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| Hiking | 9.61 Miles |
2,725 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.61 Miles | 7 Hrs 51 Mns | | 1.84 mph |
| 2,725 ft AEG | 2 Hrs 38 Mns Break | 25 LBS Pack | | |
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| partners | | Joel and I headed up to Sedona in hopes of snow and Mother Nature certainly granted our wish, maybe a little too much actually...
The tourist cattle pen of a trailhead was filled when we arrived just after noon but once we took a couple hundred steps on to the trail we were all alone and greeted with peace and quiet.
About 30-45 min into our hike we started to see our very first signs of snow flurries and from that point on it literally never stopped snowing or producing precipitation the remainder of our journey.
Just underneath the bench is when I remember the wind and snow really starting to whip up since those switchbacks have no cover whatsoever,
I believe we were both eager to go find some temporary shelter underneath branches of the first measly tree we could spot once we hit the plateau.
We had a quick lunch and drank a much needed brew while we took refuge from the snowfall, I was surprised just how fast the snow was accumulating in a short time period.
Once on the summit lookout trail we passed one unphased hiker coming down from top who simply told us he was bummed there was no visible views due to the up top so he turned around, rather peculiar fellow indeed.
Upon reaching the general summit is when we were truly in a winter wonderland and had a solid inch of snow already softly crunching underneath our feet.
It was awesome to hike in those conditions but this is the point where I made my change from my sweat soaked thin cotton apperal that was completely frozen with a fresh sheet of icicles clinging to them.
I quickly stripped down to my chonies and put on much more adequate triple thermal layers, two beanies, long john underwear and a large snow jacket.
I was bone chilling cold for a few moments whiles exposed with tomato red skin but once I was properly dressed I was all good to go, only reason I had to make the wardrobe change is the fact that I sweat like fat guy and my ascent clothes were wet as usual.
Soon after that we hit the southern edge of Wilson Mountain to what would have been spectacular expansive views were in this case a visibility of maybe about 10 feet.
The summit was a complete whiteout, we were in the heart of the blizzard at that point which was actually pretty awesome considering I had a serious amount of craft beer in my body keeping my warm but in a photography aspect it was a bummer.
Joel introduced me to a Java Imperial Stout that trip that I have a new found love for especially since my first one was drank on the edge of the mountain bracing underneath a juniper tree from the harsh snowstorm winds, at that point this beer really was nectar from the gods that saved my soul.
We agreed the photos desired were not going to be achieved up there due to extreme weather conditions so we opted to head back down towards the bench before sunset or in this case when the light went from white to black.
It was quite the challenge to battle the elements and take photos while shielding my camera from the harsh winds and steady snowfall with a spare pack cover but it sure was a fun experience.
Darkness came at the the flick of a light switch and when it arrived it was darker than deepest depths of the ocean bottom.
When we both turned our headlamps off we were surrounded by a black abyss with no trace of light around whatsoever with a visibility of maybe 1-2 feet.
It certainly was awesome to experience that feeling but as we descended the snow soon turned into rain and Joel and I turned into the "Soggy Bottom Boys" for those of you that are O Brother, Where Art Thou fans like myself.
Anyway I was beyond grateful to get home later that night to warm up with a few large bowls of steaming hot leftover turkey soup!
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