Relaxing Retreat in the Arizona Desert

There are times when you book something online and when you arrive, it’s even better than expected. That’s what happened when I arrived at the house from ModernDesertRetreat.com. I drove up and was transported away.

First of all, Karen the owner, was there to greet me with a glass of wine and a plate of cheese. I mean, how amazing is that? I wish someone was at my apartment every day waiting for me to arrive with treats like that. Secondly, the studio I had rented in the house was bigger than some of my apartments and nicely decorated. And then thirdly, you have the view, which is to die for.

PREPARE TO BE AMAZED

There was no one else staying in the house that week so I had it to myself. Karen opened the floor-to-ceiling 20 foot long glass doors from the living room to the patio and I think I might have gasped in delight like those women on the "Price is Right."

The house was perched on the top of a hill in Fountain Hills and overlooked the valley with views of the mountains in the distance.  Karen then showed me the pool and the lounge area. Already, I was regretting all the errands I had planned to do, because now all I wanted to do was have Karen pour me another glass of wine, sit out on the lounge and watch the sun go down over the mountains. I wanted to savor the moment.

But there was more. Karen then told me about the trail out back of the house that was a few miles long and took to you to the town of Fountain Hills. You know me and hiking. I can’t resist – especially when it’s in the deserts of Arizona. I love the mix of cactus, the color of the earth and how it all changes as the sun sets. But there was the wine…and the lounge. Decisions, decisions… I was like a kid on Christmas morning with too many new presents and not sure which one to do first.

A GREAT SPACE WORTH SHARING

So there I was watching the sun go down on my third day of hanging out at Karen’s Modern Desert Retreat, and all I could think about was what an amazing place this is. Karen, who is an event planner, agreed.

She said she bought the house saying she thought it would be a great place to host events, but hadn't gotten around to doing it.  It had that amazing view, it was spacious, it had this amazing kitchen and living room set up for mingling and it felt secluded, but really the city was just down the hill.

And then suddenly it hit me. Here I was talking to a woman who knew how to do events in a place that was amazing.  Could this be the place I had been looking for?  No, I'm not talking about buying -- although if I had loads of money, then yes, I would buy it in a heartbeat. But what I am talking about is a Fitness/yoga/wellness retreat.

I’ve been wanting to host a fitness retreat in Arizona for a few years, but every place I’d seen hadn’t felt right. Karen’s place didn’t just feel right. It was perfect.  And the more we talked about it and what we could do, the more perfect it became.

CREATING THE PERFECT ARIZONA 3-DAY RETREAT

 Now imagine this…you've arrived at the house with your girlfriend and you’re greeted with a glass of wine and some snacks while given a tour of the house. That evening, you’ll either join me on a sunset hike or unwind by pool and spend some time relaxing on your own. In the morning, a yoga instructor arrives and conducts a class on the patio with the view of the mountains in front of you.

You then eat a healthy breakfast and get ready for your session with Soul Love Awakening founder, Tamara Hanson, who will guide and nurture your mind and spirit. From there, you’ll visit Sedona for an afternoon of hiking and guided meditation with a shaman. Then it time to return to the house to relax poolside while your dinner is prepared.

Sound good? And that’s just the first day.

Check out the rest of the retreat

PHOTO MOMENT: Outside Antelope canyon

I can't get enough of the desert. This is outside (or on top of) Antelope canyon.  You enter through the "slots" or giant cracks.

PHOTO MOMENT: Arizona desert

While driving in Arizona looking for the slot canyons, I got a little lost. But with desert this gorgeous, being lost isn't all bad.

The beauty of Antelope Canyon

There are a few things I didn’t get to do when living in Arizona and visiting Antelope Canyon to check out the amazing wave shapes in the stone was one of them.

Antelope Canyon is located 4 hours from Phoenix or you can go from Las Vegas. It’s 4 hours from there as well. It’s quite a drive if you plan to go, see it and drive back in a day. I drove up to Flagstaff the night before and stayed in a cheap hotel to break up the trip, which I was glad I did as I got lost on the way and the 4-hour drive turned into 6 hours.

 The lower and upper canyon are on Navajo land by Page, AZ and are located just outside the town.  Surprisingly, it wasn't crowded at all, but they do recommend booking in advance just in case.

The canyon is what they call a slot canyon. You enter through these holes in the Earth and climb down a ladder to the bottom on the canyon. The canyon was formed by flash floods and water eroding the sandstone. 

