of more to come.  I hope to do the Humphreys Peak trail next summer, at least getting to 12000' where the Bristlecone Pines grow.

Getting started

It takes some of us many years to find a true passion, and for me that passion is nature.  Hiking, birding, volunteering, photographing - all outdoor activities in amazing places.  A friend encouraged me to start a blog, so here I am.  I hope others will find it interesting to share some of my journeys, be inspired to find their own passion, and enjoy memorable experiences along the way.