To the Grand Canyon

I was glad to make an early start in the morning, and headed back into Sedona to a picturesque breakfast by Bell Rock and Courtehouse Butte before the crowds arrived. More info on the region here.

Great spot for a Kona Coffee

I then made my way back up the valley to the West Fork Trail, which I’d decided I’d use as a warm-up 6mi trail run.

West Fork Trail (canyon walk)

It was fantastic to get out of the car and start interacting with the environment, rather than just viewing it from a distance. The track meandered past an apple grove then headed between two tall, red rock canyon walls. It was spectacular to be surrounded by these cliffs as I wound my way along the dappled early morning sunlight of the trail, crossing  the creek 13 times as I went. 

Creek crossing beneath the cliffs

After 90min I’d reached the end-point. The canyon had narrowed, so now there was only room for the creek. If only I had a few more days to explore! This would make an excellent overnight walk, especially traipsing through the narrow creek. I turned, and made great time jogging back (without photo stops this time).

Contemplating a longer overnight hike

Back on the road, I quickly made it to Flagstaff, where I dropped into Barnes and Nobel to pick up a book (John Muir’s, “My first Summer in the Sierra”) and use the wifi to search out a potential “dispersed” campsite for the night and call Billy on Skype. In a small backstreet of Flagstaff, I came across this fantastic halloween display - good one Allen! 

Distractions aside, it was on to the Grand Canyon!

Scenic route to the Grand Canyon along Highway 180

Once again, it was late in the day when I had my first glimpse of the canyon. Wow! The sight is unbelievable. Expansive, jagged. Real, but then surreal at the same time – the view warps your sense of scale and I couldn’t tell you if the canyon was 1mi or 10mi across (the pamphlet at the entrance gate confirmed it’s more like 10mi).

First view of the Grand Canyon

I passed 4 carparks packed with cars and RV’s glinting in the last hot rays of the sun outside the main Visitors Centre and wound my way through some backstreets to the out-of-the-way Backcountry permits office. The ranger told me I’d have to wait until later in the week to hike my preferred Bright Angel – South Kaibab route, and laughed when I asked about the Rim to Rim walk (apparently people apply for hiking permits for this months in advance).

Instead he suggested I take a lesser known route down Hermit’s Trail, “for experienced Grand Canyon walkers only” on the South Rim of the canyon to the west of the main tourist attractions. Usually only accessible by the shuttle, I’d need a passcode to get through the gate to access the road. He also warned me that the trail wasn’t maintained, with a number of rock slides to negotiate.

There didn’t seem too many other options, so this was going to be it! My route to the Colorado River, down and back up the great Grand Canyon, 20+miles in total and more than 4,500ft descent (then ascent!) over two days. Phew!

The ranger also told me about a great camping spot, alongside Forest Road (FR)310, in the nearby Kaibab State Forest. Yay! I headed out on the dirt (un-signposted) road just past mile marker 253, and quickly spotted a place in the trees. In the last light of the day, I put up the tent, started up the stove and was feeling pretty happy about things.

A nice campsite to end the day...so I thought

Mid way through my tomato-salami pasta bake, I heard barking nearby. Grrrr, someone has a dog with them, I hope they’re not too inquisitive or aggressive. The sound turned to a high pitched scream. What on earth was that?!?! With dogs on my mind, I thought it may have been a wolverine. Or worse, a pack of wolverines, circling my campsite ready to attack (and attracted by the salami).

I contemplated moving to the car. But then the ranger hadn’t warned me of any crazy animals (and I had asked!). So I hoped that the creature would leave, and tucked myself into the tent. The noise continued for an hour, whilst I read through all the pamphlets I’d been provided on the park. A small note in one of the newsletter columns mentioned that deer rutting season started in October. The penny dropped. Earlier in the day I’d seen plenty of deer and elk around. I convinced myself it was bambi, not wolverine. Phew.

(for those interested, here’s a link to the crazy sound! You’d freak out too!)

A change of scenery - Waikiki to Phoenix

Talk about a change of scenery!

On Friday morning, I stood out on the balcony of the Aston Waikiki Sunset and watched my final sunrise over Diamond Head, ready to say good-bye to beautiful Hawaii and farewell the girls who were heading back to Australia.