The effect is really quite memorizing. The photos I took were with my iPhone and were just the way the light played on the rock. I only did the lower canyon. This one has a ladder that you climb down so not recommended for people with knee troubles. 

The upper canyon is also beautiful and doesn’t require any climbing. Both canyons don’t require a lot of cardio. There were a couple young kids on my tour and they had no problem doing the tour. The walking tour of the canyon takes about an hour.

You can only go through the canyon on a tour, but the tours are inexpensive.  It was $28.  I went with Ken's Tours ( http://lowerantelope.com/?page_id=51)

Sedona Sweat lodge with the amazing, mystical Rahelio

Photo courtesy of Rahelio's website

When you tell people you are going to a sweat lodge, you generally get two responses. It’s either, “Cool, can I come?” or “You’re nuts. People die in those.” 

I obviously fall into the “Cool, can I come?” category.

My first weekend in Arizona in 2012, I drove to Sedona to check out the mystic vortexes with an Indian Sharma that I found randomly through Google.  His name was Rahelio and I had an amazing time on his tour (see blog post)  - which was completely different than what I expected it to be. If you go, here's a note: you won't need hiking shoes and a big camelback full of water. It's very chill.  (You can read more about Rahelio on his website) .

 It was then I learned he also had a sweat lodge…in his backyard!  How cool is that? You know I had to go back to check it out. It’s taken me a year to get around to it mainly because Phoenix is hot in the summer and the thought of sweating around a fire when it’s already 118 degrees outside seemed really unappealing.  I needed the temperature to cool down a bit. And now that it's December, the time to sweat in a lodge full of strangers has come.

SCHEDULING A SEDONA SWEAT LODGE SESSION

But before I get into the Sedona sweat lodge experience, let me tell you a bit about Rahelio .

He’s earthy. And really laid back. I mean REALLY REALLY laid back to the point where he doesn’t schedule things, but kind of lets them happen.

Here’s what I mean:

"I’m thinking about driving to Sedona and do a sweat lodge session. Do you have one coming up this weekend,” I ask over the phone.

"I don’t have one planned yet, but text me Friday and I’ll see,” he says.

Apparently, spiritual sweat lodges aren’t like city-slicker yoga classes where you know there will be one every Saturday at 9 a.m. They are on a “need to have” basis and happen when they are supposed to happen – like destiny.

I love that Rahelio lives like this. I'm not like this. My friend Cristina calls me the Type A Hippie, which makes sense. I may not have concrete plans, but I do HAVE plans.  With Radelio, you have to accept that the not knowing when the sweat lodge will happen is part of the whole spiritual experience.

AND THEN THERE WERE THREE

Following the instructions, I text Radelio on Friday and hear nothing. I'm assume it's not happening and figure I will have to try the next weekend instead.

Then on Sunday night I get a text saying he’s going to have one on Monday. Can I come? Sadly, I work so skipping out the last minute to drive to Sedona to do a sweat lodge probably wouldn't go over well with my boss.

I text again the following Friday to see if he’s having one Saturday. He’s not, but maybe Sunday? Yay!! Sunday it is. I’m set.

And it turns out Sunday also works out for two of my friends. After listening to my on-going quest to do this thing for the last week, they too have decided it's time to meet their sweat lodge destiny. 

Triple yay!! I won't sweat...or die alone - depending on your sweat lodge perspective.

I was actually impressed my friends were willing to do this last minute because I knew nothing about what would happen or what to expect. In fact all I knew was that it was on Sunday at 4 p.m. and that it could be 2 hours – or longer. 

Rahelio also told me to bring towels. 

Did I know how many people would be there? No. Did I know anything about the lodge itself? No. Was it safe? Hopefully.

Yup… I was going in blind and dragging my two friends with me.


YOU DON'T KNOW SWEAT UNTIL YOU'VE SWEAT IN A LODGE

We arrived at 4:15 pm at Rahelio’s house in Sedona.

As we walked up the driveway, we were still unsure of how it worked and we were surprised at how many people were there. Thirteen people had shown up (we made 16) and many of them were first timers like us.

But the turnout wasn’t the only surprise. Rahelio’s backyard was also amazing. It looks like poop in the photo below, so you'll have to take my word that it was actually nice in real-life.

The sweat lodge was to the far left, but the right of it, he had created a prayer circle filled with comfy chairs, a futon, mats, statues, and crystals for people to mediate beforehand. He also had incense burning to put you in a tranquil mood. 

