While surfing the Internet at work one day, John stumbled across a web site called "The Hikingsite.com" (now defunct), in which he found several beautiful trails for us to try. We chose the Brins Mesa Trail #119, near Sedona, for our next Sunday day trip because it sounded like a very pleasant hike. It is a three mile long trail one way (six miles round trip) that is relatively easy, with a very slight elevation change. The trail leads into the Red Rock/Secret Mountain Wilderness Area and ends with a breathtaking view of Sedona.

To get there, John and I left early that morning and drove through Sedona to the trailhead, which is on FR 152 (off of Dry Creek Road). The web site indicated that it was possible to take a sedan on that road. Since it was still monsoon season, much of the road had been washed out, but we had an Oldsmobile, which goes anywhere, so we didn't have a problem driving to the trailhead.

Having prepped our camelbacks, we started hiking. John indicated early on that we were not on a good trail. It is important to know that John defines a good trail by the width of the path. A wide path means that the trail is used rather heavily and that we may find a lot of people along the way. Our ideal trails are ones in which the path is only one person wide, meaning that we have to hike single file, not side by side. These trails are not used as frequently, and there is little evidence that a lot of people have been there (i.e. litter - sadly enough, we do find lots of litter on some of the trails we've hiked).

Despite the width of the path, the trail is a very beautiful one, cutting through Sedona's red rock country as it winds through the Secret Mountain Wilderness. We enjoyed looking at the various buttes and hills along the way, some of which had rather unique shapes to them. One of the mountains was in the shape of a coffeepot; another one, from a distance, looked like a great place for BASE jumpers (people who parachute off of cliffs). It was shaped like a right triangle with a slope of forty-five degrees leading up the peak, and a sheer drop going down the other side.

The trail was not at all strenuous. By the time we reach the terminus, we were not tired; I could have easily hiked this trail twice, round trip, in one day. John was hoping for more of a challenge...so he decided, "Let's go hike up that mountain!" (The one that looked like a right triangle!)

There was a very steep, narrow path leading up to the peak of the hill, and for the most part it was a strenuous hike -- the type of challenge John wanted -- but I was cursing him. Towards the top, we had to start rock climbing in order to reach the peak; at that point, I stopped cursing him because I always enjoy rock climbing. Finally, after all that hard work, we stood atop the summit, and it felt as though we were on top of the world. From there, we had a spectacular view of the city and of the Sedona Airport, which is situated on top of a mesa. As we ate lunch, we waved to the tourist planes, which circled overhead, and we wondered how many people could actually say that they had been there.

Climbing down off of the mountain took a little work, too, because it was so steep, but after that, the return trip to the car was easy. By the time we were done hiking, it was still early in the day, so John opened the map to see what else we could do that day. He suggested that we drive to Camp Verde to check out the road to the West Clear Creek Trail #17 trailhead. We had been planning to do a backpacking trip into this area for John's birthday, which was fast approaching, but we first needed to know what the road conditions were like.

Driving through Camp Verde brought back memories for me. I had spent many of my childhood days there, running through my Aunt Laverne's apple orchards while my dad went fishing in the Verde River. My Aunt Laverne passed away in 1980, leaving the apple orchard to her children, who have since sold the property. I shared these memories with John as we traveled through town because they were some of my favorite childhood experiences.

The road leading to the Bullpen camping area (the West Clear Creek Trailhead) -- FR 215 to FR 214 -- is a rather bumpy one, and high clearance 4WD vehicles are recommended, however, we made it there in the Oldsmobile. The campground is in a riparian area that is well shaded and pretty, but it was crowded with campers that afternoon. John and I didn't bother to stop to check out the trailhead, but he did roll down the window to shout at two guys who were about to bring their bicycles into the wilderness area, where bicycles were not allowed. They wouldn't listen, so, shaking our heads, we drove away.

The next stop on our adventure was Crown King, a ghost town high up in the Bradshaw Mountains several miles off of Interstate 17. John had been there before, and he said that it was a beautiful little town that he thought I should see. Getting there was a challenge as it entailed driving on a dirt road all the way up the mountain, however, the drive is part of the fun of going to Crown King. He told me that, for the most part, we would be driving through high desert. Then, all of the sudden, on the other side of a mountain pass, we would be in tall pines, and Crown King would be just yards away.

According to the map, Crown King is called a ghost town, but it is a thriving community with beautiful houses and a nice restaurant. John and I stopped there to have a delicious dinner, served to us on the terrace, which overlooked the town. On the terrace, there were about ten hummingbird feeders...and about fifty hungry hummingbirds hovering over them! That was an amazing sight.

After leaving Crown King, we called it a day and headed home. The sun was setting, and another adventurous day was over.

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