Hike #32 - Huckaby Trail, Sedona, AZ

 

On Mother's Day, May 13, Paul and I hiked The Huckaby Trail. This 5 mile out and back trail can be hiked from either of two ends; one is at Schnebly Hill and the other at Midgely Bridge off SR 89A.  We started at Midgely Bridge. The best part of this trail is the view of Midgely Bridge, crossing the creek and the views of the other popular rocks; Lucy, Snoopy and Cathedral Rock.

"The Huckaby Trail has a bit of everything — a series of moderate uphill and downhill sections, a path which changes from dirt/gravel to rocky to slickrock to sand, both sunny and shady sections, great views of the surrounding mountains, red rock formations, and downtown Sedona, as well as beautiful Oak Creek" http://www.azhikers.org/day_hikes/Sedona/Huckaby.html

Hike #31 - Sterling Pass to Vultee Arch, Sedona, AZ

One thing I have learned to appreciate is that there is no shortage of hiking trails in Sedona!  I am blessed to live only 2 hours away from the best scenery and hiking in the country.  Sterling Pass trail is located in Oak Creek Canyon.  It is a moderate hike with plenty of switchbacks, up 1,100' through pine forest that is recovering from a past forest fire.  The views are spectacular.  After reaching Sterling Pass at 6,000' we continued down into Sterling Canyon to Vultee Arch.  The Arch is named after Gerald and Syvia Vultee who died in a plane crash near this spot. The total distance was 5 miles out and back.

Vultee Arch is in the background

Hike # 30 - Courthouse Butte Loop, Sedona, AZ

After hiking at the Grand Canyon, my friend Susie and I decided to drive to Sedona for another hike.  Our legs were pretty tired so we chose an easier trail with spectacular views.  Courthouse Butte Loop trail circles around both Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock in The Village of Oak Creek and is 4.5 miles round trip.  We also passed "Muffin Rock" which is sometimes called "Space Rock". It was a very warm day with lots of sun, approx. 85 degrees on May 5, 2012. Wildflowers and cactus were in bloom.

Cactus bloom

"Muffin Rock" or "Spaceship Rock"

Hike #29 - Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon, AZ

I LOVE the Grand Canyon!  Living in Arizona, I have been to and hiked at the Grand Canyon several times

The route of the Bright Angel Trail was used by the Havasupai Indians to reach their gardens which are now called Indian Gardens.  Later miners developed this trail to reach their mines. Ralph Cameron was one of these miners and he realized there was more money in tourism than in minerals so the trail became the Cameron Trail and visitors were charged $1 each to use it. The Santa Fe Railroad challenged Cameron's claims and in 1920 the trail became the property of Coconino County which in turn traded it to the federal government in 1928.  In 1937 the trail was renamed The Bright Angel Trail.

After staying one night in the dorms at Phantom Ranch with a delicious dinner of camper stew and scrambled egg breakfast, my friend Susie and I started our 9.5 mile ascent up Bright Angel Trail.  We hiked through the Vishnu Schist, some of the earth's oldest rocks and then through the winding hairpins of trail called the Devil's Corkscrew followed by a well deserved rest in the cool shade at Indian Gardens.  On another trip to this area we both hiked out to Plateau Point which is 1.5 miles offering gorgeous views of the Inner Gorge.

Ranger talk at Phantom Ranch

Dorms at Phantom Ranch

Colorado River

Since we had hiked this trail before, we both knew the 4.7 miles of switch backs from Indian Gardens to the South Rim would not be easy!  We passed many hikers taking shorter day hikes down and back to rest areas either 1.5 or 3 miles down from the top. We stopped several times to take in the magnificent views, photograph cactus in bloom or watch a collared lizard or snake scurry across the path.

Hike #28 - South Kaibab Trail, Grand Canyon, AZ

The best thing about living in Arizona is being close to the Grand Canyon!  Over 5 million people visit the Grand Canyon annually. According to our dinner hostess at Phantom Ranch, the majority of visitors spend only 17 minutes gazing at the canyon from the scenic overlooks.  Less than 1% actually hike down into the canyon and appreciate all that it has to offer. My friend Susie Kaufman from Hutchison, Kansas joined me May 3 to hike down the South Kaibab trail to Phantom Ranch and the Colorado River.  We both had hiked this trail before with the Grand Canyon Field Institute thus we had a guide that told us everything we ever wanted to know about the geology, plants, animals and history of the canyon. We started our descent at 7:50 AM.  I was reminded of the geologic layers which contain valuable minerals that have attracted prospectors for hundreds of years. Native Americans collected red and yellow ochre for medicine as well as salt from caves.  The Spanish searched for gold but left empty handed.  American prospectors found copper and asbestos but found it too costly to extract and ship to market.

"The South Kaibab Trail was constructed by the National Park Service in the early 1900's to compete with the privately owned Bright Angel Trail and offer tourists a free access trail to the inner canyon and the Colorado River."  http://www.bobspixels.com/kaibab.org/bc/gc_tr_sk.htm

The trail is steep and slippery in places.  We carried plenty of water and snacks.  There are restrooms at 2 stops along the way.  After an hour or so we were shedding our long sleeve shirts since it gets warmer as you descend.  It was a clear day with lots of sun but we were in the shade for at least half of the trip.  The distance of the trail is approx. 7 miles to Phantom Ranch.  We started at an elevation of 7260'.  We stopped at the first rest area, Ooh-Aah Point, approx. .9 miles and elevation 6660.  The next rest area is Cedar Ridge, 1.5 miles and the last rest area is Skeleton Point, 3 miles. The Colorado River is at elevation 2420' - 4780' below the rim.  My knees started bothering me about 1/2 way down.  I slowed down, took Ibuprofen and stopped more frequently and we still made it to Phantom Ranch by 12:30 PM.