Sedona is truly the stairway to heaven.
The day we went hiking up the Sedona red rocks, I felt like I was climbing to heaven. As we hiked up and over and through and around the red rocks, I sensed I was walking on sacred, holy ground. We started calling our hike the Sedona stairway to heaven hike.
As soon as we walked past the trailhead marker, we felt the hushed reverence of nature…in the rocks, the trees, the cactus. Every living plant stood in its place to cry out songs of praise and thanksgiving for the honor of serving as an adornment to this majestic place.
The soft fragrance of cedar greeted me immediately, drifting through the air and gently filling my senses. It was intoxicating – it halted my steps. I stood still in the middle of the path and just breathed it in, filling my whole being with its sweet, sensuous smell.
There was no hurry in our steps…we were not hiking for the physical benefits of such a feat…we were there to immerse ourselves in the worship of creation.
A turn of our heads in any direction along the path revealed a grand masterpiece of canyons painted with brushstrokes of red, orange, gray, blue, green…against the brilliant blue sky that cradled soft bundles of cotton in its arms.
We walked on and on, step by step, climbing what we called the Sedona stairway to heaven, seeking the fruition of our quest.
Fragile ferns and tiny sprouts of green dotted the path like precious little children at play. Soft, green moss covered stones, grew in the crevices, curved around roots like a gentle hand of comfort upon a friends’ shoulder.
Bushes along the trail bloomed with tiny white blossoms that seemed to bow their heads while the leaves were hands raised in prayer.
Dead trees with their stark drab trunks remained steadfastly rooted in their duty to serve, and upon closer look, a branch of new growth, new life, protruded from the gnarled, twisted elderly tree.
The three mile hike to the top was a spiritual experience that only comes when you get away from the concrete masses and allow your soul to say hello to nature. When you shut out the outside distractions and open yourself to that which is within.
The final push, a few quick steps – and at last we were beholding the panoramic glory and majesty and beauty of Sedona’s red rocks. We were one with all nature, the rocks and boulders and trees and plants and wildlife … moved to tears at the honor of being present in this space.
We turned and headed back down…not ready to leave this sacred place, not ready to be removed from the energy that tumbled through every muscle and fiber of our being, but the sun was giving us warning of the day’s end.
As we walked, we stopped for one last look, one last smell, one last caress of a lichen covered rock. The colors along the path that were brilliant in the mid-day sun began to transform to subtle hues of gray, sage and blue when the sun said it’s farewell to the day.
And then, it was over. Back in the truck, back on the road again. Time had vanished during the hike…it had been 4 hours of joyful bliss hiking the Sedona stairway to heaven.
We chuckled at ourselves…two baby boomers with no amount of physical endurance had climbed these peaks and survived! And the interesting thing is this…we were not exhausted, we were not ready to collapse when we were back at the trail head. In fact, we were so fully energized, had it not been so late in the day, we probably would have taken off on another trail.
This was definitely a deep spiritual experience like I’ve never known before. Something magical, mysterious and enlightening happened on that trail…and even though we had to leave that sacred place and return to our camper, I carried it with me…back to the crowded streets of Sedona, through the round-abouts and stoplights, in the grocery store, back to the campground.
I fell into a deep sleep last night – the kind of sleep where Bruce could not stir me with his touch, his nudging, his soft goodnight kisses. I was gone… back to the energy and soul of the red rocks where I found peace that rocked me to sleep.
People ask us quite often, “what’s your favorite place you’ve been to so far?” And we always answer, “Our favorite place is wherever we are right now, for there is beauty all around us.” But THIS, this experience has been one of the most moving and restorative experiences I’ve ever had.
Unless you’ve been here and walked along these trails with an awareness of its sacredness, my words and pictures will not convey the connection and meaning I am striving to share with you. It has to be felt and seen and touched and breathed in by your physical presence.
Many people come to Sedona for the arts, the shopping, the culture, the jeep excursions, helicopter tours and trolley rides. They will find exactly what they are seeking – it’s an extravaganza of tourist treats and delights.
I came here seeking something different. I came here to do exactly what I did today…to walk along the path…to climb the Sedona stairway to heaven, stand there with tear filled eyes and say, “thank you, thank you, thank you.”
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