After we had changed into shorts, he had everyone enter the circular lodge single file and clockwise. We then waited in silence for it to begin.

It was fantastic…and hotter than you think it would be. But at the same time it was cleansing as the steam created from the water on the fire rained down on you. 

It was also relaxing and freeing. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about chanting and sweating with 13 strangers, but because it’s dark in the tent and Rahelio has a way of making everyone feel comfortable, it was fine. 

The place also smelled great.  He would through different herbs and plants on the fire like sage and cedar.  You inhaled this while trying to stay focused on the chanting, and when you left the lodge, your skin smelled like the plants as their scent mixed with your sweat through the humid air.

After about two hours, we emerged from the tent dripping wet. The sun had gone down and the Sedona sky was filled with crystal clear stars. Everyone (except us because we didn’t know) had brought food for a post-sweat lodge pot luck which was perfect.

Who would have thought chanting and sweating would work up your appetite?

FINAL NOTE:

Had to share this last bit. I wrote this blog entry during a plane ride from Phoenix to Calgary. After finishing it, I opened up the UP Magazine in the plane's seat pocket....and what did I see? An article on 4 ways to Explore Sedona featuring Rahelio!!! So unexpected and wonderful.

Most Amazing Grand Canyon Hike - south rim loop

Recently I learned something interesting from my friend’s uncle. You can hike the Grand Canyon! I’m not talking about just going out to canyon and hiking the outskirts. You can hike the whole thing – from the south rim to the north rim AND you can do it in a day.

Of course, not everyone does hike the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim, and there are actually many warnings on the internet not to do this, but my friend’s uncle (who is in his 60s) said he had done it a bunch of times and he was able to complete the 24 miles between sunrise and sunset.

I know you’re thinking “Michelle is nuts to try to do this.” Yeah, well. That’s me.

ME PLUS ONE

In this blog, I usually write about my Going Solo adventures, but this one was so good I decided to write about it even though I did with a friend. I mentioned my planned hike to my Houston girlfriend and she decided it sounded so fun that she wanted in on the adventure.

We picked a date for the end of April and she booked a flight. There was only one problem – it turns out the shuttle at the North Rim that brings you back to the South Rim (where my car would be) didn’t start running until May 15. We would have to do Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim – which is 48 miles in one day. Um…not even I am that crazy.


HIKING THE GRAND CANYON – SOUTH RIM LOOP

So onto Plan B. Instead of doing rim-to-rim, I found a route that let us go down the South Kaibab trail, across the Colorado River, over to the Phantom Lodge, and then we could climb back up the canyon using the Bright Angel trail. In total, we would hike just over 16 miles in a day. Not bad.

Let me just say it was amazing. We started on the trial at 6:30 a.m. and walked all day. The scenery was incredible, the people we met along the way were interesting, and it was one of the most memorable days of my life. I would do it again in a heartbeat and will definitely do the entire rim-to-rim hike next time.


GRAND CANYON HIKING TIPS:

If you are going to do it, here are some things to keep in mind:

1) Train for hike: I trained for weeks by running 12 miles a couple times a week, doing the cross ramp at the gym on the steepest setting 5 days a week for 60 minutes, doing 4 sets of 50 weighted squats a day and hiking up a lot of little mountains to make sure my cardio level and legs were ready. I was able to do the hike easily and had no pain the next day.

2) Treat the hike like a marathon: You are going to be walking all day up and down a canyon treat it like an intense sporting event. Carb up the night before, eat a good breakfast and bring carbs and water with you on the trip.

3) Bring snacks: The Phantom Lodge does have water, but what they have for food is limited. They have pretzels and cliff bars, but not sandwiches, salads or anything of substance. We were surprised. If going again, I would bring more peanut butter sandwiches, more energy chews and more electrolyte powders, etc.

4) Pack smart: Bring food items that are light and use a camel pack instead of bulky water bottles. You will need to bring your garbage back with you so think about what you are bringing. You may also want to bring bandaids in case you get a blister, extra sunscreen and Advil to help with any aches and pain.

5) Bring a headlamp or flashlight: We thought we would be done before dark, but we weren’t. We ended up borrowing a light from a group of hikers to help us see at the end.



HIKING AT NIGHT – TOTALLY MAGICAL!

Here’s something else that I learned. A lot of people do night hiking on full moon days. This is an amazing experience as you leisurely hike down or up the canyon with your flashlight and the light of the moon. It is also magical to watch.

