Snow in Sedona! No, not in the Merry Month of May. Instead, these first two pictures are from our hike last December. Eleven Arizona Trailblazers are bundled against the frigid winter temperatures at the Jim Thompson Trailhead, as a large snowstorm continues to muscle its way across the Sedona area and much of northern Arizona. A combination of low-hanging clouds, fog, and fine mist hangs like a thick and impenetrable curtain across the iconic red rock formations of Sedona. The scene all around us can be summed up in one simple word: Gray. What on earth have we let ourselves in for today? To find out, read the December trip report.

Then fast forward to May, 2016, and twelve intrepid Arizona Trailblazers are once again standing on the exact same spot at the Jim Thompson Trailhead for yet another group picture. Although it’s still a semi-frigid 48 degrees with an occasional blast from the past of icy air just cold enough to justify an extra layer or two, gray is no longer part of the picture — except for the sky. There is no snow, no ice, no sleet, no hail, no slush, and no thick and gooey red mud to mire us down on the trail today.

Instead, we have mostly cloudy conditions with a few dark and ominous looking low-hanging clouds scuttling rapidly across the sky and threatening to start spitting rain at any moment. Occasionally the heavens open up and massive cumulus clouds slowly split apart to reveal ragged patches of blue, as dancing beams of bright sunlight penetrate the cloud cover and in an instant light up the red rock cliffs, buttes, mesas, and pinnacles. This has all the makings of another great Sedona hike.

Today’s hike was originally scheduled to be the West Fork Trail, a hike we’ve done many times over the years but almost always in October or early November for the beautiful fall colors in the canyon. This time I decided to try it in May instead to take advantage of the dense tree canopy shade in the canyon and hopefully see some spring wildflower displays as well. However, Mother Nature apparently had other plans with a large weather disturbance and low pressure area over all of northern Arizona and a forecast of rains in both upper and lower Oak Creek Canyon for Thursday night, throughout the day and night on Friday, and on into Saturday morning.

That translates into a lot of water coming down the canyon. Although highly unlikely to create flash flood conditions this time of year, a rise in water levels in the creek of just 6-8" could make for difficult and potentially treacherous creek crossings during the hike. There are at least 12-15 crossing points along the trail, and doubling that on the return hike means crossing a possibly rain-swollen West Fork Creek 24 to 30 times altogether, a potentially risky proposition.

We had hiked the Jim Thompson Trail last December, and several of us discussed hiking it again under better weather conditions. That seems to be the perfect alternative hike for the West Fork Trail. So here we are in May, ready to do it once again. The time is 9:30 AM as twelve Arizona Trailblazers depart from the trailhead and start down the Jim Thompson Trail.

We three veterans of the December hike — myself, John, and Lin — cannot help but be amazed at the stark contrasts between our December adventure in the snow and the scene surrounding us today. The trail and the surrounding terrain are all completely dry now, compared to the wet, muddy, and slippery conditions of last December. Apparently all that rain forecast for the Oak Creek Canyon area never made it here, at least so far.

But all bets are off for now with this serious looking cloud cover. We cross a couple of dry washes as the trail meanders up and down through thickets of juniper, pinyon pine, and Manzanita, many just starting their spring bloom.

Farther down the trail, a couple of areas are cause for concern as the path comes very close to tall blooming Manzanitas on both sides, buzzing with the activity of hundreds of busy bees gathering nectar and pollen. Fortunately, they don’t bother us as long as we don’t bother them.

About a mile or so from the trailhead, the Jim Thompson Trail begins to contour from west to east along the southern flank of the Fin, Ship Rock, and finally Steamboat Rock before eventually reaching its highest point (4,770 feet) on the east side of Steamboat Rock.

At 5,667 feet, Ship Rock is the highest of these three formations that can be seen for many miles throughout the greater Sedona area and are just about as famous and widely recognized as Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte, and Vultee Arch.

