Sedona seemed determined to keep me within its grasp. The canyons I ventured into felt like relics of a forgotten era, their ancient aura casting a timeless spell that slowed my pace, and made me hesitant to leave. What was meant to be a straightforward six-mile hike to the bus stop morphed into a three-hour odyssey, setting a rather ominous tone for my ambitious 80-mile day ahead.
Two local buses would cover 35 miles, but that would take most of the day. I ended up on the edge of Camp Verde, a place I’d never been, flying a sign for Strawberry, dreaming about pie.
As I hoisted my sign pleading for a lift to Strawberry, my pie-filled fantasies were interrupted by the sight of a police car cruising past, then doubling back.
Have you ever seen the movie Rambo?
This was just like that. The officer offered a ride to the edge of his jurisdiction, dropping me off, outside of town, out in the middle of nowhere. The difference, between real life and the movie, was that neither one of us had a chip on our shoulder. He genuinely wanted to help, took me as far as he was able, and I was grateful for the ride.
I walked into the great wide open without a concern. There weren’t many vehicles on the road, but within a half hour a friendly couple from Oracle stopped to give me a ride the rest of the way… only we arrived a half hour after the pie bar closed.
I was crushed. All my hopes and dreams shattered… but the pie bar owner must have seen me crying, or didn’t want me camping on their property, and came out with three hand pies to go!
Almost a full moon above, I ate pies as I walked through the woods, back to the Arizona Trail, feeling like I could run the 300 miles to Superior that night.
I was ahead of schedule and didn’t need to be night hiking a dark trail in unfamiliar territory. Especially one that descended into a canyon after crossing Strawberry mountain. Getting lost in similar canyons that very morning, in broad daylight, was still fresh in my mind.
It felt like asking for trouble.
My dim flashlight flickered as I lost the trail again and again, but the battery didn’t die until I heard someone rustling in the bushes.
And then there was only moonlight.