(airy bright music) (birds chirping) (lever zips) - Ready?

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(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (air whooshes) Across Arizona's vast desert landscapes, water and stone tell the story of time.

Towering cliffs, canyons, and mesas stand as layered records of shifting seas and ancient volcanoes.

Over millions of years, water has worked as an artist, painstakingly carving directly into the landscape.

From the fiery orange walls of Sedona to the desert washes and the rare Arizona waterfall, the long dialogue between water and stone endures.

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(water lapping) - When you're near water, designate a water watcher.

- A water watcher stays distraction-free and focused on those in the pool.

- Help prevent drownings.

Keep your eyes on the water.

(water splashes) (water watcher laughs) Woo!

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(bird chirping) (water splashes) (bright bouncy orchestral music) (air whooshes) - The West Fork of Oak Creek Trail is 6 1/2 miles out and back with an elevation gain of 564 feet.

It is a moderately difficult trail that crisscrosses Oak Creek, so come ready to get your feet wet.

Hey, Barry!

- Hi Kristen!

- So nice to meet you!

- And you too!

- This is the most perfect day for a hike.

- Bluebird!

- Absolutely gorgeous!

You ready to go?

- Let's go.

- Barry Mallis is with Keep Sedona Beautiful.

This organization is dedicated to sustaining the natural environment of Sedona and the Verde Valley.

(bright bouncy orchestral music continues) Barry, you are the perfect person for us to be hiking West Fork with because of all of your experience volunteering in Sedona.

Tell us a little bit about all of the ways you volunteer.

- Well, when Melanie and I first arrived about eight years ago, one of the first things that we looked to do was to join a volunteer organization, and Keep Sedona Beautiful popped right out.

- So we have a lot to learn from you.

I also love that you consider yourself a closet geologist.

(Barry laughs) - Yes, indeed!

- That's great because we have a lot to learn about these rock formations.

- And there's a lot that these rocks can tell us.

- This is such an interesting spot right here because you can see the red rock here, the gray rock there, and there's this stark contrast.

Why is that?

- Well, the red comes from iron oxide.

It's literally rust and it was washed down here many hundreds of millions of years ago.

The lighter colored stone dates from a period of desertification here, a vast desert with huge sand dunes, so there was no water bringing this iron oxide down into this region.

(soft upbeat music) (birds chirping) (soft upbeat music continues) - This spot of this hike is stunning.

You got all of this shade, and I hear the breeze, I hear the creek.

It's just gorgeous!

- You can almost reach out and touch the stones.

Come on over here.

I want to show you something interesting.

- Okay!

- So you'll notice how some of the red rock here has a dark stain on it, and it may well be what geologists refer to as, "desert varnish."

The Native Americans used that kind of black or sometimes red, sometimes green, to create pictures in the stone.

And many of the pictographs in the north of Sedona and throughout the Southwest are carved or scored into this desert varnish.

Another beautiful aspect of what we're looking at here is the plant life, which clings to the cliff faces.

They just need the tiniest little crack to get their roots set and thrive in an environment like this.

And down in Sedona, especially along this creek, you'll notice that the tree species that grow along the creek will not grow up in the pinyon-juniper landscape, which is much drier.

They rely on the flow of water.

- It's so beautiful how you can see life finding a way here.

That relationship between water and stone, the plants coming out through the cracks, clinging to the stone, it's just really special.

- It's special indeed.

- Want to see what else we can find?

- Let's do it!

- All right!

Let's go, Barry.

(soft upbeat music) All right!

We have made it to the first of more than a dozen water crossings.

I'll let you lead the way here.

- All right!

You're very kind.

(Kristen laughs) - Show me how it's done.

Is there, in fact, a proper way that you're supposed to cross a creek?

- You know, I would say that the key thing to keep in mind is care in how you place your feet.

Make sure that you have a solid foot placement before you take your next step.

And skiers would definitely understand this.

Think one step ahead, and that way you can set your path across the stones and do so safely.

(mellow soft rock music) (mellow soft rock music continues) (arrow pops) (mellow soft rock music continues) (birds chirping) - All right!

We found the perfect little spot to take a break for a second.

And behind us, we are really seeing the power of water against stone with this formation.

