Sedona Travelog #19
Back home! Tue, 31 May 2022, 8pm

Yesterday we called an audible on our travel plans for today. I'd originally booked us on a 9pm flight home from Phoenix. It'd land close to 11pm, and we'd be home-home sometime between 11:30 and midnight. Ugh. Not a great way to get ready for working the rest of the week ( Read more... )

Sedona Travelog #18
Oak Creek Village - Tue, 31 May 2022, 10:15am

I wrote my last blog from the top of Cathedral Rock. ...Well, almost the top of Cathedral Rock. There's a trail around the left side of the saddle that climbs higher, up through another chute, to the highest point you can reach on the rock without technical climbing gear (which I ( Read more... )

Sedona Travelog #17
Cathedral Rock - Tue, 31 May 2022, 9am

At the end of my previous blog about hiking Cathedral Rock in Sedona, AZ I warned that the trail would get tougher. There are three stretches of the trail where you've got to scramble with hands and feet up narrow chutes over bare rock. Here's one of them:

Click to view

After a few of these it was ( Read more... )

Sedona Travelog #16
Cathedral Rock - Tue, 31 May 2022, 8am

Today is our last day in Sedona. Actually it's our last half day as we need to leave at noon. This whole trip, climbing Cathedral Rock has been my #1 priority. Now, in our last few hours in town, we're doing it. Finally!


( Read more... )

Sedona Travelog #15
Oak Creek Village - Mon, 30 May 2022, 7pm

Climbing Bell Rock today was fun. The hordes of hikers down near the trailhead thinned out quickly as the trail got progressively harder. While there were dozens down near the parking lot, I saw maybe 6 or 7 total in the mountain's upper reaches.


( Read more... )

Sedona Travelog #14
Bell Rock - Mon, 30 May 2022, 5pm

Today we're pacing ourselves. After a huge hike yesterday we picked an easier one this morning, to Birthing Cave. But once there we found ourselves with energy to spare- and beauty beckoning- so we extended our trip to Mescal Mountain. Then we rested at the hotel after lunch. Hawk didn't want ( Read more... )

Sedona Travelog #13
Oak Creek Village, AZ - Mon, 30 May 2022, 3pm

After enjoying solitude atop Mescal Mountain for a while this morning- a welcome respite from the clattering cocktail party in the Birthing Cave- it was time to head home. As impressed as we were with our ability to hike this morning after a monster hike yesterday, it wasn't without ( Read more... )

Sedona Travelog #12
Mescal Mountain, Sedona, AZ - Mon, 30 May 2022, 10:30am

After visiting the Birthing Cave (previous blog in this series) we discussed where to go next. Despite our epic 9-mile, almost 2,000' ascent hike yesterday we were feeling somewhat spry this morning. Like, not 100%, but also not, "Enh, let's sit around the pool deck all ( Read more... )

Sedona Travelog #11
Mescal Mountain, Sedona, AZ - Mon, 30 May 2022, 9:15amOnce again today we got an early start. Alarm was set for 6am, we left the hotel at 7, and we were at the trailhead on the far side of Sedona at 8. Morning traffic wasn't that bad (it's a miles-long traffic jam midday) so we even had time for a stop at a local bakery for ( Read more... )

Sedona Travelog #10
Oak Creek, AZ - Sun, 29 May 2022, 10pm

Whew. Today has been a busy day. We got up at 6am and packed for a hike at Boynton Canyon. What was supposed to be a 6 mile hike stretched to almost 9 miles with spur-of-the-moment side trips. After chasing butterflies (literally) seeking Subway Cave we found Subway CaveI already posted 4 ( Read more... )