Kal-El
Gold Member
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2010
- Messages
- 1,209
Well, the family and I finally took some much needed time off from the grind. Despite the summertime temps, we decided to head out west to Arizona to see some of the sights and partake in some outdoor activities.
Final descent into Phoenix. It was 109 degrees when we touched down.
After our rental car fiasco, we were on the road headed two hours north to Sedona. Arrived at the hotel only to find out that the A/C in our room went out earlier that day. Two rooms later, things were starting to look up.
Our view from the hotel balcony:
Day 1:
After a couple of margarita's and a good nights rest, I was up at the crack of dawn like a kid on Christmas morning. I was so ready for my first day of hiking. Had a friend hook-up on an ATV rental that made access to some of the trail heads a whole lot quicker. Um, and much more fun!
On my way:
First stop of the day. The famous Devil's Bridge Trail. Probably one of the most traveled hikes in AZ. A short, moderate 1.1 miles from the trail head to the turn back, but a beautiful hike to say the least.
Some scenery along the way:
A little ways in, my first glance of the Bridge from afar. Just about the middle of this pic:
Of course, what would this thread be without a Fiddleback appearance:
Starting the ascent:
Up a couple more rocky formations and out upon the Devil's Bridge:
Back down the trail and onto the ATV for the next pitstop. A longer, far less traveled path up the road to Secret Canyon. By the time I arrived at the trail head, it was almost 9:30am. With the temperatures rising dramatically in mid-afternoon, I wanted to complete the hike before noon.
I was certain that I would come across a few more hikers around this time that were trying to avoid the afternoon heat as well. To my surprise, I didn't spot anyone, but then figured they must have already ventured onto the trail.
I remember reading some conflicting data as to the length of the trail, but I believe the consensus is that it is about 5.5 miles in one direction.
Scene just before reaching the trail head:
The hike began relatively flat and pleasant along a clearly defined path. Markers were present every now and then and I was enjoying the sights along the way. Stopping every now and then to snap some pics and stay hydrated.
This was about 2.5 miles in:
A couple miles later, the trail began to seem much less defined. From open and flat to narrow and wooded. The trail was almost non-existant and I began to second guess my path. Not a large issue considering I was in an area that was usually populated with other hikers right? No, apparently wrong!, I had not seen a single soul since I left Devil's Bridge quite some time ago.
As the temperature rose, I realized that I might be the only joker out here who was dumb enough to hike this trail in the middle of such a hot summer. It was about 11:00am at that point and a lot warmer than I anticipated.
Here was the next issue. As I emerged onto a clearing of red earth thinking it was the trail, I found some evidence of activity. Just not the kind I was hoping for:
Yup, bear scat. Black bears are common in these parts and from the size of the droppings I suspected that it was a relatively small, juvenile bear. But, a bear to say the least. The droppings were not too fresh, but fresh enough for me to perk up.
Another short distance down the path I was on, I began to realize that I had likely missed a marker at some point and veered off the trail.
I also knew that Black bears were not the only other mammal in my presence as I came across the next discovery:
This time, it was no juvenile. By the size, these cougar tracks were that of a decent sized adult.
I studied them for a moment and thought wait, was this simply a K-9? Well, I couldn't find any other shoe tracks around and these tracks simply seemed to appear and then disappear at random. The lack of claw marks on nearly all of them and how wide they were seemed to indicate a feline as well. I then remembered one of the guys back at the ATV shop had jokingly mentioned the presence of Mountain Lions too. Great!
The look on my face at this point:
Actually, this is the look of frustration. It was getting hotter and hotter and I needed to find my way back to the trail. I figured that in the middle of the day, at least the wild animals were smart enough to not be walking around in this heat and that I would not likely be crossing paths with any of them today.
Long story short, I eventually found my way back to the marked trail and my short 5-11? mile hike through Secret Canyon turned into roughly 12 slightly stressful miles in the dead heat. As I emerged from the trail, I was definitely happy to see this little guy again. My 3L hydration bladder was just about empty and the 6 bottles of water inside the cooler strapped to the ATV were a blessing.
BTW, earlier at Devil's Bridge, I parked the ATV just at the trail head too. Unfortunately, it wasn't in the shade when I returned. My helmet was the color black and it felt like molten lava in the AZ sun. Live and learn. This puppy was in the shade this time.
Up on the 4-wheeler, I headed back towards town. While checking back in at the ATV rental place, I felt the urge to tell the guy about my Secret Canyon experience considering I was a few minutes late getting back. The look on his face was priceless. He's said, "What, you went to Secret Canyon just now? And, hiked it?" "Dude, you're nuts! It's too hot for that and most people go out there to camp for one or two days because the trail splits in so many directions and it's easy to get spun around that you need the extra time." I simply said, that I was sincerely motivated to find my way back in a hurry
.
