Sedona
Part 3: Vortex at Bell Rock
T-Bone at the tourist station didn’t sell any adventure passes to be able to park at the hiking trails. Luckily, there was an electronic ticket booth at the Vortex at Bell Rock, something the San Bernardino mountains here in So Cal should model after. I bought a weekly pass so we could hike freely for the next three days.
#thevortexmademedoit is a popular hashtag even though I did not fully understand the concept of one. Simply put, a vortex was supposed to emit the energy of Mother Earth. Perhaps the hairs on the back of my neck were supposed to stand. Or maybe, according to T-Bone, my attitude was supposed to change while I was are near the vortex. Ultimately, the energy is supposed to be healing and cleansing and that was part of the appeal of Sedona for me and Jackie. T-Bone did advise that once we got situated on the mountain we take our shoes off to truly, deeply feel the healing powers.
I changed out of my white tennis shoes and threw on my Merrell’s. I left my Camelbak backpack in the car assuming we’d only hike for about an hour but that was a mistake. I almost finished my water bottle on the way to bell-shaped rock and Jackie worried for me. At least I hadn’t forgotten my UV outdoor hat with the neck flap.
We could see people around the cicrumference of the mountain but didn’t know how they had gotten there. I assumed they had rock-climbed and that was not a stunt I was willing to perform. We eventually came across the markers that pointed in the direction of the bell-shaped rock and we soon started the ascend up the red rock stairs. There was a wedding party being photographed in a flat area to the left and we continued to follow the arrows to the right. We came to a halt where the mountain wall was too smooth and too vertical for us to continue. Although there were people young and old making their way up, Jackie and I did not want to risk a slip and fall. So she took it upon herself to find a boulder to meditate on and begin our cleanse.
I tried to search for the calm within. I tried to clear my head and let the energy of the vortex, the mountain, and Sedona feed my soul. But there were too many people, too much noise, too much yelling, and too much commotion for my introverted self. Jackie instructed me to turn my brain off, to keep the voices out — she claimed I had that power — but I couldn’t. I was experiencing a sensory overload and it wasn’t until I explained it as such that she understood. I sat with my feet grounded on that boulder taking deep breaths. Beside me, Jackie laid on the rock and closed her eyes while the sunlight recharged her.
We put our shoes on when the sun hid behind the red buttes across the highway. As we retraced our steps, Jackie was mesmerized by the vibrant colors reflected off Bell Rock by the setting sunlight. She stopped multiple times to try to capture the burning oranges and reds but neither our digital nor cell phone cameras served them any justice.
“You’re just going to have to remember this view,” I told her.
Content with having accomplished our first hike in Sedona but disappointed by the lack of vortex energy, we closed out our first full vacation day by checking into our home for the next three days. Arabella had a pool, jacuzzi, dog park, restaurant, and hiking trail. There was nothing special about the room except for the view of the red rocks and a patio with a teardrop swing chair which Jackie took advantage of the following night.
We changed into jeans, drove around the corner to a Mexican restaurant, had magaritas, and called it a night. We needed to be rested for the two hikes we had planned for the following morning.
