Hiking Adventures

I'm not sure how we decided this exactly, but my friends and I have decided to try and go backpacking at some point in the future. In order to do this, we realized that we need to start hiking on a regular basis. We're all pretty out of shape, so the trails we're starting on are still pretty short. We started our hikes a couple of weeks ago, and this is where we've gone so far:

Peralta Trail

 

A couple weeks ago, we took the Peralta Trail. This is one of the most popular hikes in the Superstitions and we were hiking during the prime time of the year. Bill and I explored this hike a little bit about year ago. We hadn't gone very far, so we didn't get to see exactly how difficult it was.

This time, our group decided to go to the main landmark on the trail, the saddle, which was 2.2 miles in. What we didn't know was that this hike was almost entirely uphill going in and downhill going out. That was rough on a bunch of out of shape people! Bill and I also decided to take our backpacking backpacks to see how we would do with them. I loaded mine up with some extra food and layers and Bill loaded his up with camera gear.

 Gabby demonstrating the rehydrating properties of coconut water.

Bill finding a moment of zen during one of our breaks.

After huffing and puffing up hill for a while, we saw this lovely view:

 Me with my backpacking backpack. It was tiring wearing it for the first time!

 At this point, I stopped to take a lot of pictures because I was worn out. The view in this canyon is very cool, though, so I didn't mind.

 Gabby and I in the last stretch. We were almost there!

 When you reach the saddle, you can see down the main canyon you just climbed up. On the other side, you can see down a different canyon and you have a great view of weaver's needle.

 Our group!

 The true nature of our group lol.

Bear Mountain Trail

 

 Last weekend we took a day trip to Sedona. The weather was perfect for a winter hike with temperatures in the mid 60s and blue skies. After stopping for Subway (their food has really gotten bad!) and driving around Sedona trying to find our turn off, we finally made it to the parking lot. This is a popular area with a couple of different trails available, so we weren't able to park in the parking lot and had to park on the road.

The Bear Mountain Trail is another difficult hike that is mostly uphill on the way up. It climbs very quickly and reminds me a bit of Picacho Peak with its steepness.

We reached this point about 15 minutes in. To give you some perspective, we parked our car along the road in the picture.

As you continue climbing, the trail takes you back into a canyon and you have these beautiful views.

This was the halfway point on the hike and with the Sedona altitude (4500 feet -- we're used to 1000 feet), we were done about here. This was a great spot to stop though.

Our group this time.

Cheesy album cover "everyone look in different directions" pose.

The view on the way back. We made it just before sunset.

The Many Faces of Arizona Winter: Part 1

So it all started when Angel, Isabel, and I decided to go to the Grand Canyon a couple of weeks before Christmas. We thought, "Oh, how cool! It will be covered in snow. We'll be able to see it without all the tourists and get a cool view that no one else gets." Then we hit a snowstorm an hour outside of Flagstaff.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it does snow in Arizona, and we even get snow storms. We took this drive in a Toyota Yaris with snow tires. We had chains in the trunk, but we were really hoping to not have to try and put them on.

  

The view from the backseat. We saw lots of cars that had skidded off the road into the embankments. Arizona drivers don't know what to do in the snow (us included lol). 

The view out my window.

Look at that lovely, icy road...

Flagstaff.

On the way to our hotel, we went skidding while turning left in an intersection (I told you we didn't know what we were doing lol)  and landed in a snow drift. Luckily, we didn't hit anything hard. Although, we carried this chunk of snow to the parking garage underneath the car. Her car isn't white by the way, that's all snow.

We reached Flagstaff a little late, but we decided to see if we could get to the Grand Canyon anyway.

The road was empty and covered in snow, so we stopped near this field for a freezing cold photo op and then headed back into town.

The road. There's pavement under there somewhere lol.

  Angel and Isabel.

We stayed at the Hotel Monte Vista. We'd heard it was historical and haunted and thought it would be a fun adventure. Turns out that historical just meant old and cheaply done and the only people who might be haunting the place are former customers who were disgruntled about the bad customer service. The rude woman working at the front desk actually gave us directions to the janitor's closet on the second floor to go hunt down a plunger so we could plunge our own toilet. Seriously?? We were staying at the Hotel Monte Vista, not the Hostel Monte Vista (I've been treated much better at hostels, by the way).

Anyway, the bar at the hotel was nice and served some tasty drinks (above and below)

Icicles!!!

Flagstaff the next morning. A beautiful winter wonderland!

We decided that we were ill-equipped for more snow driving, so we decided to spend the next day in Sedona.

The highway was much more inviting this morning.

Beautiful Sedona red rock capped with snow.

We couldn't resist heading out for a short hike.

Isabel and I getting the perfect shots.

The look on our faces is "Thank God it's not 15 degrees here."

Taking it in.

Isabel found me an awesome dead tree to photograph. I am a fan of the dead trees.

I had to use the zoom on my camera to figure out if that was, in fact, a person up there.

"Angel! Pull over in that parking lot that has five 'Gallery Parking Only' signs! We have to take a picture!!"

People actually live here.

I think this picture speaks for itself. I found it hanging in the middle of a huge indoor/outdoor shop. I'm not actually sure where it's pointing. There was a tree over <== there with some wind chimes hanging from it.

After finding some cool things at the shop, we headed over to a couple of the new age crystal hippie shops and then headed home. We didn't get to the Grand Canyon, but we had an adventure!

Check back for The Many Faces of Arizona Winter: Part 2 with footage from a snow storm and an awesome New Year's day sunset!