Mescal Mountain, United States Travel Journals & Blogs

Traveler Weltreise
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- Mar 13, 2023, 3:52pm
- Altitude: 1,420 m
- United States Arizona Yavapai County Mescal Mountain 34.9147, -111.85060834°54’53” N 111°51’2” W
Day 41
Subway cave
March 13, 2023 in the United States
🇨🇭: uuuuuund hüt gömmer wieder gewandere :D üses Ziel Subway caves!
Aber befor meh det ahne chunt muess meh es chlises stückli laufe. Zudem is ehn chli versteckte Platz, de findsch ned eifach so. Isch au nüt beschriftet det ahne😅
Tönt doof aber meh muess tatsächli an nem gewüsse Baum rechts, zu nem andere Weg abüge das meh det ahne chunt.🌳 sus findsch es ned. Aber wenns den gfunde hesch derfsch zerst mol chli chlettere, gar ned ohni zum det ufe cho, aber es lohnt sich😍😍 au wenn de Felsvorsprung sehr knapp isch hahaha aber die Ussicht isch halt eifach mega. Meh chan nochane nähmli au no, bide recht site um de ecke det und witterlaufe zu nem andere Spot. Isch ned Schwindelfrei det obe. De abstieg goht eifacher wenn meh um d’site chletteret. Unterwegs no zwei Männer kenneglernt mega liebi gsi, denn sinmer als Gruppe wieder zrugg glofe🚶🏻‍♀️🚶🏻

🇺🇸: aaaaaand today we are going hiking again :D Our goal the subway caves!
Befor you have to walk 30-40min. Its a secret spot you can’t find them easy. No signs where you show the way. 😅 maybe it sounds stupid, but you have to turn right at a certain tree🌳otherwise you can’t find the spot. When you find the right way, you have to climb a part of it. And its not that easy, but it's worth it😍😍 the view is amazing!!
only the ledge is very narrow, you really have to be careful. You also can go on the right narrow and go around, you can walk a some nice step to another spot. you really have to be free from giddiness up there. The way down from the otherside is more easier then the way to get up there. On the way we meet two mens, and for the way back we are a nice group of travellers. It was nice to talk with them🚶🏻🚶🏻‍♀️😊Read more
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Traveler wow so schön🥰
3/16/23ReplyTranslate
Traveler Ja mega gell😍
3/16/23ReplyTranslate
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Traveler UT, AZ, & CA Teardrop RoadTrip
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- Oct 14, 2018
- ⛅ 15 °C
- Altitude: 1,380 m
- United States Arizona Yavapai County Mescal Mountain 34.90789, -111.8489334°54’28” N 111°50’56” W
Day 18
Boynton Canyon hike and Summit Viewpoint
October 14, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
We hike Boynton Canyon trail in the morning. This is supposed to be a vortex site. It is a beautiful area, but I didn't sense any mystical energy :-)
There is a short spur to a Vista viewpoint near the beginning of the trail.
Hiking into the canyon, we skirted a resort at the mouth of the canyon, then hiked to the end for a wonderful view of the canyon and lunch.
After that hike, we went on the airport road and did a short walk to Summit viewpoint. This was a great spot to see all of Sedona. We could see threatening storm clouds coming our way, so we went back to the brewery we were at the day before and enjoyed a beer and watched some football.Read more
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Traveler Smokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks
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- Sep 26, 2022, 7:00am
- ☀️ 59 °F
- Altitude: 4,518 ft
- United States Arizona Yavapai County Mescal Mountain 34.908121, -111.84816934°54’29” N 111°50’53” W
Day 26
Boynton Canyon Trail
September 26, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F
We woke up at 6 am to make it out early before the heat. We thought surely we'd be done by 10 am, so we brought only 1.5 liters of water each and some sunflower seeds.

About 20 minutes in, the sweatshirts came off. It was 60 degrees. We took the first cut off to the right to go to the Vista. It was a beautiful view. We took a moment to feel the vortex, place out our stones and set our intentions. Yesterday, I purchased a lapis stone. I was attracted to this stone and asked the lady about it. "It's a stone of Egyptian origin that targets the throat Chakra." Of course it does. I've been struggling with using my authentic voice and have been experiencing severe jaw pain from aTMJ flare up. I receive a message... "Don't think about the whole project because that is shutting you down and preventing you from getting started. Instead receive guidance on what you should do each day."