In all though, I have to say, it was one of the best days I've had in a very long time and I needed one final look as I headed back for the day.
More to come as time permits.
Final descent into Phoenix. It was 109 degrees when we touched down.
After our rental car fiasco, we were on the road headed two hours north to Sedona. Arrived at the hotel only to find out that the A/C in our room went out earlier that day. Two rooms later, things were starting to look up.
Our view from the hotel balcony:
Day 1:
After a couple of margarita's and a good nights rest, I was up at the crack of dawn like a kid on Christmas morning. I was so ready for my first day of hiking. Had a friend hook-up on an ATV rental that made access to some of the trail heads a whole lot quicker. Um, and much more fun!
On my way:
First stop of the day. The famous Devil's Bridge Trail. Probably one of the most traveled hikes in AZ. A short, moderate 1.1 miles from the trail head to the turn back, but a beautiful hike to say the least.
Some scenery along the way:
A little ways in, my first glance of the Bridge from afar. Just about the middle of this pic:
Of course, what would this thread be without a Fiddleback appearance:
Starting the ascent:
Up a couple more rocky formations and out upon the Devil's Bridge:
Back down the trail and onto the ATV for the next pitstop. A longer, far less traveled path up the road to Secret Canyon. By the time I arrived at the trail head, it was almost 9:30am. With the temperatures rising dramatically in mid-afternoon, I wanted to complete the hike before noon.
I was certain that I would come across a few more hikers around this time that were trying to avoid the afternoon heat as well. To my surprise, I didn't spot anyone, but then figured they must have already ventured onto the trail.
I remember reading some conflicting data as to the length of the trail, but I believe the consensus is that it is about 5.5 miles in one direction.
Scene just before reaching the trail head:
The hike began relatively flat and pleasant along a clearly defined path. Markers were present every now and then and I was enjoying the sights along the way. Stopping every now and then to snap some pics and stay hydrated.
This was about 2.5 miles in:
A couple miles later, the trail began to seem much less defined. From open and flat to narrow and wooded. The trail was almost non-existant and I began to second guess my path. Not a large issue considering I was in an area that was usually populated with other hikers right? No, apparently wrong!, I had not seen a single soul since I left Devil's Bridge quite some time ago.
As the temperature rose, I realized that I might be the only joker out here who was dumb enough to hike this trail in the middle of such a hot summer. It was about 11:00am at that point and a lot warmer than I anticipated.
Here was the next issue. As I emerged onto a clearing of red earth thinking it was the trail, I found some evidence of activity. Just not the kind I was hoping for:
Yup, bear scat. Black bears are common in these parts and from the size of the droppings I suspected that it was a relatively small, juvenile bear. But, a bear to say the least. The droppings were not too fresh, but fresh enough for me to perk up.
Another short distance down the path I was on, I began to realize that I had likely missed a marker at some point and veered off the trail.
I also knew that Black bears were not the only other mammal in my presence as I came across the next discovery:
This time, it was no juvenile. By the size, these cougar tracks were that of a decent sized adult.
I studied them for a moment and thought wait, was this simply a K-9? Well, I couldn't find any other shoe tracks around and these tracks simply seemed to appear and then disappear at random. The lack of claw marks on nearly all of them and how wide they were seemed to indicate a feline as well. I then remembered one of the guys back at the ATV shop had jokingly mentioned the presence of Mountain Lions too. Great!
The look on my face at this point:
Actually, this is the look of frustration. It was getting hotter and hotter and I needed to find my way back to the trail. I figured that in the middle of the day, at least the wild animals were smart enough to not be walking around in this heat and that I would not likely be crossing paths with any of them today.
Long story short, I eventually found my way back to the marked trail and my short 5-11? mile hike through Secret Canyon turned into roughly 12 slightly stressful miles in the dead heat. As I emerged from the trail, I was definitely happy to see this little guy again. My 3L hydration bladder was just about empty and the 6 bottles of water inside the cooler strapped to the ATV were a blessing.
BTW, earlier at Devil's Bridge, I parked the ATV just at the trail head too. Unfortunately, it wasn't in the shade when I returned. My helmet was the color black and it felt like molten lava in the AZ sun. Live and learn. This puppy was in the shade this time.
Up on the 4-wheeler, I headed back towards town. While checking back in at the ATV rental place, I felt the urge to tell the guy about my Secret Canyon experience considering I was a few minutes late getting back. The look on his face was priceless. He's said, "What, you went to Secret Canyon just now? And, hiked it?" "Dude, you're nuts! It's too hot for that and most people go out there to camp for one or two days because the trail splits in so many directions and it's easy to get spun around that you need the extra time." I simply said, that I was sincerely motivated to find my way back in a hurry
. In all though, I have to say, it was one of the best days I've had in a very long time and I needed one final look as I headed back for the day.
More to come as time permits.