We only got to see it for a little while at the end, but when you look out over the canyon all you see are the lights of hikers slowly making their way up. It’s a completely different experience from the day hiking and a must-do if you are into hiking like me. I already have a friend signed up to do a moonlight hike down to Havasu Falls with me later this year. Yay!

Just remember to bring bug spray and a jacket. It gets really cold at night. Also, for extra fun, bring an ultra-violent light to hunt for scorpions on the way. They glow in the dark (under the ultra-violent light). Very cool.

The Quest to Find Arizona Wildflowers

It’s Easter Sunday and while some kids were up early looking for Easter Eggs, I was up at 6:30 a.m. searching for wildflowers in the Sonoran desert.

I was determined not to miss them this year just in case I only got to spend one spring in Phoenix. Besides, they always say you should take the time to stop and smell the flowers. That time was today.

Of course, I couldn't just pick the desert area where I live. I had to pick some place new – which usually comes through intense research and planning.

Ha ha ha ha…as if I did any research or planning.

CHOOSING THE PERFECT HIKING TRAIL

Basically, I got up at 6:15 a.m. and being lazy, I didn’t feel like putting my bike in the car like I had planned to do. Instead, I opted for a hike.

After a quick one minute search on Google and I had decided on my wildflower destination of the day.

On arizonahiking.org, they have all these great hikes listed out. The one that caught my eye was the San Tan Mountian Regional Park around Queen Creek. I hadn’t been to Queen Creek yet (it’s about an hour away from me) so that was one of the selling points. The second thing that tempted me was that the hike was 7.8 miles – which means it would be worth the drive, and the third thing was that the hike was listed as quiet.

I’m learning quickly in Arizona that if you want a quiet hike on some the popular trails and mountains like Pinnacle Peak and Camelback, you’ve got to get there at sunrise or else the trails are packed -- not that there's anything wrong with that.  But for me, hiking and climbing is my version Sunday morning yoga. I’m looking for peace and tranquility – not a whole bunch of people.


SAN TAN IS A HAVEN FOR SOLITUDE SEEKERS

If you are looking for solitude and a scenic walk, the San Tan Mountain Regional Park is the place to go.

I got there about 7:45 a.m. and there were only a couple of cars in the parking lot. You do have to pay $6 to get into the park, but it’s worth it.

In the 2.5 hours it took me to hike the 8 miles, I saw only a few people on bikes (this trail is fantastic for mountain bikers) and only ran into a couple of hikers at the end when I was leaving. This could because I was there early or maybe because I choose the longest trail to hike. They do have shorter ones that are only 1 or 2 miles long for those of you who a new to hiking.

Here’s the San Tan Mountain Regional Park website for details.

There were also tons of wildflowers everywhere so my quest was finally complete. 

Brittlebrush (yellow flowering bush) was the most prominent and they were filled with bees. Every time I stopped to take a picture the bees would get annoyed and buzz even louder. But then again, maybe they were buzzing because I was wearing this Hawaiian Tropic lip balm that I love because it has 45 SPF and smells like coconuts.  Hmmm...might have to think about getting a scent-free one for hiking.

My favorite flowers were from the Hedgehog cactus. They are the purple/pink ones. They were closed when I first got there but the blossoms opened up as the sun got hotter.

I also saw my first coral snake. He slithered into a hole in the dirt and I didn’t stop to take photos as I didn’t want to bother him.

Address for San Tan Mountain Regional Park
6533 West Phillips Road
Queen Creek Arizona 85242

Opening night of Jason Koster's portraits

Flyer for Jason Koster's show

Art is never simple. There's always a story behind it, and the story behind Jason Koster's portraits is fascinating.

I attended his opening at the Walter Art Gallery in Scottsdale tonight and was blown away.  I had seen his work online, but when you see it in person, it's really personal and raw.

But, he also told me the backstory that helped create his art -- and because a picture, especially in this case, is worth a thousand words, I'm going to tell you what it is.

The portraits when you look at at them are clear and feel honest.  The models are gorgeous in their natural skins without needing makeup -- but the kicker is they are not models. And these portraits were not shot in a studio with fancy lighting. They were shot in a box.

Yes, a box. 

Jason showed me the box at the opening and it looked like a foamcore structure covered with silver insulation. That's because these amazing portraits were shot at Burning Man in the middle of the desert and the "models" were just people willing to get into the box.

