If there’s a cure for this
I don’t want it
I don’t want it
If there’s a remedy
I’ll run from it
From it

Finally, Carolyn and I get a day off together so after work we jump in the car and head off to Sedona. I am determined to hike the Hangover Cow Pies Loop come rain or shine. For a Friday, the trip to Sedona wasn’t too stressful. A stop at Starbucks gets me energized and a couple hours later our first stop in Sedona is the Sedona Beer Company.

Sedona Beer Company is a hidden gem off of Jordan Road and it has a decent Friday night crowd. First time we have visited since it opened in its current location in August 2018. The place has a great atmosphere with cool ambiance and patio seating as well as indoor tables and bar seating. Got talking to a customer (go figure) who once lived in Payson (1989-90) where his daughter was born and who is one of the owners. I told him we were planning on hiking the Hangover Cow Pies Loop Trail and he gave me some history about the trail. A friend of his helped with creation of the trail and was instrumental in getting it built. Got some some food recommendations and we enjoyed a craft draft with a fantastic chicken breast sandwich and unbelievably good sweet potato waffle fries. Beer choices were the decadent stout and the golden ale.

On to the Hilton Sedona Resort at Bell Rock. One of the great benefits of working for Hilton is travel so we have made the Hilton our home in Sedona. Absolutely love the place and the guest service they provide.

After a fabulous breakfast at the resort, we headed out to Schnebly Hill Road and the trail head for Munds Wagon Trail which will we will take to get to Hangover. A cloudy day with chances of rain mid 50’s and a late start around 11:00. We are a bit concerned about rain but have our rain jackets packed. We hike approximately 1.7 miles up Munds Wagon to get to the Hangover Trail. Mountain Bikers are to ride further up to Cow Pies and go counter clockwise on the loop. I’m here to say that hikers are best going clockwise by starting at Hangover. We headed up the trail on a series of switchbacks encountering several mountain bikers that were coming down.

You climb and you climb some 1200+ feet into a saddle that is nothing less then spectacular for the views. You can see into the town of Sedona, Highway 89A, Midgley Bridge, and the Oak Creek Canyon. Words cannot adequately describe the views.

The hike continues and Carolyn and I scramble straight up to another ledge that might be less then 4 feet wide. It is very narrow and you definitely cannot have a fear of heights or suffer from any form of vertigo. This hike on the ledge is not for the feint of heart but yet is is exhilarating.

Carolyn and I are hoping the rain will hold off as these rocks can become very slippery when wet. During this time my smart phone and its photo taking is safely in my pocket as we are hiking on the edge. Intense and the rain thankfully holds off. We finally get to the Cow Pies Saddle and the wind comes up and it begins sprinkling. The trek down is not quite as intense but still exciting.

As we look to the north and east we see jeeps on Schnebly Hill and we can see Carousel Rock in the distance. It is just beautiful being out on the edge with the one you love. On our journey down to the trail head our conversation is filled with the wows and excitements of the hike.

What would a hike be without unwinding with a craft beer? Exactly so back to Sedona Beer Company we go for a couple juniper saisons and those incredible sweet potato waffle fries. It just fits. We unwind, reliving our journey together. We can’t believe how great the hike was. Incredible. When people rate hikes I don’t know how you can rate anything much better then this one. Tough, thrilling, uncrowded, and no trash. Ok I found somebody’s weed pen that they must have dropped. I’m thinking wow, the natural high was all I needed. Some old school disco from Diana sounds appropriate.

It was the sweetest hangover and you know what? I don’t need to cure!