Last sunrise over Diamond Head

I was now on my own, and ready to start the next section of my travels – 10 days travelling from Phoenix, Arizona to San Francisco, California camping and hiking in the National Parks I have dreamed of since high-school.

It was hard to tell where I was when I landed in Phoenix at midnight, picked up the car and found my way to the hotel in darkness. But it was with glee that I woke up on Saturday and headed out on the wide roads of Phoenix. The sprawling, low level metropolis spanned out in front of me, with a backdrop of red mountains and a nearby rocky outcrop seemingly sticking out from amongst the buildings. Teehee. It feels like I’m on the moon! Or perhaps on the Wild West set of Movie World on the Gold Coast. I remember thinking, “is this for real?!?”

Land of the Wild West

It sure was! First stop was the Arizona Hiking Shack, where I spoke to Justin, a helpful sales staff and picked up some gas for my stove. He was hiking to Phantom Ranch in the Grand Canyon the following week and gave me some tips.

I had already decided to take the scenic route north, travelling along the 87 highway through Payson, then the small towns of Pine and Strawberry, back to the interstate near Camp Verde and up to Sedona for the night. Justin confirmed this was the best way to go, and mentioned I should try out the pie shop in Pine. He also mentioned the best place to camp was (illegally) up at the Oak Creek Vista at the north of the Sedona Valley, and the best hike to do in the region was the West Fork trail.

Planned route for Days 1 & 2

Armed with this information I set off! Next stop, just up the road at Fry’s supermarket where I filled the boot with groceries to last me the next week of camping.

It was startling driving up the highway towards Payson – I really was in the desert, filled with cactus, gravel, towering red rocks and small salt-bushes. Even the powerlines looked like distinctive cactus to me! I turned on the radio and tuned into the local country and western channel, just to get into the spirit of things.

Off on a great US roadtrip

Payson reminded me of a smaller Phoenix – wide roads with shops dispersed and set well back from the thoroughfares. It was hard to get a feel for the place, so I passed through quickly. Pine was a much quainter town, with a few shops, converted from old log cabin homes. I stopped for a bagel made from ingredients in my boot, searched around for the recommended pie shop (but to no avail) then continued.

The scenery changed again, and merged from desert to pine forest and open ranch meadows.

First glimpse of Rim country

Next stop was Camp Verde, where I wandered into an incredible shop filled with horse harnesses, stirrups, leather belts, and cowboy boots!

Love these boots!

The sales lady was great, dressed in a flannelette shirt, pigtails and missing her two front teeth – she enthusiastically told me about her two horses. The scene was filling the stereotype completely, until the conversation moved to her love of the Back Street Boys and their upcoming trip to Phoenix in Spring. She got out her iPhone and portable speaker and we listened to two songs from their latest album. Stereotype shattered!

It was getting late in the afternoon, so I made a beeline for Sedona. I turned a corner in the road and was greeted by the most amazing site – bright red monoliths emerging from the desert floor. Just stunning!

First views of Sedona

A quick stop at the visitors centre revealed my next potential problem – the lady gave me a “right-on girl!” call when I mentioned I was travelling by myself, but was concerned that the campsites would all be full given it was the weekend. I didn’t have mobile reception to call ahead, so instead decided to drive down the picturesque valley and try my luck. I still had Justin’s tip about camping at the northern vista, so I wasn’t too concerned.

An hour later, it was 5:30pm, approaching dark, and I’d discovered that all the campgrounds were completely full. Still not worried, I wound my way north to the tip-off. At 6pm, I’d made it to the top of the escarpment, only to find the gates to the vista closed and locked! This wasn’t expected! Now a bit worried, I headed back down to Sedona to the final place the lady in the visitors’ centre had recommended – a campsite well out of town, on the other side of the interstate.

It took me an hour to get there, but I could see the “Full” sign clearly in the darkness. I drove around the site, wondering if I could pinch a sneaky site, when a man came over to the car. He helpfully suggested that if I had water, I could camp by the side of the road “dispersed camping” just a few short miles away.

That will have to do! I turned onto a rutted dirt road, and crawled along until I found a pull-over. It didn’t feel overly safe, and I was worried about all the axe-murderers who drive round backcountry roads at night, so walked a short way up a hill to set up camp. Much like the Indians, seeking higher ground to ward off attackers below, right? Unfortunately, this also revealed that I was only a couple of miles from the buzzing interstate!

A less than ideal campsite for my first night