Jeff and I hiked one of my favorite places in Sedona, Fay Canyon, on Valentine’s Day. For those who are familiar with Sedona, it’s a canyon just west of Boynton Canyon (where the Enchantment Resort resides).

Fay Canyon is a box canyon, with an arch high up on the east wall. That was our destination. It’s a steep trail over loose rocks. Our thighs burned as we scrambled up the path. I slipped more than once, and at one point, coming down, Jeff slid and fell into me.  Fortunately, we caught ourselves and didn’t go tumbling down the hill.

When you’re climbing up to it, it looks like an overhang or shallow cave. But when you get underneath it, you find an arch that’s separated from the back wall by twenty feet or so. There was also a small Sinagua dwelling up here, dating to the 12th or 13th century, according to a book on the area by Stewart Aitchison.

As we descended, I decided that safety was more important than dignity, and scooted down some of the rocks on my posterior. We didn’t have time to continue to the end of Fay Canyon, but will return to hike to that point.