Jason Koster's bike towing the portrait box

"At first it was a black box, but it became an oven in the desert so I added the insulation," said Jason. "I also needed to make sure it was collapsable so I could move with it."

Oh...and I can't forget my favorite part of the portraits. It's the eyes.   

The gazes are mesmerizing in their honesty - so much so that you can't turn away and don't want to. But that's when you notice the rectangular light in their pupils.

It's there you can see the box...and Jason.  In a way it makes the portrait even more personal because you can see the artist creating the work within the work.  

Artist/photographer Jason Koster in the box

You really need to go see it for yourself. The whole thing is kind of interesting and if you check out the show (which runs until April 3), you may see the bike Jason rode at Burning Man parked outside the gallery along with the box where the portraits were taken.

And I'm not the only one who found the box portraits incredible.  Senator John McCain also loved them and had to have his portrait taken in the box.

So I'm asking...would, could you in a box?

Wild Wild West Steampunk Conference merges old and new worlds



Wild Wild West Steampunk Conference 2013

Apparently I am into Steampunk, but I had no idea until this weekend that I was. In fact, I didn’t even know that much about Steampunk except for the glimmers that you see on shows like “Castle” or in the new “Oz, the Great and Powerful” movie.

So how do I know I’m into it? I attended the Wild Wild West Steampunk Convention yesterday and totally loved it.

MORE STEAMPUNK PHOTOS

Finally, I was with a group of people who knew what Doctor Who and Torchwood were and could actually talk about it in-depth instead of trying to fake the conversation. Yes, there are more people than me out there that watch the BBC on purpose and get excited when they hear the Doctor Who theme song.

NOTE: I actually do the Craig Ferguson Doctor Who dance.  Watch it here so you can dance with me!

Wild Wild West Steampunk Conference

I also really loved that Steampunkers love tea. And they take their tea with biscuits very seriously. They even do tea duels. Don’t worry if you don’t know what this is. I had to ask too as I was a Steampunk virgin and had no idea what any of their traditions were.

It seems a tea duel is between two people who sit down for tea. They choose their weapon of choice (their biscuit/cookie) and then they have to dunk their biscuit in the tea for set amount of time – the longer the dunking time; the harder the duel. The person who can successfully dunk and eat their biscuit without it breaking, crumbling or falling on their clothes wins the duel.

Being raised on tea and arrowroot cookies, I think I may have been training for this duel all my life. I wonder if they do something with toast and marmalade. That would be perfection!



While I admit I wasn’t really into really into the “western” part of it, having the conference at Old Tucson was a brilliant choice. The old movie set made perfect backdrop for the costumes.

Wild Wild West Steampunk Conference

Would I go again? Definitely.   There is so much more to learn – like why did some of the people have little creatures perched on their shoulders like stuffed octopuses, frogs and winged furry things?  Also, everyone there comes in character -- some of the characters they make up and others are famous from the Steampunk culture. Very cool.  Just being there stimulated some ideas for future writing projects and I am into the gadgets and speculative fiction. 

Plus, next time I'm going to wear an outfit (that's the best part).

But I think I may be more Steampunk UK or Canada than Steampunk USA (or maybe because this was the Wild Wild West Convention so that's why the Western theme was so big).  The cool thing with Steampunk is that it can be anywhere from traditional Victorian or Wild West -- to more sci-fi to more Goth meets Old World. In other words, think more of the dark gadgety side of Sherlock Holmes, The Dresden Files, Doctor Who, Warehouse 13 and Jack the Ripper. 

If you’ve ever wanted to experience a world of fantasy that exists within our world, I highly recommend it.

Here are some Steampunk groups I found in case you were interested in checking it out:

• Steampunk  Arizona/Phoenix
• Steampunk UK
• Steampunk Canada

Oops…I did it again and ran a Ragnar

Del Sol Ragnar - 202 miles from Wickenburg to Tempe

If you live in the Phoenix area and were out on the roads this weekend, you may have noticed a couple hundred decorated white vans either driving down the road or parked in long lines in the middle of the desert. These vans were part of the Del Sol Ragnar – and I was in one of them.

If you’ve been following my blog, then you know I did my first Ragnar this past fall as my 2012 bucket list item (read about my Vegas Ragnar).

