The Comancheros
Despite saving up for a new house for most of 2012, I decided I had enough surplus to treat myself to a well-deserved vacation to Arizona in December. I had a lot of vacation to use before the end of the year, and the prospect of spending the time at home with nothing to do scared the hell out of me. I began to look into vacations within the U.S., and I discovered that Arizona was surprisingly affordable. Besides, I always wanted to hike the Grand Canyon. I looked into several guided hikes, but in the end I decided to be my own guide. Without looking at the weather forecast, I booked a hotel in Flagstaff. But as I was packing for my trip, I heard that Flagstaff was expecting a snowstorm.
Sure enough, as I drove from the airport in Phoenix to Flagstaff, I had to drive through a blinding snowstorm. But thanks to the fine Arizona road workers, I arrived at my hotel safely. By the time the storm was over, Flagstaff had over a foot of snow. Considering that I came from Pennsylvania which hadn't had any significant snow yet, it was quite a shock.
The next day was gorgeous. The skies had cleared, so the sun made everything dazzlingly white. I decided that I'd give the road crews another day to clear the roads to the Grand Canyon, so instead I drove down to Sedona, which was quite a contrast from Flagstaff. Sedona is only 30 minutes away, but it's over 3000 feet lower in altitude, so it didn't have any snow at all.
I LOVED Sedona. I had no idea how many hiking trails Sedona had, and the landscape is beautiful and colorful. On my first day, I enjoyed a short hike to Bell Rock, but I vowed to come back to Sedona before my vacation was over. I only hiked for about an hour on that first day, but once I got back to my hotel room, I found myself shivering in bed. I wasn't sunburned, and I wasn't dehydrated, but I think my body was having a hard time adjusting to the altitude. After a hot shower, I felt much better.
On the 2nd day I drove up to the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate. I picked a cold, foggy, snowy day to visit the Grand Canyon. I honestly had no idea that it could snow at the Grand Canyon. Now I know better. For most of my hike along the southern rim, I could barely see any further than 50 yards due to the fog. Fortunately, the fog lifted just long enough to prevent my trip from being a total loss. Even in the dreary conditions, the canyon is awe-inspiring. I'll definitely have to go back in warmer weather. But one of the reasons I wanted to go in December was to avoid the crowds. At least I succeeded at that! Despite the fog and snow, I enjoyed the geology lesson I received as I hiked along the rim. It was humbling to see and touch rocks that were over a billion years old. The other thing that struck me as funny, was imagining how the early frontiersmen saw the canyon. Vacationers come to see the canyon for is awe-inspiring beauty, but I image that the first frontiersmen must've seen it with dread. I imagined the explorers looking for a trail to the north, and going "fuuuuucccckkk" as they reached the canyon's rim and saw this huge obstacle before them.
As I had promised myself, I returned to Sedona on the third day for another hike. This time I hiked much further, along the Brins Mesa trail. The hike took me into the hills surrounding Sedona, and I climbed high enough that I began to see the signs of snow once again. The conditions were perfect for hiking. The sky was overcast, so it wasn't too hot or too cold.
In retrospect, I could have spent my whole vacation in Sedona, but then I might have missed out on the beautiful snowfall to the north. When I return to visit the Grand Canyon when it's warmer, I'll have to leave myself time to return to Sedona.
Photo album
Sure enough, as I drove from the airport in Phoenix to Flagstaff, I had to drive through a blinding snowstorm. But thanks to the fine Arizona road workers, I arrived at my hotel safely. By the time the storm was over, Flagstaff had over a foot of snow. Considering that I came from Pennsylvania which hadn't had any significant snow yet, it was quite a shock.
The next day was gorgeous. The skies had cleared, so the sun made everything dazzlingly white. I decided that I'd give the road crews another day to clear the roads to the Grand Canyon, so instead I drove down to Sedona, which was quite a contrast from Flagstaff. Sedona is only 30 minutes away, but it's over 3000 feet lower in altitude, so it didn't have any snow at all.
I LOVED Sedona. I had no idea how many hiking trails Sedona had, and the landscape is beautiful and colorful. On my first day, I enjoyed a short hike to Bell Rock, but I vowed to come back to Sedona before my vacation was over. I only hiked for about an hour on that first day, but once I got back to my hotel room, I found myself shivering in bed. I wasn't sunburned, and I wasn't dehydrated, but I think my body was having a hard time adjusting to the altitude. After a hot shower, I felt much better.
On the 2nd day I drove up to the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate. I picked a cold, foggy, snowy day to visit the Grand Canyon. I honestly had no idea that it could snow at the Grand Canyon. Now I know better. For most of my hike along the southern rim, I could barely see any further than 50 yards due to the fog. Fortunately, the fog lifted just long enough to prevent my trip from being a total loss. Even in the dreary conditions, the canyon is awe-inspiring. I'll definitely have to go back in warmer weather. But one of the reasons I wanted to go in December was to avoid the crowds. At least I succeeded at that! Despite the fog and snow, I enjoyed the geology lesson I received as I hiked along the rim. It was humbling to see and touch rocks that were over a billion years old. The other thing that struck me as funny, was imagining how the early frontiersmen saw the canyon. Vacationers come to see the canyon for is awe-inspiring beauty, but I image that the first frontiersmen must've seen it with dread. I imagined the explorers looking for a trail to the north, and going "fuuuuucccckkk" as they reached the canyon's rim and saw this huge obstacle before them.
As I had promised myself, I returned to Sedona on the third day for another hike. This time I hiked much further, along the Brins Mesa trail. The hike took me into the hills surrounding Sedona, and I climbed high enough that I began to see the signs of snow once again. The conditions were perfect for hiking. The sky was overcast, so it wasn't too hot or too cold.
In retrospect, I could have spent my whole vacation in Sedona, but then I might have missed out on the beautiful snowfall to the north. When I return to visit the Grand Canyon when it's warmer, I'll have to leave myself time to return to Sedona.
Photo album