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In desperate need of a sanity break, John and I decided that
we were going to escape from reality, if only for a few hours, the day before
Easter Sunday this year. It had been several weeks since our last excursion,
and during that time we had been playing host to and having dinner with
relatives visiting from out of town (my mother, John's grandparents, and Aunt
Lotte and Uncle Richard). John had also participated in the Cox Communications
Air Show at Williams Gateway Airport as a member of the Cox Skydiving Team. He
carried in the American Flag again AND he was even interviewed on Cox Channel
9, for a program about the Cox Air Show.
To escape from the chaos, John suggested that we go on an easy hike, explore a
new wilderness area - and most importantly, spend time with each other. After
doing a little research, we found the Parsons Trail #144, in the Sycamore
Canyon Wilderness Area. The Parsons Trail was listed as "easy", meaning that I
wouldn't have any trouble hiking it, and from what we had heard, the
wilderness area was supposed to be very beautiful. So, Saturday morning, April
22, John and I embarked on our adventure to conquer the wilderness.
We figured that it would be a two hour drive to the trailhead, so we left the
house at 6:00 a.m., first making our usual stop for breakfast at Einstein's
bagels. To get to the trailhead, we took I-17 north to SR 89A, in Camp Verde.
State Route 89A took us through Cottonwood and Clarkdale. After passing
through Clarkdale, turned off onto the road to the Tuzigoot National Monument
and looked for the road that would take us to the trailhead. According to the
directions, we would have to take the first dirt road past the bridge over the
Verde River - of course, since the road wasn't marked, we drove right past it
the first time, so we flipped a U-turn and went back to it. That road was
Sycamore Canyon Road, or Forest Road 131, and we followed that road for eleven
miles.
The first nine miles of Sycamore Canyon Road was "super-slab", meaning that it
was easily accessible in our Oldsmobile. The last two miles, however, were a
little ugly, as we had to avoid a few oil-pan-eaters and tire-slashers as well
as deep ruts in which we could have gotten stuck. Despite the obstacles, we
were still able to make it to the trailhead without any trouble.
We arrived at the trailhead shortly before 9:00 a.m. and noticed that there
were already several cars parked there - there was even someone camped there,
despite the signs that read "Day Use Only". We, of course, expected to find
other people there, because the Parsons Trail is supposed to be very popular.
We just hoped that the trail wouldn't be ridiculously overcrowded, like Squaw
Peak.
After gearing up, we began our hike, first stopping at the wilderness sign to
share a "trail/new wilderness" kiss. Then, we began our two hundred-foot
descent into the canyon. This descent, though somewhat steep, was not very
difficult at all. It was only two hundred feet in length, not in elevation
change, so even I could do it at six months pregnant. (Of course, it was still
slow going for me because I needed to watch my step to keep from falling.)
As we reached the canyon floor, the hike became very flat as it followed
perennial Sycamore Creek upstream for 3.7 miles, to Parsons Spring.
Occasionally, the trail climbed over ridgelines to avoid natural obstacles,
but those climbs were very easy, never gaining more than twenty feet at a
time. There were also five creek crossings to deal with, some of which were
more difficult than others - one creek crossing involved walking across a log,
so you can imagine how fun that must have been for me! On the whole, though,
the trail was incredibly easy, and that meant that I was able to enjoy the
hike.
What made the trail even more enjoyable was the beauty of the Sycamore Canyon
Wilderness Area. All of the trail descriptions we had read described the area
as very scenic, but those words could not do it justice. Everything we saw was
just amazing! Along the creek, the foliage was so thick that the trees formed
a sort of canopy over the trail, giving us enough shade to keep us cool during
our hike. We also passed over jutting rock shelves, below which flowed the
Sycamore Creek. Here, the water was deep enough for swimming. Towering above
the shelves were the walls of the canyon, which stood some three hundred feet
above us. We discovered what looked like a mineshaft drilled into one wall. We
found re-bar in there, which indicated that it was more than likely a man-made
hole.
The trail was also exploding with color from the wildflowers that were
blooming. There were red Indian paintbrushes, white calla lilies, purple and
red cactus flowers, and bright orange flowers all along the length of the
trail. The most beautiful display, though, was about a mile from the
trailhead, where we found a thicket of trees and green grass, though which
there was a small rivulet flowing, and on the other side of the rivulet was a
thick patch of yellow columbines.
Around 11:30, we reached what looked like the end of the trail. All of the
sudden, the trail hit a dead end at a large pool of water, which we guess was
Parsons Spring. With a little bushwhacking through the reeds, we were able to
find another footpath that lead to the other side of the creek, where the
trail continued on the other side. However, at that point, the trail was
difficult to follow, so we decided to call it quits there and have lunch. We
sat down in the shade and ate our sandwiches while we listened to the sounds
of bees in the distance and to the buzz of a hummingbird's wings coming from
the trees above us. The silence was a welcome break from the chaos of our
lives - it meant that we at last had a little bit of solitude to share...for
about fifteen minutes.
We were just about to enjoy a moment of intimacy when suddenly we heard
voices. Then, a few minutes later, a couple of hikers crossed the creek and
passed by us, interrupting our solitude. They sat down nearby so that one of
the hikers could take off his shoes to rest his feet. Grumbling curses under
our breath, we packed up our gear and started hiking back towards the
trailhead.
Of course, that didn't mean that we had given up on the idea. It just meant
that we had to postpone it until we could find a more secluded spot. However,
by the time we began our return hike, the trail had become so crowded that it
was difficult to find such a spot. We probably passed at least one group of
hikers every fifteen minutes. Most of them were going the opposite way. John
remarked that they seemed to be getting a very late start, so I reminded him
that not everyone gets up at the crack of dawn like us to go hiking!
Not everyone seemed to mind the crowds of hikers that were beginning to
congest the area. During our return hike, as we were about to climb over a
pile of rocks on the trail, John came face to face with a rattlesnake!
Suddenly, he jumped back about five feet and yelled, "Snake! Snake! Snake!" I
rushed over to him to see what had happened, and he pointed out the snake's
head, which was poking out from its hole in the rocks. At first, we thought it
was a baby rattler, but upon closer inspection, John noticed that its body was
probably two to three inches in diameter - he was a BIG rattlesnake!
Obviously, this snake was not going to let us - or anyone, for that matter -
hike past him. "I think we'll go around," I suggested, looking around to find
an alternate route. Fortunately, there was another path a few feet below the
trail, which we used to hike safely past the snake.
We finally found a bit of solitude about a mile from the trailhead, when we
resolved to go off-trail a bit. Upon returning to the spot with the yellow
columbines, we crossed over the rivulet and hiked cross-country until we came
to Sycamore Creek, to a secluded area choked with trees, next to a wide
swimming hole. That was where we relaxed and played around until it was time
to go.
At 2:30 p.m., we completed the trail. The last two hundred feet, of course,
were quite steep, but since it was such a short distance, I didn't mind the
climb, even though I had to do it at my own slow pace. As we loaded our gear
into the car, we noticed that the parking area was almost full, and there were
still people arriving! Perhaps it is a good thing that we get up so early when
we go hiking, so that we don't have to encounter so many people, so that we
can enjoy the type of peace and quiet that can only be found in nature.
As we drove away from the trailhead and back towards reality, John and I were
smiling that we had spent our day hiking such a pretty trail and that we had
had a chance to pass the time together. |
