We flew into Phoenix early afternoon yesterday, retrieved all of our luggage, and got a rental car. We had a few hours to kill until my cousin, Chris, arrived on her flight from Scotland so we went to REI (crack whores go to drug houses, backpackers go to REI) to pick up a few supplies that the TSA won’t let us carry on a flight (butane for pocket rocket—why they frown on bombs in the luggage hold I’ll never understand) and a few more trail snacks. Chris’ plane got in at 7, so we were ready to hit the road as soon as we got her luggage. Since this was Chris’ first backpacking trip with us (and possibly ever, other than long day hikes), she didn’t have all the gear she would need so I loaned her a pack, hiking sticks, a tent, and a sleeping pad. In addition, we had arranged all of the food for our 5 days in GCNP as well as took care of the permits so this was supposed to be a nice easy introduction to backpacking (Grand Canyon Rim to Rim as first backcountry experience!).\
Once we got Chris on board, we started heading north in the hopes of making Sedona for the night. Our permit was issued for Sunday so we had a day to play and get Chris back on our time zone (6 hours difference between Scotland and Arizona). We stopped for supper along the way and then Chris’ energy evaporated pretty quickly thereafter. We got a hotel about 10 miles out of Sedona.
As expected, Chris woke up at about 3a but she has always been an early riser. Raising a couple of daughters, her only time for herself is the wee hours of the morning. Pam and I, on the other hand, can sleep until noon if an alarm clock and snooze button are handy. We pried our butts out of bed around 8 and checked out of the hotel. After breakfast, we had no plans other than be at the Maswik Lodge on the South Rim this evening.
The desert landscapes around Sedona are amazing. We stopped at a visitor center to ask for suggestions about what to do with only one day in town. This was a mistake, as they were trying to sell us jeep trips or helicopter rides (apparently there are commissions involved). We asked for a list of hiking trails and they reluctantly told us we should check out the vortexes. The closest one is on the side of Bell Rock.
I have been to Sedona once while working for M&M Mars so I had at least heard of vortexes. These are extreme concentrations of magnetic fields, which rumor has it (and I have no experience with) that to make love in one is an intense, mind-blowing experience. When I was here before, I was given the further suggestion of visiting vortexes at night to witness others enjoying the benefits—I opted out. The location of the vortex can be identified by the trees. At ground zero, the tree trunks are twisted around and around like when you wring out a washcloth.
We got to Bell Rock and started hiking the approach trail to the mountain. Once we got on the base, the trail more or less disappeared but you could see worn areas running around the mountain so we followed along the flat areas and found a tree with a full 360 degree twist. We were there. Was I feeling light headed? Any tingling in my netherland region? Dry mouth? Excitement? Nothing that I could detect.
I wanted to try climbing up a little bit higher to get some better views of the area. Pam and Chris were talking (two women who haven’t seen each other for a while, kids, travel, etc) so they weren’t overly interested. About then a group of people were coming down the mountain with an older guy behind them. The old guy asked us if we were interested in going to the top. The other people with him said it wasn’t bad and that they had a great time. We were about to decline when another group of 5 accepted. Chris was the deciding vote for us and she said “let’s do it!” Peter gave us all numbers and off we went.
The trail started up a wash. It was on sandstone so there was good rough surface for your shoes to cling to without slipping but it was pretty steep. Peter (the old guy) and his friend were real good about helping everyone up this section, however, Pam was extremely nervous and started to cry. Peter assured her this was the worst section and to just trust him. If she found it too hard, he’d bring her back down without any complaints. I was at the top of the wash comforting her when a pair of clogs landed at our feet. I look back to see Chris climbing the wash barefoot. I hadn’t even paid attention that she wasn’t wearing decent shoes for a climb. If she could make it with clogs, Pam should be able to do it with tennis shoes so this calmed her down.
From here on up, the trail was easier, but this was due to Peter’s guidance. He told us every hand and foot hold and was right behind everyone in any rough section to make sure everyone was safe. He was an excellent guide and was obviously very familiar with Bell Rock. Once we got to the top about 45 minutes later, we all got to talk a little more with Peter. Turns out, Peter was 71 years old and a retired lawyer from Manhattan. His story gets very interesting from here.
Turns out that this past winter, Peter was convinced that an interdimensional window was going to open up (thanks to the vortex located on the mountain) and he would be able to jump from the top of the mountain through the window into another “universe”. Law enforcement found out about his plans to jump from the mountain. Since he wasn’t breaking any laws by doing so, they couldn’t stop him, but they did have emergency crews standing by to retrieve his body and administer first aid if he survived. The window didn’t open up so Peter didn’t jump. “I’m not an idiot or crazy” he said. “The window didn’t open so why would I jump?”
But the story doesn’t stop there. The numbers we were given before we started the climb—Pam, 310; Chris, 311; me, 312 – are the number of people he has guided to the top since the failed interdimensional jump. There is a method to this. Peter has done the math so his next attempt will be successful. Each person that reaches the top leaves a residual amount of energy behind, Since Peter guides them up, he gets to “bank” their energy and his calculations are that once he leads 500 people to the top he will have the energy reserve to forcefully open the window to another dimension. At least we’ve done our part to help. I can’t say this enough, Peter was an excellent guide (but possibly scary once you get to hear a little more, but who’s to judge). An interesting side note is his email address—ufolawyer@yahoo.com.
We spent some time at the top but there’s and additional couple rocks about 20 feet higher. Chris and I decided to go for it. There was a very narrow ledge (I’m talking less than one foot wide) and you have to follow this ledge around a rock protrusion. The catch being that if you fall you have about a 200’ straight fall down. Since there were already a couple of guys up there, I had false confidence. It was actually easier than I thought—there was a chain anchored in the side of the rock not visible from where you start. Chris and I easily made it up. After our picture session, we started back down. After all the climbing in clogs and/or barefoot up the side of the mountain, NOW is when Chris decided to freak a bit and started to cry from nerves. I also had to admit I wanted to cry here but with Chris crying and Pam already having cried, I was forced to man up. I, too, can do the math like Peter: 200’ + narrow ledge = good possibility of soiled underwear.
After Bell Mountain, we felt we had gotten the full measure of Sedona and we still had a few hour drive ahead of us. We headed on up to Flagstaff through the Kaibab National Forest and looked at the beauty of the valley. A ranger presentation at the Grand Canyon had said this canyon is what the GC would look like if it had top soil and trees. We stopped at a rest area and bought some trinkets from some Native Americans (turn-about is fair play).
We made it to the Grand Canyon in time to drive around the South Rim area a bit and to catch the sunset pictures from the rim. The views are unreal—I mean they look like painted back drops for movie sets. To see a sunset brings out every color imaginable in the canyon. It was kind of cold, so we skipped the ranger presentation and went to bed. Chris was jet lagged a bit but running on adrenaline from Bell Mountain (as we all were) but after an adrenaline rush comes the crash.
