In March, 2021 I completed my first solo cross-country drive to Flagstaff. Not wanting to take time off of work just to be on the road, I completed the trip in three, long, 13+ hour driving days, stopping at KOAs outside of Indianapolis and Oklahoma City. When I arrived in Flagstaff, Kristen, 3 of her girlfriends, and myself did a comically-bad shotgun to celebrate. I was excited to be back with Kristen and Cora!

Housing in Flagstaff is surprisingly expensive. For the first week I was there, Kristen and I shared a room in small Airbnb that was really a converted garage close to town. For the latter 4 weeks, we moved to an Airbnb further outside of town with two bedrooms, a firepit and a larger backyard for Cora. On the surface, this seemed like a good idea, but this Airbnb wasn’t the best. First, Kristen decided to redecorate the bathroom since their shower curtain, rugs and towels were moldy and outdated. Next, my room had metal bunkbeds which, as I was getting into one night, I hit my head on the frame and began bleeding. I woke Kristen up with blood coming down my face. Finally, the Airbnb owners lived above us and, one night while Kristen was at work and I was getting ready for bed, a paramedic walked into our Airbnb only to realize he was being called to the owners’ apartment above us. Turns out the owner had a seizure and was going to be spending a few weeks in rehab. So, it was an eventful Airbnb experience. The upside was that there was a nice parking a couple blocks away that Cora and I walked to on the days Kristen was working.

The other not-so-fun part about this trip was that I was right in the middle of grad school and really feeling the burnout of working full-time and schooling part-time. That Spring semester I struggled to balance school and wanting to do fun things with Kristen, and it resulted in me deciding to take the Summer semester completely off.

Regardless, I still carved out time to do a lot of fun hikes and adventures in the area and this was still a memorable trip. Flagstaff is central to so many things – Sedona to the South, Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon to the North and Clear Creek Canyon to the West – and we tried our best to hit them all. In addition, Flagstaff sits at the base of Humphreys Peak, a 12,000 foot dormant volcano that is now home to a ski resort. Throughout those 5 weeks, I went skiing, hiking, biking and kayaking!

Sedona, Boynton Canyon

Kristen, Cora and I drove down to Sedona during my first week there. We had both been to Sedona a couple times before (for me: once as kids with our parents, once with Alberto after we graduated from RIT), but I had never driven from Flagstaff to Sedona. The drive is beautiful as you wind down a steep, narrow road from 7,000 feet to 4,500 feet of elevation. The landscape changes from forest to red rock right before your eyes.

Kristen had heard of this hike from one of her friends. There’s no official trail that takes you to the Subway, but she knew relatively where the turn off was going to be so we set off. The trails takes you through pretty red rock, a view of a nearby resort, and ultimately bushwhacking through trees. At the end is a cool rock formation called the Subway that you can climb into as well as a couple ancient rock structures.

Snowbowl

Two days later, we went from wearing sports bras in Sedona to snowpants at the Snowbowl. That’s the nice thing about Flagstaff, you can be in the mountains or desert in an hours drive. That said, it was a 60 degree day in April and nearing the end of the ski season, so by the end of the day we were skiing in long sleeves and no gloves.

This was only by 3rd time skiing, so I rented skis and Kristen taught me some moves on the green trails. We had brought Cora along as well, so every couple runs we’d go back to the car to hangout with her. She was the hit of the parking lot.

Turns out the Snowbowl only has 2 green runs, so once I felt comfortable on these Kristen suggested that I try a blue. This did not go well. I made it down the mountain, but decided to call it a day after that while Kristen went up for one last run. As she was coming down, it was fun to watch her skiing with such ease. I felt very proud of her!

Antelope Canyon

The next weekend we drove north to Lake Powell. We met a group of Kristen’s friends there and rented kayaks. Antelope Canyon is typically accessed by land, but in order to get into it you have to sign up for a guided tour. Alternatively, you can kayak to the backend of it and walk in. It’s not as “slotty” at this part, but it’s worth it to get away from the crowds and go at your own pace.

We kayaked a good ways to get from the rental shop to the opening of Antelope Canyon. For most of it, you’re kayaking on open water and battling the waves from boats and jet skis, but as you approach the canyon, no motorized boats are allowed and you can glide along peacefully. We kayaked as far as we could until we had to dock the boats and then we could walk from there.

We docked, ate lunch, had a fireball shot and walked around a bit before heading back. The wake was much worse on the way back and it made for a long and hard paddle back, but still completely worth it.

Edge of the World Campsite

This isn’t a hike, but I think one of the coolest camping spots I’ve ever stayed deserves to be remembered. This campsite is accessible from Flagstaff, but the road closes during the winter. We weren’t sure if it would be open yet in April, but we went for it anyways and fortunately, we lucked out. After 5 miles on a dirt road, we reached a little-known, dispersed campsite that overlooks Sedona.

We setup camp, shotgunned a Press, had a photoshoot, and had a relaxing night by the fire. In the morning we made pancakes and packed up. A nice getaway less than an hour from our Airbnb!

Grand Canyon

Dale and Kristen’s friend, Michael, joined us for our last week in Flagstaff. We decided to drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and attempt to secure a first-come, first-serve camping spot. We completely lucked out and got one of the last spots.

At sunset, the four of us walked over to the rim and took in the views. We found a secluded spot and had a champagne photoshoot. On the walk back, Kristen and Michael scoured the area for firewood while Dale and I started on dinner. It was a relaxing night.

The following day, Dale and I decided to hike down the Kaibab Trail. We didn’t have a plan of how far we wanted to go, but we arrived early and got on the trail before it started getting too hot. On the way down, I was very reminiscent of doing the Bright Angels hike with my mom and sister as a kid. I remember at the time being so proud of myself for completing a 13 mile hike as we went all the way down to the river.

This time, Dale and I were a little less ambitious. We went about 3 miles down before it started getting pretty hot and we decided to turn back. The highlight was seeing a pack of mules being led down to the lodge below.

Clear Creek Canyon

For our last Arizona adventure, Dale and I drove west to Clear Creek where we rented kayaks and paddled through the canyon. We had a beautiful day, the creek was quiet, and best of all there’s no motors allowed on the creek so there was no wake. We paddled all the way to end of the canyon before turning back. On the way back, Dale decided to jump off the edge while I attempted to hold onto both boats.