Enchantment of Long Canyon Trail

I hope you enjoy the photos of this most enchanting place. One of my cousins recently wrote on facebook how he wished he were a person that could laze about in bed. I had hoped the same for myself. It was an overcast, unusually cool Sunday here in Sedona. Perfect conditions for sleeping long into the day. But it didn't happen for me. Those red hills and pine trees kept calling me. They would not let me sleep. I could enjoy no peace until I got up and drove toward the best trails. I had passed Long Canyon before and promised to go back when I had time. Since I didn't sleep in, I had time.

I don't know what I expected of this trail, with a name like "Long Canyon" but I found a surprise. This place is a continuing landscape of enchanted forest. Mostly Pinion pine, but also some of the giant red pines. Red and ochre cliffs overhead casting a light net of shadow, which must create the conditions for the forest. It was perfectly humid in the forest, even though I saw no sign of a creek or stream. It had rained recently and I am sure that helped. But there were bushes, flowers and trees which look like they had been well watered for a long time. Surprise, surprise, I even encountered some mosquitoes. My first in Arizona.

The real key to this adventure, was how the space felt. I was all alone, no other humans for miles. Just me and some mourning doves, and the bees that kept following me at about 3 feet behind me. I think it was too wet and cool for our lizard friends. But I did see signs of small cats and some prints that looked like a bear. Maybe the muddy path preserved tracks longer than normal. I don't know. I do know that I felt so safe, and welcomed and pampered.It felt like I had my own private forest with lots of natural toys and places to play.

This was very different than my other hiking experiences. I felt a continual sense of peace, even as I listened to the bees following me. I felt like I could walk forever. The path had ended abruptly and I was a little startled. The guide book said it was a 3 hour trip in and out of the Canyon. I was sure that I was only in the middle. Then i discovered that a tree had fallen over in the middle of the path. I don't know how I re-discovered the path, but I did. That's when things really opened up. I began to see lots of natural phenomena that looked constructed. I took some pictures of the trees which fell in such a way to form the perfect structure, or trees and a woodpile perfectly set around a beautiful white stone. Bushes and trees opening into a special path, and so on. These were intriguing discoveries. It shifted my thinking to gratitude. That shift energized my body, especially my feet and legs. I felt like I was floating, though I was most likely walking very fast.

At the end of my journey, my feet and legs were more tired than when I climb those steep hills. I was so ready to take off my hiking boots and walk in my bare feet. I did not. But maybe I covered more distance than I had suspected. Anyway, I took enough pictures to create a photo album for this trail. And I did some Ki Gong along and at the end of the trail. Love it, love it, love it.

So, it was well worth the lost sleep. By the time I left, the sun was heating up and bicyclists were starting to hit nearby trails. I went at the right time to have the perfect weather and enchanted experience on Long Canyon Trail.

Yes. I am still watching myself.Reflecting on the thoughts and emotions that flow through my brain. Actively, gratitude is the bridge that brings us back to the middle path. No matter what we experience, it is shaped by our level of gratitude. I offer gratitude to the trees, birds, rocks, hills, flowers and bugs of Long Canyon; manifestations of Mother Earth.