Only about 1.5 miles in, we contemplated whether this was the end of our hike or if we should go further. This hike not counting the one mile diversion we took, is 6 miles. Kris wanted to go a little further down the trail.

As we hiked, we heard rumors along the way about a specific "alligator tree", branches on the ground specifying an alternative path, and a "birthing cave". Birthing cave got my attention. At this point, I wasn't sure we'd make it there and back but my fear of missing out would not let me turn around. Kris was hungry. We stopped and sat on some rocks to eat some sunflower seeds.

I was using my All Trails app and kept checking it only to find out multiple times that we weren't on the right path. Three and a half miles in we made it to the "birthing cave" we thought, just based on what people on the trail were telling us. However, it was actually The Subway cave. There were two different ways up. One was a very steep narrow climb that required a lot of upper body strength and no falling or slipping. I made it one-third of the way up this and realized I couldn't do it, so I had to maneuver my way back down with a steep drop below me. I made it. Today was not my day to die. I found the alternate path around the side. That path was still a steep climb and I used branches and rocks to pull myself up.

At the top, we sat inside a cave. I now realize this is not Birthing Cave, as that is on the Long Canyon Trail. I can't imagine the Hopi women coming up to this cave to give birth. It was a pretty strenuous hike. Whatever it is called, it was serene and had beautiful views. We rested and took it all in before hiking back down the three miles to the parking lot.

It was a 6.3 mile hike that took us 5 hours. It had an 823 foot elevation gain, and we burned almost 2200 calories.Read more
Traveler Nice pictures but missing you!
9/26/22Reply
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Traveler Smokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks
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- Sep 27, 2022, 8:30am
- ☀️ 68 °F
- Altitude: 4,921 ft
- United States Arizona Yavapai County Mescal Mountain 34.91327, -111.83636334°54’48” N 111°50’11” W
Day 27
Birthing Cave at Long Canyon Trail
September 27, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
I had to go back to the Birthing Cave. I woke up and my knees were stellar, so I headed out in the early morning. As I approached the trailhead, there was a young woman there. "Are you going to Birthing Cave?" She asked. "Yes, I am," I replied. There was absolutely no phone signal there so we couldn't access All Trails or the maps. But, I was prepared and had downloaded the map ahead of time. I asked her if she'd like to join me.

We headed down the trail. "We're looking for the wooden fence and we turn left there," I told her. We made one premature turn, but quickly got back on track. I could see Birthing Cave on the map and the GPS was working on my phone which allowed me to see exactly where we were on the trail.

She is from Oregon and goes on road trips, camping in her Ford Explorer as she travels. She looks young, early 20s maybe.

I told her about my hiking experience yesterday and how we were looking for the Birthing Cave. I told her I was a midwife and that's why I was so intrigued by the site. Well, it was almost like it was meant to be. This young Pilgrim who joined me on this trail is enrolled in a "midwife" program. She is enrolled in the Free Birth Society Birthkeeper's certification course. Apart from anyone's views on this newish trend in freebirthing, we could hold space together. She came to this place without ever attending a birth up to this day, but just knowing that birth should be a sacred space where a women holds sovereignty and power. We are here for the same reason.

I applaud her for her journey, so young. She is birthing herself, starting a new business preparing and delivering meals for postpartum mothers. Starting out in life, hoping she will have her own children one day. I'm ready to retire and pass the baton to another.

We make it to the top after a steep climb at the end which required careful foot placement and hand holding of rocks to steady and pull myself up, careful to avoid the cactuses.

Once atop, the sun was hot and bright. It was steep and the rock was slippery and difficult to find a place to grip myself. How did the Hopi women get here and give birth here? Not impossible, for sure. These were strong women. Resilient women who were used to living in the wild. Another young woman from Minnesota was there. She also travels alone, sleeping in her pop-up tent on top of her vehicle.

It was difficult to take pictures as the sun was so bright and I couldn't see the picture on my camera. I randomly snapped, hoping I would get a few good pictures.

After 20 minutes in the Birthing Cave, it was time to make my careful descent down the steep slope, backwards. "What is your name?" I asked her. Victoria and I shared info and hopefully she will look me up and contact me.

Thinking back, I wonder if Native American women did birth here or if they just named it Birthing Cave because it resembles a vagina. Well, it does!Read more
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