You would think running one 202 mile relay across the desert would be enough for someone to do in their lifetime, but apparently not for this crazy adventurous girl becauase I did it again. And you know what? I’ll probably do a third one eventually because the people you meet are just so fun – AND next time I want to wear a crazy outfit. Yes, I’m expanding my wild side.

JoDee in her costume

“What I love about Ragnars is that you don’t have to be an elite runner to do them,” said Brynn Tinker Campbell. “You just have to do them.”

I met Brynn during my Vegas Ragnar. She’s this down-to-earth teacher/cattle rancher from Wyoming who’s just as crazy as I am. Okay…maybe more crazy as this was her sixth Ragnar and she’s signed up for the Utah one in June. She drove hours and hours from Wyoming to Phoenix to run on our Pink Flamingo team.

“You do one and then you end up doing another one,” said Brynn, who like me didn’t know anyone else on the Pink Flamingo team. “You start off as strangers, but by the end, you are family.”



And she’s not the only crazy one. Our entire van was filled with amazing people. We had JoDee Braaten, our fearless leader, who ran all her legs wearing a pink flamingo outfit – complete with feathers, two Stephanies, Missy, Brynn and me.

Pink Flamingo van- our mobile hotel for the next 33 hours

“The first year I was only going to wear the costume at the exchanges – and not the actually running part. Then I wore it for my first leg. Then the second leg and then I figured I might as well wear it for the third,” said JoDee.

This was the third year she was wearing the costume. She says after this year, she’s going to retire it. It was beginning to molt, plus she hadn't washed it -- so it had three Ragnars worth of sweat on it.

Then there was Stephanie Maxwell, a mother of 2 who ran an ironman in the fall and was planning on running the Phoenix Marathon the following weekend. While most marathoners would probably be treating their bodies with kindness the week before a big race, Stephanie was going to push hers to the limit.

“I wasn't planning on doing the Ragnar because of the marathon, and then I looked at my legs and I had 13 miles the first day, then 4 miles and then 3. I would have been running that for training anyway,” Stephanie said.  

Me hugging a guy in bear coat

See? These women are just as crazy as me which goes to show you are never alone in your quests. And when you do find these kindred spirits, it’s like you’ve found this strange supportive family – well in this case we were a sweaty, smelly and tired family as we took turns running the 200 mile race all night long.

But that makes the connection special because surviving the struggle is part of the Ragnar experience. It’s not easy. It hurts.

“I love coming out and seeing first-timers and people who are giving it their all,” Brynn said. “Sure there are some athletes who are good runners, but the ones I love are the people you know don’t do this everyday. You know the ones who really have to push themselves to get it done.”

These non-athletes are the real “super stars” of the race. You can’t help to cheer them on and when they reach their goal, you feel like you’ve watched something special.
 

The line to the potties

For example, there was this one guy who running on the 13.5 mile leg, which was the longest leg of the Del Sol course. We noticed him struggling already at mile 6 when we drove to the exchange to meet our runner, and when he neared the finished line, he was suffering. I mean really suffering. Suffering so much that he could barely run.

Still he was giving it everything he had.

The whole crowd had to cheer as he crossed the finished line. It was just so inspiring – but worthwhile.

No one ever said reaching your dreams would be easy, but when you do reach them, it’s magical.


FIVE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT RAGNARS:


1) The people - You meet people of all ages, fitness levels and sizes.

Being part of the scenery - priceless

2) Running at 3 a.m. when it's so dark all you can see is the light from your headlamp and your breath in the cold night air.

3) The challenge - It's hard. Really hard to run that long on that little sleep.

4) Being part of the scenery (not watching it from a window)

5) The atmosphere - Think of it as a healthy Burning Man because we really are a mobile village where everyone lets go of reality just for the weekend.  

Mescal Trail Rave Run - right this minute

Photo from Runner's World - not me running

One of my sister shows at E.W. Scripps is called “Right This Minute.”  While the show has nothing to do with me, except that their social media person and I are planning to share ideas sometime soon, the name of the show is kind of how I live my life.

Yup, I’m the “Right This Minute” girl – especially now that I have a car.

 Last night, I was looking through the January issue of Runner’s World and saw this amazing photo.  It’s their Rave Run of the month. Gorgeous, right? And check out the caption “Snow-capped cacti and the red hue from the nearby sandstone mesa make for a fleeting yet dramatic spectacle as daylight hits the Mescal Trail.”

Now normal people would look at this, think it’s nice and turn the page. Me? I’m not normal. There is no page turning for this chick. Remember…”I’m the “Right This Minute Girl.”

