Little Rock Loop (Sedona, Arizona) 24-Jan-2023

Our friend Carol moved to the Village of Oak Creek (near Sedona) in 2021 and we did a hike with her there last year. This year, we called ahead and arranged to hike with her again. But, after we got to Arizona, she let us know that she’d slipped on ice at the Grand Canyon, wrenched her knee, and might not be up for much of a hike. 😢

But we drove up from Phoenix anyway, only to find when we got to Oak Creek that she’d recovered enough for a short hike – as long as no stairs were involved. She suggested a 5.2 mile (8.3 km) stair-free wander out toward Rabbit Ears and we were good with that. Visiting with her, and not any particular hike, was what was important here. 😊

During my first visit – in 1965 – to then sleepy Sedona, I was amazed to find that you could buy sticks of dynamite from an open box in the local hardware store. Like fireworks, only better! Ah, those were the days… 😲

Since those simpler times, Sedona has become a wildly popular place to visit and to hike – such that trailhead parking can be at a premium (or non-existent). But now, as a local, Carol knew of a less used parking spot and trail that let us quickly access the Big Park Loop while avoiding any crowds

It was a sunny, clear, and cool day 😎 – perfect hiking weather. We made a loop out of the Big Park, Dairy Springs, and Little Rock Trails, encountering only about a half dozen other hikers along the way. Recent rains had created some impressive muddy spots – but the bright red soil here contains little clay, so clean-up was easy.

It was a good, scenic hike and we got back to Carol’s place with her knee still intact. 😊 There she cooked us a late lunch/early dinner 😋 and we sat around catching-up and solving the world’s problems (actually, no, we didn’t have time for that too).

We agreed that next time we make it to Arizona, we’ll try to stay at her place for a couple of days and do yet more hiking. Then it was back to the sprawl that is Phoenix, for one more day of hiking. 😁

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