Meeting Mysticism in Sedona

We got our first opportunity to hike today, choosing Cathedral Rock, a short but intense vertical climb offering great 360 views.  I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, especially venturing onto a narrow cliff for a better vantage point (below).  Wherever we go, we meet interesting people, probably because we're never in a hurry.  The gentleman who took this photo of us was either Dutch or Belgian.  He had a fancy camera and took a couple of different shots, taking extra time to frame them appropriately.  Such a friendly guy!

It's been 10 years since my last visit to Sedona.  In the years that have passed, I have tried to tell myself that it's like everywhere else in Arizona.  But it isn't.  The formations, the vivid, red shade of the rocks are unique.  I'm so glad we were able to re-visit here, even though it was a short stay.

Pictographs protected from the elements

In the afternoon, we decided to visit the Palatki Ruins, off Highway 29A, seven miles into the desert on rough, unpaved roads.  The road was no match for the trusty Ridgeline!

This area is nestled into tall, red rock cliffs with large overhangs that protect the 900-year-old cliff dwellings and pictographs from decay.  Not much is known about the various tribes who occupied this space.  Like other sites we've seen, this was a busy trade center, with as many as 2,000 occupants.  Shells from the Pacific coast were even found at the site!

Kathleen Cox

Pictographs were drawn here by several tribes at different times in history.

As we waited for the Ranger lecture on the cliff dwellings, I heard a couple talking to my left, near the edge of the area.  The  man said, nonchalantly, to the ranger, "Did you know you have a ghost?"  The ranger replied with an equal lack of enthusiasm, "Yes, I've heard that before."  The woman said, "It's an older man.  I asked him if he was a grandfather and he looked strangely at me and said, no, he was a guard. He said he was happy that the area is treated with respect."  I took this all in with great interest.  Ghosts are fascinating to me.  I asked the woman if she was sensitive to spirits and she said she was and we went on our way.

At the other end of the site are pictographs and a grotto.  A German couple strolled through the area, mostly unimpressed.  "Only 900 years old?  The aboriginal remains are 30,000 years old."  Geez, I thought, how can you make comparisons like that?  RBK noted that studying any culture from another age should be a unique experience.

About that time, we bumped into the same couple from the cliff dwellings, where she was quietly talking with her friend about a woman making a basket in the grotto.  I asked her if the woman knew she was there and she said that they had a nice, little chat about the basket-making but it wasn't anything too exciting.  We spoke for a little while about ourselves and she gave me her card.  She's an Alderian Life Coach, Spiritual Mentor and Transpersonal Hypnotist.  What a great experience to meet someone like this for the first time in my life.  Of course it would happen in Sedona!