Nature tends to be a touchstone for me. When outside, whether for exercise or play with the family, I am always revitalized. Is it the air? Is it the enjoyment of life around me? I am not certain, but it's true just the same. I guess if it weren't so cold out this morning, I would go out on the deck and stare at the trees for a little so I could forget that I put J on the bus in tears. *sigh* Christmas vacation is almost here, and everyone is crawling to the finish line. But anyway.
I was ready to be bowled over by Arizona, and Arizona did not disappoint. From the windows of the airplane I began to absorb the new environment, so completely different from what I am accustomed to.
We drove up to the Grand Canyon from Pheonix. It was a haul, and one that took till after dark thanks to a morning flight delay, but it wasn't terrible. At least we got to enjoy being surrounded by cactus and palm trees before climbing into the hills at sunset.
It was pitch black and cold when we finally arrived. How cold? Well, it had been 60 when we hopped in the rental car. The car's thermometer read 4 when we pulled into the parking lot at El Tovar. There had been a storm a few days earlier, and the entire Grand Canyon park was coated in a heavy blanket of snow that made me feel like we were driving through the set of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. The feeling was only heightened when I saw the hotel - over 100 years old - fully decked out with Christmas decorations and lights inside and out. Just beautiful.
Our East Coast internal clocks woke us before 6am, and we stumbled into the hotel dining room before sun-up. Over breakfast we chatted about our first hike, discussing water supplies, turn-around points, etc. I could see the light growing in the sky. JBL pointed out some huge icicles that had formed from the porch roof, visible through the plate glass window behind me. I turned to admire the scene when I realized there was enough light out now to illuminate the canyon. It was barely 50 yards away.
We scrambled to finish up and get our gear on. After a quick stop at the village shop to buy crampons and rent poles, we were off to the Bright Angel Trail. It's one of the most popular ways to get down in the canyon, and is considered fairly easy. Because of it's many 'switchbacks', the descent isn't terribly steep. But it's significant nonetheless, and with the snow and mule...er...droppings, I found the footing to be a bit of a challenge.
We hiked for SIX hours total, and didn't even get a third of the way down. Bright Angel is beautiful, and at one point I opined that it is the trail equivalent of driving Highway 1 in California: a sheer rock wall up on one side, a steep downhill on the other.
When we started off it was clear, but snow moved in by the time we climbed out. Luckily we got both stunning views of the canyon.
The next day's trek took us down the South Kaibab Trail, known for it's steep declines and panoramic views. Unexpectedly, the footing was easier on this trail - less slushy snow, and no mule poop. We didn't mind the more challenging hike - both because we were conditioned well enough, and because the views were just so incredible. One stunner after another. This trail was also much less populated, with us eeking by about half the people than we'd seen the previous day. It's relative quietness left us feeling at many points like we were the only people left on Earth.
It may sound utterly ridiculous to say this, but I could not, can not wrap my mind around the enormity of the canyon. The last photo is our lunch break on the Kaibab. We were on a ridge that jutted way out in the middle of our portion of the south rim and faced east, and that view behind me - that was what we saw in every direction we looked, as far as we could look. The beauty of the light playing against the colors of the canyon rock, reaching back billions of years, cannot be overstated. There are no words, really, to describe it. I was alternately moved to laughter and tears, literally.
After that four hour hike, and a bit of a struggle back to the rental car ("Trusty") because of the snow on the rim, we headed south to Sedona.
We arrived at dusk, so were not fully able to appreciate the scene around us. I, however, was taken aback by the lovely accommodations JBL had arranged. Enchanment Resort lives up to its name. Beautiful, tucked into the rock walls of Boynton Canyon (which made me think of Sandra Boynton books - I am a mom, after all).
The next day it rained cats-and-dogs in the morning, so we shelved our hike plans and hit the town. It was uninspiring in the wet and cold, clearly designed for warm and dry conditions with many outdoor courtyards and shops spaced far apart. I will appreciate all the art galleries and post-hippie offerings (what the heck are 'aura' photos, anyway?) if we go again in the Spring.
The afternoon was spent at the spa, and my GOD, what a spa it was. Three hours for a facial and massage? Yep, that's my idea of a good time. Dinner was casual and quiet, and drinks followed by the generous fireplace in the 'library' area between the two restaurants.
The last full day was spent mostly outdoors. I began with a run among the sage and cactus, headed back to Mii Amo for a yoga session, then grabbed JBL for a hike into Boynton Canyon. Behind the resort, the trail hunkered into a frosty forest with high red rock cliffs on either side.
After a leisurely lunch, we (sadly) packed up Trusty, and checked out, heading for one last hike. Doe Mountain. Not a real mountain, mind you, but a 'moderate' climb to a mesa outside of town with a 360-degree view of all of southern Sedona. Would it be wrong to use the term stunning again? This is when I went into full sensory overload. Long afternoon shadows, the smell of cedar, the sounds of robins, but not the same kind as live in EBF Maryland. I imagined lizards and scorpions and snakes, probably plentiful in the heat of summer.
JBL and I soaked it in one last time before heading back down to Pheonix for the night. I would have more to say about Pheonix if A) we had been there for more than 10 hours, and B) if I hadn't already been so incapacitated by all I'd seen before. Let me just say one thing, though. If you ever have a chance to stay at the Royal Palms, do not hesitate to do so. Insane.
So that was the big trip. I left 39, and came back 40. I also came back feeling changed - insignificant and soaked through with the beauty of the land out west. I can't wait to go back.
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