A Mother’s Day hike

This Mother’s Day, Kim and I decided to take my Mom out for a nice streamside hike. Parsons Trail, in the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Area within Coconino National Forest, has been on my “to-hike” list for about 12 years, and is flagged in several guides books I own. It was time.

While we didn’t get to the trailhead until nearly 12pm - just in time for the blazing noon-day sun - we really enjoyed the trail. There’s a surprisingly impressive riparian area in the canyon, and quite a bit of water as well. We had several nice places to stop and eat lunch and, later, a snack. We didn’t encounter too many people on the trail, though we did run into two drunk twenty-somethings at the swimming hole, as well as a forest ranger near the wilderness boundary.

Next time, we’ll be sure to get here a bit earlier (either in the day or the season), and have enough time to hike a bit further, take a quick dip in the several large pools along the trail, and stop for a mid-day nap streamside amongst the trees. We had a great time, and it really makes me wonder why I didn’t get to this trail sooner–and how many similar trails are still waiting for me.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!