In seconds, I’m on Google thinking, “Cacti? I just moved to Arizona – the land of Cacti. Where is this heavenly place with snow-capped stuff?”

A couple Google searches later, I find it. It’s in Sedona.

For those of you who haven’t been to Phoenix, that’s a little less than 2 hours away.  I sketch out the route to the trail in case my GPS fails me, dig out my gloves and warm running hat, fill my camel pack with water, and set my alarm for 5:30 a.m.

My goal is to be in Sedona by 7:30 the next morning. Forget just looking at the Mescal Trail in the magazine, I was going to check it out in person.

MORE PHOTOS OF THE MESCAL TRAIL

If you are planning to go, there is a hard way and an easy way to get to the trail. The easy way is to go to Sedona and look for Dead Man’s pass. The hard way is to follow the instructions I found on the internet that say: “From the "Y", proceed west on State Route 89A three miles and make a right turn on Dry Creek Road. Follow Dry Creek Road to the end (about 3 miles). Turn right on Long Canyon Road and proceed 0.6 miles to the parking on the left." I took the hard way.

I found the parking area okay, but there were no signs for the Mescal Trail. Thinking I was lost, I parked and started walking the trail to Dead Man’s Pass for the fun of it. At 7:30 a.m. I was the only person in the parking lot and the trail was covered with frost -- exactly like the magazine promised.

About a half mile along Dead Man’s Pass I saw a little sign leading up a hill that read, “Mescal Trail.” Happy day! I accidentally found it.

Compared to the “Dead Man’s Pass” trail, the Mescal route was much less traveled – but there was a vague path. Following the 2.6 mile path, all I heard was my crunching shoes on the frost.

Total peace and quiet (except for me). And so worth the drive – right this minute.

Crawling over Flatiron Mountain (also known as "Ow...my legs")

I have one word for Flatiron Mountain: KILLER. 

Flatiron Mountain is about an hour out of Phoenix by Mesa.  I had heard about this place from my long-time friend Dave who works at the TV station I was at in Sacramento. He had climbed it in the past and when he learned I was moving to Phoenix told me I had to check it out if I got the chance.  He also told me it was hard. Naturally, I didn't believe him.  I assumed he thought I was wimpy or something.

Little did I know he was right and my legs would hate me for three days after climbing the thing.

So here's the scoop in case you want to try it yourself -- because you know, misery loves company and right now I'm needing the company.

The Siphon Draw Trail at Flatiron starts at Lost Dutchman State Park and it is 6 miles long  – which sounds like nothing until you actually do it.  This is because, the higher you climb, the harder it gets – and my friend and I also went when it was 106 degrees.  Yes, it was hot.  Way too hot to be climbing a mountain, but whatever.

If you go, at first you are going to think I’m a wuss because the first mile of the trail is easy.  It’s well-maintained and marked.  But keep going.  The farther you walk up the trail, the more rugged the path gets. 

Soon the dirt path disappears and is replaced with small loose rocks and the higher you climb, the more narrow and rough the path gets.   There are giant boulders to climb over and a large smooth stone basin which probably has water in it part of the year, but was completely dry when we went in September. By the time you get to the basin area, you've already reached a 1,000 foot elevation gain.

From there, the trail (if you could call it that), leads towards Flatiron, which is the flat plateau on the top of the Superstition Mountain. It's another 2,000 foot elevation from the basin to the top and the brochure recommends that only experienced hikers in good shape should attempt it.

I was considering to do this mountain alone, but was glad I went with a friend.  The path is kind of marked (you have to look for faded blue spray painted marks on the boulders), but even with that, we got lost and made up our own route for part of the way. 

Then there’s the climbing. This is what was challenging for me. I’ve hiked, but never actually had to climb and pull myself over giant rocks before.  Of course, I’m wearing normal sneakers and not hiking shoes as I had no idea the climb would be so intense.   And then just when you think you’re done and can see the top, there is a 12-foot vertical rock wall. 

I admit, I didn't get that far. I had to wimp out about 10 minutes before reaching the top. 

This is because just before giant vertical wall was a slightly smaller (yet, still too big for me) boulder area and I couldn’t pull myself over it.  Yes, the mountain defeated me and if they hidden cameras in the area, I would totally be on the blooper reel as I am not a graceful climber.  I'm more like the people on that show "Wipe Out" with arms flailing everywhere and hanging on any which way possible.

