Better late than never for a trip report. Wouldn’t you agree?

Anyone who knows me knows that there is NO WAY I would volunteer to lead a hike in Sedona in May. Heat and I do not get along at all. Since Ted already had this hike on the calendar and, unfortunately, had some knee problems that prevented him from leading it, I agreed to lead it for him.

It turned out to be one of the best hikes I’ve been on in a long time. Personally, I needed the relaxation and camaraderie of my friends and fellow hikers. I’d like to say welcome to Janet who was hiking with us for the first time and that it was nice meeting Mike from Cottonwood. Hope to see both of you on the trail again soon!

Chuck and I carpooled from Phoenix. We picked up George, Rudy, and Mike in Cottonwood at the Chamber of Commerce and proceeded to the Jim Thompson Trailhead. Scott drove by himself and joined us there. Quy brought Kim, Monika, Debbie, and Janet in her vehicle. After introductions and some needed information, we were on the trail by 10am.

I had so hoped to use several of Quy’s photos for this trip report. For some reason, my computer will not translate the resolution and size of her photos into something I can use so I am using mine.

Thank you, Quy, for sharing your great photos. They can be seen on Shutterfly at:
http://quytnguyen.shutterfly.com/pictures/6623.

Ted provided a copy of the narrative about this hike he has prepared for his new hiking book so I used it as a guide as we went a long. It was very detailed, informative, and useful. As a matter of fact, other hikers on the trail were stopping to listen to what I was reading aloud as we were hiking. Good job Ted! We look forward to seeing your new book in publication soon.

Thanks to all of you that came out for the hike. Many Happy Trails to you!

Ted needs to add this feature to his write-up.

Pick a name ... The Eagle ... Red Rock Swirl ... Wizard’s Hat.

Devil’s Kitchen was created by dissolving minerals which caused great boulders to break off.