MRT 2021 Day 5, April 9, Friday
• Start S2 mile 7.9
• End S2 25
• Miles walked: 17.1
After a short walk on top, the route plunges down, just before we get to Woods Canyon, which makes a deep cut into the Rim. We are going to bypass the canyon by going all the way down to “ground level”, then going back up on the other side, instead of walking around the canyon cut. The trail guide suggests this choice will be made clear soon, but the wisdom is not yet apparent while I am struggling on the trail.
So down Hot Loop Trail, and along Horse Mesa, and down Woods Canyon Trail, and at the bottom I stop at the USFS Visitors Center, now closed to visitors for Covid, on the highway south of Sedona, and stock up on water, because the next section can be dry.
The route back up is along a faint old ranchers trail, and I lose it part way up. Back on the Rim, the route joins Chavez Trail, remains of wagon tracks, a trade route during pioneer days.