But what I really needed to make it to the top was two people: One to pull my arms and someone behind me to push my butt up from behind -- or maybe catch me as I slid back down.

My friend (who went on ahead) tells me that if I would have been able to scale the 12-foot rock wall, I would have been at the top of the mountain. Sigh...so close, but not close enough.

I don’t have any regrets though. I was exhausted just getting to where I got to, and going down was just as hard as going up. 

You see, going up you can use your hands to claw and clutch your way up, but going down, there is no clutching.  There is only scary sliding down on your butt and hoping your feet find a little hook in the rock to stop you. I swear, I crab-crawled my way down the mountain and was glad I had my biking gloves with me or else my hands would have been shredded.

So will I do it again? Yes. But here’s what I would do differently:

        

-- Bring more water

        

-- Start earlier and not at 11 a.m. when it’s super hot

  
-    -- Do more upper body training so I can make it over the rock wall

- Buy some sort of repellent to deter the giant wasps that live up there.

   If you want to go, Flatiron Mountain is in Maricopa County in the state of Arizona (AZ). It climbs to 1,693 feet (516.03 meters) above sea level and is located at latitude - longitude coordinates of N 33.570037 and W -112.832399.

Climb every mountain – in the Phoenix area

I’m not exactly Maria from the “Sound of Music,” but lately I feel like I’ve been climbing every mountain I can find around Phoenix.

Part of the reason is because I am totally loving the Arizona landscape. Who would have thought it would be so beautiful here? Before I moved to the area, all people told me was that it was hot and desert-like.
 

Yes, it’s hot. Extremely hot, but the desert is interesting.

But I digress. The real reason I’m climbing the mountains in the area is because they are there.

CHECK OUT MORE PHOTOS HERE

PINNACLE PEAK - SO CLOSE TO HOME

My first one and the one that got me hooked was Pinnacle Peak.

This little guy is located just outside of Phoenix and I did it twice in one day. The first time I ran/walked up and then because it was so beautiful, I did it again, but the second time I brought my iPhone so I could take photos on the way.

It’s absolutely gorgeous and one of my favorite ones in the area so far. The hike is only 1.75 miles (one way) and you climb approximately 1,300 feet with the highest point of the trail at 2,889 feet. It’s not a loop trail so you go down the same way you go up.

These photos were taken in the fall after the heat of the summer, but one of the reasons I love this trail so much is that the landscape changes so much throughout the year.  I did this one almost every week so was able to see the spring flowers bloom in March/April, the green of the cactus during May and June and then the browns of the fall.

One of the pluses of this trail is that it’s well-marked so you won’t get lost. They also have guides that walk up the path an hour before they close (at sunset) to make sure everyone is off the peak – so no chance of being left behind.

The only downside of Pinnacle Peak is that it can be crowded on the weekend.

I tried it one Sunday morning and even at 6:30 a.m., it was crazy busy. It’s less busy during the week.

Want to go for a hike? It’s located at 26802 N. 102nd Way in Scottsdale.





CAMELBACK MOUNTAIN

Every day on my way to work, I drive past this amazing red mountain. Turns out this is the infamous Camelback Mountain. It's really only famous in Phoenix as people always want to know if you've climbed it.

I have climbed it but only the Cholla Trail side.  There is a reason for this.  I was going to climb the Echo Canyon side which they say is shorter, but steeper, however, the week before my set date to climb a bunch of killer bees attacked a group of hikers and one of them died.  He fell off the side of the mountain. His buddies were just badly stung.

Now I know I hung out with the Bee Whisperer this summer in Carmel Valley, but those were honey bees. These were African “killer” bees. I wasn’t sure I was ready to mess those big boys.

So I did the Cholla side, which some say is a little harder because you don’t have any ropes to pull yourself up. You have to hoist yourself up over the rocks.  In fact, the last 1/8 of a mile to the summit is all rock scrambling.

So here’s the scoop with this hike. You have to go early. Really early. Like just as the sun is getting up early.  Otherwise you are not going to get parking in the area and you’ll not only be crawling over rocks, but people in your quest to get to the top.

What is fun though is that while I think this climb is harder than Pinnacle Peak, dogs can make it up to the top.

 If you want to try it, the Cholla Trailhead is located at the end of Cholla Lane, which is off of Invergordon Street (N. 64th Street).  It’s 3.5 miles round trip from trailhead to the top and back.