Hiking North Wilson Mountain

Our big adventure today was a hike along North Wilson Mountain Trail #123. It's a strenuous climb, with about 1,700' of elevation gain in 2 miles one way to where it joins the Wilson Mountain Trail, which continues on another 2.5 miles to the top of Wilson Mountain. Even hiking only the North Wilson part was rewarded with spectacular views of Oak Creek Canyon and the red rocks of Sedona.

The hike is through Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness and passes through an area burned in a 2006 wildfire. This was definitely a "crooked, steep, and rocky" experience, earning its "strenuous" rating both from the steepness of the ascent and from the slippery, narrow trail with lots of loose rocks. We were glad to have our hiking sticks.

We made it to "First Bench," a volcanic plateau, where the trail joins the Wilson Mountain Trail.

Near the top of our climb, we could see this snow covered mountain in the distance, up toward Flagstaff.

Besides the mountain views, we also got to see some wildlife, all rather small. We saw lots of lizards, but one was quite entertaining. Instead of skittering right off when we approached, this lizard held its ground and appeared to do pushups, exposing its blue belly. We figure it was trying to warn us off of its territory. We heard lots of birds and saw some interesting ones, including a pair of hummingbirds and a yellow and black bird. We were pleased to see several types of butterflies along the trail. Near the top, there was a spring fed shallow pool, and we could see hoof prints in the mud at the water's edge. Fortunately we didn't see any bears (though one hiker we met said that she had seen one near the top last year). We saw that one woman with her dog near the start of the trail, and at the bench as we were eating our snack, three younger hikers passed by on their way down. Other than that we had a real wilderness experience.

As we returned, weary but happy to the parking lot, we found that someone had just hit the passenger rear bumper of our truck with their fifth wheel. Fortunately the damage doesn't affect the drivability of the truck, but it was not a happy ending to our adventure. Now we'll have the hassle of arranging with our insurance company to get it fixed.

We ate our picnic lunch and decided to head home, since it was too late to do the scenic drive we had planned--and we were too tired out. We were glad to get our shoes and socks off and sit in our lawn chairs for a bit with a cold drink.