There was a sign posted at the trail head- "Hiker Advisory: Icy Conditions. Proceed With Caution"
We probably should have turned around as soon as we read that.
The hike began well enough.
We crossed the bridge,
took pictures at the old lodge ruins,
then proceeded down the trail. We saw a little snow on the sides of the trail, with a few patches of ice we had to skirt around. The kids were excited to play in the snow.
Soon, the trail became entirely like this:
Even with our baby steps and walking sticks, we fell over and over. And over. Still, against reason, we kept going.
We had to cross the creek several times.
On the second one, Emma slipped and fell, getting her legs soaking wet. Still, we kept going. What were we thinking? Look, the sun is shining and the trail is clear ahead! Just a little further!
We tried to enjoy the scenery.
Then, the chattering lips and whining began.
We stopped for a snack and a rest, then turned around.
Drew, safely buckled into the backpack carrier, began to voice his displeasure at being jostled around as we crossed the creek. He cried most of the way back to the car. Emma was now (justifiably) afraid of falling in the water again, and began to shake and cry as we tried to get back to the trail head. Kyle took his cue from Emma and began whining and crying. At one point, all three children were crying at the top of their lungs. Marcus was carrying two of them, I was carrying Kyle, and passing hikers were staring at us in either sympathy or disgust-- I'm not sure which. Some offered to help, others just shook their heads. Yeah, I admit it- we probably shouldn't have taken them on this trail. If she hadn't gotten wet, Emma probably would have been fine. Oh well- lesson learned.
We made it back to the car, turned on the heater, and drove to our hotel. We spent the afternoon taking hot baths, drinking hot chocolate, and watching TV. We enjoyed a nice dinner at the hotel, provided by Marcus' company. Drew won a door prize- an I Spy book. We retired to the hotel room and tried for a good night's sleep.
Being Drew's first night in a hotel, I was a little worried. I may have mentioned once or twice that he's not always a great sleeper. :) Luckily the hotel room was rather large, so we put him around the corner from us in the Pack n Play. He woke up five or six times, but I only had to soothe him twice. I had a hard time falling back asleep, though, so it was a long, un-restful night for me.
We woke up, ate donuts and drank chocolate milk (yay vacations!) and headed off to the tourist side of Sedona for some shopping. We bought souvenirs, ate lunch, and bought treats at the Fudge Shoppe. We made one last sight-seeing stop at the Chapel of the Holy Cross on the outskirts of town. It is a truly magnificent chapel that seems to be built right into the mountain. It is a steep drive/walk up to the top, but the views are magnificent.
Okay, most of them are. I mean, this house is huge and fancy and all that..... but compared to the natural beauty surrounding us, it just seemed, well, gaudy.
We got in our car and headed home to the Valley. Drew was asleep as soon as the car started moving. Sweet baby.
Thanks, Sedona. It was an experience.
