No, the title is not a new boutique store or fashion craze... it is the description of the weekend that I experienced. Saturday morning started around 5am with packing up supplies and hiking gear...(including a hoodie and gloves because Sedona is way cooler than the valley). I brought a cooler with water and my sandwiches and picked up Lacey and Jody at 6:30 and headed to the meeting place in Phoenix. After we we all situated, Warren joined us in the Jeep and off we went to Oak Creek Canyon...($10 per car so we carpooled). Got up there around 10ish and set up the picnic and feasted and then cleaned up and headed on the 6 mile portion of the trail... (there are 3 separate trails at the west fork). This was not my first time at the canyon... (I visited it when I first moved here), but it sure was different this time. Because of the record amount of snow fall in the higher elevations... (we were over 5000 feet above sea level and they had 48" more than average this winter) there was still snow on the ground and the creek which was a trickle you stepped over last time was a raging river this time. We had to cross the creek several times on slime-laden rocks and shaky limbs (tree and our own) and fallen logs... (several members took an ice cold river bath in the 20 degree water). I made it across three times without pitching into the water...(several close calls) before I decided that I wanted to hike and not become an honorary beaver... I made my way back to base camp crossing back across 2 of the crossings unscathed and reached the last before the line coming across was too long to wait. I removed shoes and socks, pulled up my shorts and waded into the river. Hootchie Mama!! That's some cold water!! It was so cold that I lost feeling in my feet halfway across (which, now that I think of it, is not a bad thing). I made it without tumbling (the water was also crystal clear) and sat on the other side trying to get my toes to become mine again.
Shoes with no socks (yuck!), I trudged back to base and chatted with some other non-beavers while drying off and putting my socks back on. The other main trail was described as a moderate hike (more difficult than easy) taking 850 feet up to Thomas Point and a view of the valley second to none. Jody and I decided to try it and off we went. Moderate...(I hate to see what they would consider HARD). This path wound around and up the entire way and had me huffing and puffing after not too long...(because Jody was also huffing & puffing and is younger than I am, I didn't feel too bad). It was also the effect of the elevation... (and the fact that I am so out of shape). We stopped along the way and they didn't lie about the view...it was spectacular. At one point we could see the snow capped top of Humphrey's Peak (the highest point in Arizona--useless factoid of the day). We made it to the top and just hung out. The only sounds were the rushing of the creek down below and the screeching of eagles and hawks... We also saw piles of animal scat (thank you Discovery Channel) and figured there were mountain lions in the area and we decided not to hang out too long. If I saw a mountain lion there would also be some human scat (mine) on that mountain. So, we headed down the mountain and it was harder than the climb... (lots of loose rocks and snow). But we made it and met up with our other carpoolers...(they had to forge the creek several more times after they left us--I'll go back in the summer when the cool water will be a blessing.
We got back in the car and drove down to Phoenix passing through the historic town of Sedona...(the red rock region is a must see for visitors--hint,hint). By the time I dropped off my car mates it was after 8pm and I was exhausted... Had to be up on Sunday morning around 5am to drive to Glendale for work at 7am.
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