Sedona
Part 6: The Last Hike
I couldn’t believe how tasty the chicken ramen we had for lunch had been; slurping the broth had hit the spot. Jackie also said that had been the best tofu she ever had. I felt bad leaving a mound of noodles behind but it just wasn’t the day for stuffing myself, especially after having been consumed with food poisoning the day before.
It was Saturday afternoon and we had one hike down and one more to go. But I needed to recharge before we headed to Soldier’s Pass Trail. Jackie found a park close by whose parking lot was full because it was such a beautiful day — warm but not too sunny. There were two parties taking place underneath the only two shade trees and lots of children running around in the playground.
The only spot I could take a power nap on was under a short tree surrounded by mulch. Jackie didn’t like the area but I used my car’s sun shade as a blanket and my hiking backpack as a pillow, per her suggestion. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes while she researched the hike a bit more.
Because I’m a light sleeper, I never got past the first stage of sleep. My own muscle twitches and spasms woke me several times. I felt rested enough after 30 minutes, used the restroom, and got going for the last hike of our trip.
Traffic had started getting backed up in town since it was mid afternoon so it took a little longer to get to Soldier’s Pass. Once off the main streets, the paved road eventually turned to gravel. None of the blogs Jackie had read mentioned anything about going off roading but that’s exactly where we found ourselves. Avoiding sharp rocks and deep holes, we trekked for a good minute before we pulled into the parking lot. We reapplied our sun screen and got started on the four-mile hike.
We initially bumped into two men who we thought were a father and son duo. They were red in the face with exhaustion. The older one asked us if the parking lot was nearby and Jackie said, “Oh, you made it,” as she pointed behind us.
The man then turned to who we believed to be his son and said, “See, we made it.”
The interaction gave us insight into what lay ahead of us.
The hike started off beautifully. It had the most foliage we had seen on the entire trip thus far. We came face to face with ponderosa trees, bright green bunches of grass growing sporadically, and tiny purple flowers sprinkled throughout the landscape. We also had great views of red rock mountains.
We crossed paths with several more parties who looked scorched, breathed heavily, and glistened with sweat. I was glad we’d be hiking back in the evening when the cooler climate would be on our side.
The vegetation was eventually replaced by red rock flooring. Hiking through this trail was very similar to the Vortex at Bell Rock except I actually sensed the energy here. I told Jackie it felt disrepectful to be walking on this mountain’s smooth surface with her millions of years of history marked on her face. The painted lines across the buttes told the story of the sea levels that once existed. And erosion had caused a big chunk of wall to break off in 1950, reminding us that mother nature was as fragile and unpredictable as our lives.
The smooth rocky trail continued until we reached the Seven Sacred Pools. I had hoped to splash myself with their holiness but the pools were a little grimy and home to the local flies.
The next stretch of the hike would reveal what had appealed to Jackie the most about this trail: three hidden caves. It was at the Seven Sacred Pools that we bumped into a family of four and we took them along for the ride. We initially made a wrong turn that ended in a dead end but eventually found our way and hiked the most tiring and slippery path of the trip up to the caves. The large rock stairs were covered in sand, making it hard to grip and exhausting to climb. I had to rely on tree roots to secure my footing because a lot of rocks were loose and grabbed on to branches to help me up. Before we reached the peak, we saw through the trees two large openings on the rock wall that looked like windows. We knew we had made it.
I was perfectly content taking in the sight a few feet below the entrance to one of the caves because the path was a game of slip and slide. But Jackie insisted I meet her at the top. A separate lonesome hiker had beat her to the climb and Jackie followed right behind her. I saw the young woman walk across a narrow path behind the opening of the cave and pose for a picture that Jackie took of her. Being terrified of slim walkways, Jackie came down soon after without exploring. We stood underneath the window arches and admired nature’s rock formations as well as our bodies and strength for getting us up there.
If coming up had been difficult, we knew the descend would be even tougher. That portion of he mountain was composed of fine dirt sand that made the ground very uneasy to walk on. Because there were a lot more wobbly rocks, I looked for ingrown tree roots to secure each step. I also kept my knees bent as I climbed down at an angle in steeper sections.
I think I almost kissed the ground when we made it out of the foresty, sandy portion of the hike. It was all smooth red rock floor from there.
We seized the sunset views on this last night in Sedona as we walked back to the car. Like I said before, I perceived the power of the red rocks on this hike as opposed to the vortex trail a few days before. Walking on the mountain itself, on the remarkable red rock, gave me the sensation that I was being protected. I felt a strong hold, magnetic almost. I was calm. I was content. I was at peace.
We reached the car before it was completely dark. We stopped in Uptown to grab a small bite and finished off the 8-hour, 30,000 steps hiking day with ice cream.
I couldn’t believe we had hiked an entire workday. Jackie couldn’t believe my body, as dehydrated and nutrient-deprived as it had been, endured the physical activity I had put it through. At the same time, she couldn’t believe that her working-from-home stagnant body has also prevailed. I reminded her that she had maintained a good distance ahead of me throughout the duration of this trip as well and she once again expressed amazement for what the human body could and would withstand. She didn’t fully trust that the medication alone had helped me get better. She truly believed my will power had been the only medicine I needed.
Our bodies.
Mother nature.
Two amazing entities. One big world.