If a trail is named after an individual, that person must have had some historic significance to the area or have been important enough in some way to justify naming a trail after them, and the Jim Thompson Trail is certainly no exception. In 1876 Jim Thompson became the first permanent Anglo settler in Oak Creek Canyon. Along with over a million of his fellow countrymen who fled Ireland during and after the Irish Potato Famine from 1845-1852, Jim Thompson left Ireland at the tender young age of eleven and immigrated to America in search of work and a better life.

They were actually the lucky ones, since one million others who stayed behind slowly succumbed to starvation during that tragic period of Irish history, also known as the Great Hunger.

After spending some time in Texas, Thompson fought in the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy. After the war he migrated to California, before coming to Arizona and eventually making his way to Oak Creek Canyon. He settled in an area of the canyon then known as Indian Gardens and began a small ranching operation. In 1887 Thompson built a narrow road connecting his home in the canyon to Sedona so he could transport goods and supplies back and forth more quickly and efficiently. The Jim Thompson Trail follows that same road, built over 125 years ago. Today’s hikers, as well as those of years past and decades into the future, can thank Jim Thompson for building one of the most scenic and breathtaking trails in the Sedona area.

Most of us long ago shed our outer garment layer but as soon as heavy cloud cover obscures the sun once again and the wind picks up, the temperature seems to instantly drop ten degrees or more. Minutes later, the sun comes back out and it warms up again just as fast. This cycle repeats itself again and again on today’s hike. But knowing that triple digits aren’t that far away back in the lower desert that most of us call home, I think we’re all loving these cooler temperatures since we know only too well what’s in store for us for the next five months or so.

The Jim Thompson Trail was featured as the “Hike of the Month” in the November 2015 issue of Arizona Highways, and it’s certainly easy to see why, since this has to be one of the most scenic trails of all in the large network of trails that meanders throughout Red Rock Country. You can almost point a camera in any direction along this trail and come up with a pretty good picture.

After slowly working our way around the base of first the Fin and then Ship Rock and finally Steamboat Rock, we eventually reach the highest point on the trail on the east side of Steamboat Rock at 4,770 feet. Here we take a short break before continuing down the trail.

A little over two miles from the trailhead, we finally come to the trail junction with Wilson Canyon and Wilson Mountain. From here we start dropping down to the floor of Wilson Canyon and eventually pick up the Wilson Canyon Trail. Wilson Canyon is one of numerous rugged side canyons that empty into Oak Creek Canyon. After less than a mile we come to a conveniently located large log lying across a dry creek bed full of huge boulders and cobblestones and decide to stop here for lunch. This will be our turnaround point.

After a well-deserved lunch and rest break we pack up and start the long trek back to the Jim Thompson Trailhead.

By about 1:15 PM we’re all back at the Jim Thompson Trailhead and sitting at a large concrete picnic table, discussing post-hike dinner options. Although the Arizona Trailblazers is a serious hiking club, dedicated to hiking and to the preservation and enjoyment of the great outdoors of Arizona, we’re also dedicated to eating a hearty meal after a good workout on the trail. Carl had earlier suggested a Mexican restaurant in Sedona called Cafe Jose where he and Lin had eaten dinner the night before, and with no other serious contenders that’s our next destination. So off we head in search of Cafe Jose.

After a fulfilling and filling Mexican dinner at Cafe Jose (great place by the way and thanks for the recommendation Carl), we bid one another goodbye and split up into our individual carpools for the long drive back to Phoenix. This has been a terrific hike and miraculously we managed to escape the weather bullet once again even though it was certainly touch and go for a while. And although there may have been some initial disappointments and reservations over switching gears at the last minute, I think most of today’s hikers are pleased with the change in hiking venue and may even want to hike the Jim Thompson Trail again in the near future.

Thank you, Jim Thompson, for building such a scenic trail for hikers to enjoy for many decades to come, and thanks to each of you for joining me today. And always remember the Arizona Trailblazer’s unwritten motto: “The worse day of hiking is always better than the best day of working.” Actually, that’s my own personal motto, but anyway ...

Thanks, everyone, for hiking with Arizona Trailblazers. It was wonderful to see you all having such a great time, especially those experiencing the Red Rock Country for the first time.

Jim