Now, some people call this the subway formation.

We see it throughout this hike.

How do we get that?

- So, water is remarkably powerful.

Just a little bit of water flowing at a very fast rate, and that formation was scoured out because it's on the outside curve of the creek where water is flowing faster.

- You know, another thing people will notice immediately on this hike is that we are hiking through sand.

- Yes!

That's a very good observation.

Because if we were hiking down in Sedona, all of the trails that had sand would be red-colored because it's the red rock that gets eroded.

But up here, it's the light-colored Coconino Sandstone that surrounds us in this canyon, that has eroded down to create the light-colored trails that we're walking on.

- And as we're looking up here, there are so many lines in the rock.

What are we seeing there?

- It's just remarkable that the sand dunes that occupied this area were frozen in time, and the lines give geologists an understanding of the wind direction at the time that this sand was laid down, compressed over a couple of million years into this remarkable set of formations that we see today.

- Wow!

Well, let's see what else we find.

What do you say?

- Let's do it!

(mellow soft rock music) - Barry, we have seen such a rise in the number of visitors in Sedona.

I mean, just since I was a kid, it seems so crowded here now.

How has the influx of visitors changed the nature of the work that your organization does?

- So, the change has come in a movement from action, picking up litter, quite literally, to advocacy and Keep Sedona Beautiful thinks of it as preserving the wonder.

- Barry, Keep Sedona Beautiful is so lucky to have you, and we were so lucky to have you on this hike with us.

We learned so much.

Thank you.

- Okay, you're very kind.

Have a great day.

- I hope our paths cross again soon.

It was really a pleasure.

- Take care!

- Now, as for us, we have about a mile left on this trail and quite a few more creek crossings starting with this one.

(plucking bright music) (birds chirping) (plucking bright music continues) (plucking bright music continues) Most of this path is covered in sand, and it is extremely fine.

Take a look at this.

Most of the time, you're not gonna think about it, but when you're stepping up on a rock that's covered in it, it's quite slippery and you'll wanna watch your step.

(bright plucking music continues) (bright plucking music continues) (arrow pops) (bright plucking music continues) We picked a perfect day to hike.

This is a summer day, so it's gotten a little bit warm.

You may have noticed that I have on a hat and sunglasses now, and I took off my jacket.

While it started out shady, it was definitely a good idea to pack layers for this trip because it got pretty toasty.

We're at almost 90 degrees for the forecast today.

And it's a good reminder that when you're hiking in Sedona, there's this common misconception that it's going to be cool even in the summer.

And while it is cooler than somewhere like Phoenix or Tucson, when you're getting temperatures in the 90s, there's still a risk of getting exposed to a heat-related illness.

So keep that in mind.

(uplifting orchestral music) (water babbling) (wind howling softly) (birds chirping) (arrow pops) (wind howling softly) (uplifting orchestral music continues) We did it!

We made it to the end of the West Fork of Oak Creek Trail.

Overall, I didn't think this hike was too hard.

While the water crossings were a bit challenging, I really thought it made the hike fun.

We got to take in so much beautiful scenery and witness the awesome power of water versus stone.

Now, for those of you who want more of an adventure, that's available to you if you're willing to hike another two plus miles through this water.

If you make it past the pond, you're actually able to stay the night and turn this into a backpacking trip.

Now, we're not gonna go backpacking, but we do wanna get a better look at this rock formation back here, so come on in!

Oh, it's cold.

I did change into my water shoes for this.

It's a little chilly.

And the thing is, we're not sure how deep this is gonna get, but the good news is the water is nice and clear so we can actually see where our next step is going to be.

Oh, it's getting a little chilly.

But the view is getting better and better, so I think it's gonna be worth it.

All right, I'm getting used to how cold it is.

This actually would be very doable backpacking.

This water at this level is really manageable, and there's no rockiness that's, you know, too precarious.

You know, I'm going to be honest with you.

At first I was hesitant about coming into the water, but now I'm glad I did because look at the view in here!

We get to be enveloped in these rock formations and then look up at the red rock walls of Sedona.

And I mean, right here, the water's only ankle-to-shin deep, so I would definitely consider backpacking this, especially for the experience of sleeping under the stars while you're immersed along Oak Creek Canyon.

