Let’s do this!
I rarely jump at the chance to return to any location, but I’m counting down the minutes to jump on a flight to Phoenix in early April. And I’m equally excited to bring a dear friend along for her first hiking excursion EVER & can’t wait to see her reaction on seeing the stunning red rocks of Sedona & the dramatic cliffs of the Grand Canyon.
My only marching orders…. “take me somewhere & blow my mind”. I got ya!
After an hour delay getting out of Orlando, we thoroughly enjoyed our upgrade to row 1 aisle seats & both tried to snooze as I had planned a jammed packed 4 days ahead. To make things extra interesting, the quirky flight attendant announced to the entire plane that it was her birthday. Plus the icing on the cake (literally) was a cute ~8yr old boy came up from the back of the plane to share his snacks with her & give her a big hug. OMG!! And this was her first celebration in 20 years where she hadn’t worked, so it was definitely a new beginning.
We made it to the red rock region just in time for our first impression…. sunset over Cathedral Rock!
Then up at 4:15am to beeline to the south rim of the Grand Canyon for a birthday morning BIG surprise! The majesty and sheer size never gets old….. EVER!
We had barely escaped the previous week’s rare snowstorm, which made for some unplanned obstacles hindering us from tackling the Flagstaff lava cave & trekking along Oak Creek (due to abnormally high melt-off). BUT, the beauty of Sedona is the seemingly endless array of moderate trails that are layered throughout the entire valley.
We switched gears to take on multiple, 3-5 mile hikes daily & couldn’t have been happier. A few of the “go to” treks like Montezuma National Monument, Devil’s Bridge, Cathedral Rock, Boynton Canyon, Coffee Pot, Sugarloaf, Raven Caves, Airport Mesa & Fay Canyon were mixed in with some newbies to get the heart pumping. Finally, I found the detour to the mind blowing Subway Cave too.
After sprinkling in some non-hiking visits to a few artist markets, stupa peace park, downtown shops, Chapel of the Holy Cross, local cantinas for some tex-mex and relaxing poolside, we toasted back at our sprawling resort grounds to a fabulous weekend!
Then, we both made a promise to make this pilgrimage a yearly priority. Southern Utah & Northern Arizona are just that powerful, as they have this tantalizing vibe & appeal that just sucks you right in.
Sedona is inevitably a rejuvenation of the mind, soul & body all wrapped into a beautiful, one-of-a-kind experience that you will be dreaming of returning to!
