I exit the Boynton Canyon Vortex and decide to try, once again, to find the infamous Robber’s Roost cave that is somewhere in these Red rocks. Off trail I go, wandering through the Red Rock wilderness, yet the cave eludes me once again. No wonder robbers used this place as a hideout from the law….
Tag: the Vortex
The Birthing Cave
It’s just before 7 a.m. and the lyrics to “Mother Earth” are rolling around my brain as I hope to find the Birthing Cave out in here in Sedona. “You know when you’re bornYou first see light of dayThrough a gap in your mother’s legsIt’s the truthAnd from that minute onMost of us guysAnd some…
Airport loop vortex
Time to shift my latitude a few degrees from the Mogollon Rim down to the Vortex. November is the start of prime hiking in Sedona, and for my first hike of the new season I go to a trail recommended by a fellow blogger, the Airport loop vortex. Located just up from the middle of…
Dogie
Dogie : meaning ‘a motherless calf in a range herd.‘ I return to the trailhead that I discovered previously when exploring the Palatki ruins. The snow and ice is rapidly melting, creating a slippery river at the trails descent into the wild Sycamore backcountry wilderness. It’s a beautiful February day, with clouds shimmering on the…
24 hours of near perfect light
You could feel the magic in the air from the moment one awoke. Special light was seeping in through the windows from the sunrise. Today I venture out, once again, to try and find the hidden Hopi cave located somewhere in the Sedona Vortex. I find a dirt road and start hiking, exploring, wandering….wandering….wandering….alone in…
the Palatki ruins
The open BLM lands around the Vortex area call my name once again. During my past few trips I’ve stumbled across signs pointing one to the Palatki ruins of the ancient Native Hopi Indians. Today I follow the signs along the dusty and desolate road to their destination. Arizona truly has many hidden oasis areas….
Loy Butte
There is an ancient cave dwelling out here, or so I’ve been told. Southwest of the Vortex, bumbling along a dusty BLM road, I search the red rock desert for this place of healing and meditation. There aren’t any trail markings for this place. This is attempt number two trying to find it. I settle…
Brins Mesa
It is the first week of August, and I am finishing up another travel week of work here in Sedona. I stay over Friday night to rise, once again, at 5 a.m. to do another early morning hike. Brins Mesa. This trail connects with several others out here, and by using topography and GPS, I…
Adobe Jack
I had just finished a long travel week for work between Tucson and Sedona. It is July, and my general rule is no hiking between May- October in Arizona except in Flagstaff and the White Mountains due to the higher incidence of snake encounters. Rules are meant to be broken however. I need to break…
Crescent Moon Ranch cabin
Disclaimer **Please remember that this is a rustic historic ranch house and not a modern hotel. It is a cabin in the forest and very old. It was built by ranchers of the original homestead and made available for public use by the US Forest Service. It was the disclaimer that hooked me into renting…
Red Rock Crossing
Just below the Cathedral Rock formation in Sedona is a little oasis called Red Rock Crossing. A special place in the Vortex where spiritual energy is found and dark demons can be released. My plan is to do a little bit of both. Rock cairns are stacked everywhere along the river, the smooth shapes glistening…
Seeing more of Sedona’s backcountry
All of the snow that fell earlier in the week has melted, turning the trails in the Vortex into a slippery, wonderful mess. I pull up the zipper on my puffy jacket and start hiking. Today I am taking new trails deeper into the Sedona backcountry. With well marked trail signs along each route, I…