One of the best ideas and one of the not so great ideas I have had was to hike Oak Creek Canyon on the Fourth Of July. My husband and I were planning on doing this hike in May, but I ended up getting sick with a cough that would not go away. I was finally feeling better, but then all of our weekends kept getting booked up! My husband and I just so happened to both get the 4th off, so we thought, what a better day to take the hike! Spending the 4th of July celebrating our favorite part of America, the outdoors!
Up and At ‘Em
In our natural fashion, we woke up super early and grabbed some Dutch Bros on our way out of town. We actually left town pretty late for our usual trips, we didn’t leave until after 6 AM! We waited this long, because we thought the trail did not open until 9. However, they must have opened early because we got there at 8:50 and the parking lot was almost full. No matter, we still got in and got our spot! On the way we were a bit concerned about getting home before the fireworks started (one of our dogs is not at fan of the neighbors displays), because the line to Slide Rock was INSANE! It was backed up so much we were afraid we were going to get stuck. But we had gone too far, so off to the creek we went.
The Trail
I had done engagement sessions at the Oak Creek Trail Head, but I had never ventured further than the old building and food cave. My husband had been there once when he was in high school. So, it was a real treat for the both of us. We hiked down into the old orchard and saw all the young fruit on the blackberry bushes, apple trees, and fig trees. We quickly made our way to the trail head, wanting to get at it while the weather was still mild.
The morning was very nice and cool and we had a blast stopping at each creek crossing to admire the beauty of the creek. We were amazed at how many blackberries lined the trail. They were not ripe, so we did not get any treats on the way. We started to see large butterflies around the creek and even some dragonflies! The only animal we saw was a squirrel, but we talked about how a bear could be just behind some thick bushes and we would never know! I mean, if I was a bear, I would think this was a pretty awesome place to call home once the people left.
Where does this thing end?
As we neared the end of the trail, we started questioning when the trail would actually end. My FitBit indicated we were getting close, but how much further?! We joked saying, what if it is just a sign that says trail ends. Or just a T with another trail. We finally got to the end of the trail, and guess what? It was just a sign! We had a good laugh, went down to the water pool, and started our trek back.
It was starting to get warmer, even under the shade of the trees. Every time we crossed the creek, we would stop to splash some water on us to cool down. By this time, we were really regretting forgetting our water filter. We could have had ice cold, fresh, creek water for our trip back! Next time, next time. As the day got warmer, more and more butterflies were out. We stopped a few times to take pictures of them on these gorgeous flowers. And then, I decided I was going to catch one! I found one by itself on a big flower and put my hand out and was able to coax him onto my hand for just a few moments of wonder before he fluttered off! I did it!!! I held a butterfly! This was the highlight of the trip!
Home, (just in time)
We got back to the car, blasted the A/C, and headed back down into Sedona. Remember how I said this was one of my not-so-great ideas? Heading back down the mountain was a bit hectic. There were cars parked all along the side of the road. Like, dangerously. We saw a Prius, PRIUS, straddling the side of a hill and the side of the road over a ditch! How they got up there and how they were getting down, I will never know. I was afraid we were going to get into an accident at least twice.
When we got into Sedona, it was not much better. So many people and cars everywhere! Luckily, we were able to find a parking spot and snuck into Chipotle just before they closed early for the holiday. And we were off, or so we thought. If you live in Arizona, you may remember a wrong way driver caused multiple accidents on the I-17 on the 4th of July. Luckily, we were not anywhere near at the time. But we did get stuck in an hour of traffic back up from the accident.
Good News: We made it home just in time to cuddle our pups before the fireworks started! Like just before. We just took the dogs out to go potty and as soon as we went back inside, the first firework went off. We popped some popcorn and watched Resident Evil to drown out the sounds of the nearby fireworks and cuddled the rest of the night away.
Moral of the Story: Oak Creek is an amazing trail to hike, just not on the 4th of July! Also, I will be staying in-town for future July 4th celebrations.
