February 16-18, 2012: 

Wilson Mountain Trail, Montenzuma's Castle, IMS Half Marathon, and Hieroglyphic Trail

Aaron's parents came out to visit this past February.  We did so much while they were here: hiked in Sedona, visited the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, ran our first half marathon, hiked in the Superstitious Mountains, ate A LOT of good food.  I wanted to share some pictures with you below!

Wilson Mountain Trail

We headed up to Sedona Friday morning.  Sedona is quickly becoming one of my favorite places in Arizona.  In my opinion, the red rocks rival the most beautiful views in the US. 

Trail Notes:  We found Wilson Mountain Trail in A Falcon Guide: Hiking Arizona.  This was Aaron and I's second time hiking this trail.  Pictures cannot express how gorgeous this area is. The book indicates a 5 hour hiking time, but it took Aaron and I about 2.5 hours (6.1 miles) in good weather.  We didn't complete the entire trail when we hiked with his parents since we wanted to keep our legs fresh for the upcoming run.  The trail is located 2 miles north of Sedona.  There is a (very) small lot just over the bridge north of Sedona.

Along the Wilson Mountain Trail outside of Sedona:

Montezuma's Castle

After hiking in Sedona, we headed to Flagstaff for some food, stargazing, and sleep. Saturday we were heading back to Scottsdale and we stopped at Montezuma's Castle on the way back.  It was a little underwhelming for me.  There is something to be said about a long, hard hike to get to gorgeous views.  Paying $ (or using your America the Beautiful card) to walk 1/4 mile on a paved road doesn't quite do it for me.  Check it out:

IMS Half Marathon

 On Sunday, Aaron and I ran the IMS Half Marathon.  We will be doing the FULL IMS Marathon next February!  Here's us at the finish!

Hieroglyphic Trail

After filling up on some Chipotle, we headed out to the Superstition Mountains to hike Hieroglyphic Trail.  It is a beautiful & fairly flat hike which was about all that I was up for that day.  When we made it to the petroglyphs, many had been vandalized, which was disappointing.

Trail Notes:  We found this trail in 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Phoenix.   The hike is approximately 3 miles (there is an optional hike the the Ridgeline at the end) and takes about 2 hours.  The trail is easy and the views are amazing.