About 700,000 years ago a mountain erupted and the lava formed these cave/tunnel like structures. The average temperature stays in the low 40's (farenheit). It's not terribly strenuous but after a while it takes a toll on your ankles as the ground is hardly ever flat. You're constantly navigating either medium sized boulders or a ground that looks like rippled lava. The lava basically formed as it dried and hence the ground is rippled when not covered in boulders/rocks. For the most part you can walk/hike standing up tall however there are a couple sections where you need to crouch down and walk (like a little gremlin).
This is us clambering in at the beginning. Pretty big rocks to navigate around and unfortunately some were covered in ice which made it slightly difficult.
For the most part, this is what the caves/tunnel looked like. Look at how tall they all are!
This is a picture of myself, Carlos and Jen - notice how bundled up we all were! The temperature ranges in the tunnels are quite significant...there were some sections where we were all extremely warm from all the layers and other sections where we were incredibly grateful!
This is basically what it looked like while you're hiking. I took this shot with my flashlight off so all you can see is the light of two flashlights ahead of me. At one point we all turned our flashlights off and stopped talking. My friend Jen wisely pointed out that we had experienced what it was like to be deaf and blind at the same time. Not often you get to experience that.
I LOVE this shot! This is of the wall of the cave - look at the beautiful vertical stripes of wonder. How amazing!!
This is one of the sections where we had to crouch and walk/crawl. Slightly uncomfortable but these sections aren't terribly long so at the most we were crouched over for about 10 minutes. Not so great for those that were gifted with height though as it becomes extra strenuous.I highly recommend the lava cakes for any explorers out there! It can be a little rough on the knees and ankles as the ground isn't smooth at all. Also - if you're considering this hike, definitely invest in a headlamp (as dorky as you might look, you'll be grateful for it!) as well as a handheld flashlight. Don't forget extra batteries. Jen's headlamp wore off half way through the hike. Also - dress warm and layer up!
Next, we were off to Sedona to Devil's Arch - a natural mountain formation. The pictures tell the rest of the story.
Fast shutter speeds are awesome.
Definitely not for the faint-hearted or those scared of heights. We chose to get the top view rather than the bottom and it was amazing! It's amazing how these structures come to be
That's me waving my hands up in the air!!
2 comments:
Looks like a great trip. Aren't we lucky to live in such a lovely and varied state. Haven't been hiking for an age, I miss it.
Yes, I am definitely appreciating this state more! We spent some time in a bookstore yesterday and I was addicting to "travel AZ" books. I also found some az gardening books too that I'm interested in!
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