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In the heart of a captivating scenery of red rock canyons and spires, Sedona is a place of breathtaking beauty, intense blue skies and greens, reds and golds of every hue.
As my main interest here was to hike around the natural monuments, I took Tan to spend the first night down at the free camping zone of the rocky dirt Schnebly Hill Road. I was delighted in the early morning when woken up by the sunlight, to notice the Giant's Thumb a few hiking hours away. Of all shapes in nature, a giant thumb is something to be conquered! So ahead I walked, through a dry river and up the red rock, trying to find my way up this huge formation.
After about two hours wandering up this vermilion terrain which cracks underneath your boots in a ceramic-tile-braking fashion as when you walk up on your house's roof, I found an obvious track which would take me around the mountain and to the bottom of the Giant's Thumb. However, bored of sticking to the main track for a while (don't we all have a feeling that we might be missing out on something bigger when we stick to
the popular track?) I strayed from it attempting to climb a 30 to 40 metres high section of successive round elevations that would perhaps give me access to a massive, curious rock feature besides which I would get a window view of both sides of the mountain.
Climbing diagonally and fiding the least difficult bit here and there, I got as close as I possibly could to the top, but was frustrated by a steep three metres high rock face just short of getting to my 'window'. Accepting defeat, in vain I searched for the easier bits where I had climbed up: I couldn't see them from up there. I nearly despaired.
I walked back and forth along the cliff a few times without finding any decent holds to start downclimbing. The sun was setting on the other side of the mountain and the shade on my side was warning me I had to find a way down, the quicker the better. I thought of calling the emmergency number... if only there was a single signal bar on my mobile! Where did I leave my emergency thistle? Should I start yelling for help? I sat down on the
cliff and had the crazy idea of sliding my bottom all the way down. That was when I saw pine trees on the far end of the cliff, going down the less steep side of the mountain. Would it be possible to climb a bit higher and walk along the thin ledge all the way to the trees? I would have to try!
It was nothing less than desperate to dodge thorny bushes up on that narrow ledge! My heart was pounding as I finally embraced my first tree (yes it felt like mine as I succumbed the urge to kiss it and say thank you), then hopped from one tree to another all the way down, back to the track. A hiking guide taking a group up the mountain saw me getting back to the track just ahead of them and asked me if I was a rock climber. "Not a very good one", was my answer as I rushed on the path in front of them. Better not be so cheeky from then on!
I walked all the way around the Giant's Thumb. Fantastic views! The track finished there but I carried on traversing on an
a huge, cruchy spherical rock and was very pleased to find an easy shortcut which took me back down to the road in no time. Five hours in total that hike took me. What a joy it is to survive one's own imprudence!
The following day I was on my way to Phoenix to pick up Teresa from the airport. It's so special to meet friends again at different places as a trip develops! And shoo away the ghost of loneliness for a little while...
Teresa and I stopped to photograph the saguaro cactus which can only be found in southern Arizona. Then we stretched on to Cottonwoods where we camped by the River Verde, a short drive southwest from Sedona. Together we hiked the awesome Cathedral Rock Trail all the way to the top, took our shoes off, hung our wet socks to dry up on the bushes and had a picnic enjoying the breeze on our tired feet and the Red Country views. After hiking down taking pictures of pretty flowers which contrast with their dry surroundings, Teresa and I ate Mexican food in Sedona's charming Main Street and drove up to see the cute Coffee
Pot Rock.
Back to the campsite, we had a rest and charged up our electrical gadgets in preparation for the next days we would spend at the south rim of the most glamourous canyons of all, about 3 hours drive north of gorgeous Sedona. Sedona would provide the favourite backdrop for my dreams, at least for the next few days to come...
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John
non-member comment
Wow!
Another quirky place, how do you find them! It must be good having Teresa there again, someone to talk to!