That's pretty incredible.

It's hard to leave the lush oasis of Oak Creek behind, but we've got a new challenge waiting for us down in Cave Creek.

(creek babbling) The Blue Wash Trail is 2.8 miles out and back, with 390 feet of elevation.

It's a fairly easy trek with a water feature at the end.

Today, we're searching for water in the desert, which is always a precious sight.

At the end of this trail, we're hoping to find a waterfall, and I think our chances are good because it actually rained out here about 1/4 of an inch in the last day.

So let's go chasing waterfalls.

(mellow uplifting music) (mellow uplifting music continues) (mellow uplifting music continues) One thing I immediately notice on this hike is some horseshoe prints, so we now know that we are sharing this trail with horses.

And part of being a good hiker is being considerate of others on the trail.

If you're ever curious about who yields to you, just know that the human hiker always yields to the horse and their rider.

Now, when it comes to cyclists, they have to yield to both you, the hiker, and the horse.

(mellow uplifting music continues) We have to keep in mind on this hike that the way in is actually easier than the way out because right now we're descending, but all that elevation gain is going to come as we head back out of this trail.

So we gotta make sure that we are conserving our snacks, our water, and definitely our energy.

(mellow uplifting music continues) (mellow uplifting music continues) Honestly, this is a little hard to navigate so far.

Water has carved out what looks like numerous different trail options, as have the horseback riders.

Luckily, there is a sign here.

I would like a few more of these, but we're definitely going this way.

(mellow uplifting music continues) (mellow uplifting music continues) Oh, what is this?

Look here!

There's a car that has definitely been here for decades.

Somebody made a big mistake here, flipped the car right in here.

Hikers have added a lot of stickers to this.

There's also a sign.

What does it say?

(bees buzzing) Okay, this is warning us about bees and we are hearing them.

Now, remember, if you run into bees, obviously, never disturb them on purpose.

If you notice them coming at you, swarming around you, they are trying to warn you to leave, so do exactly that.

Get away, get away quickly.

Cover your face on your way as you head out away from them, if you can.

(wistful piano music) (birds chirping) (wistful piano music continues) (wistful piano music continues) (footsteps crunching) You already know you need to check the forecast before you go on a hike, but when you're hiking in an area like this, that could potentially expose you to flash flooding, you need to be checking not just the forecast for where you're going, but also the areas upstream.

You have to make sure that there's not rain up there because it could come your way on your hike.

We've been following the storm that hit here over the past couple of days.

We know that it has moved on, and now we are in the clear; no storms are expected, but we're always paying attention just in case.

(wistful uplifting music) (footsteps crunching) (arrow pops) (wistful uplifting music continues) (wistful uplifting music continues) (wistful uplifting music continues) (creek babbling) Look at this!

We have come up on Camp Creek.

Lots of water flowing here.

It's so cold!

And this is actually part of the Verde River Watershed.

Ultimately, this water is going to make its way to Bartlett Lake.

Then it can be released into the Salt River and head down to the valley, making it possible to live in places like Phoenix.

It's so beautiful along this water because there are plants everywhere.

We're seeing beautiful trees.

There are butterflies.

It's very majestic.

We also know that this area is great for hiking in the spring because you'll see lots of wild flowers, including poppies.

All this water here tells me we're going to see a waterfall.

(creek babbling) (arrow pops) (wistful uplifting music continues) This is a lot of water.

The creek actually gets wider than I expected, and I might have to cross it because I see here that even if I do go over these rocks, it's going to be a little bit deep.

I don't want to get my shoes that wet, it might get slippery, so I'm going to backtrack here where I can see some substantial rocks in the water and try to cross this without getting my shoes too wet.

Okay, we're good.

(mellow cheerful music) (creek babbling) Seems like every time you make it to a scenic spot, you're also going to be seeing this: Orange peels, banana peels, maybe an apple core.

It seems like it's harmless, right?

Because they are biodegradable, but it's actually still harmful to the environment, and here's why.

This can lure animals to places where they shouldn't be, where they may not be safe, and if they get exposed to human food, it can actually cause them to stop seeking out food that's natural to them that has the nutrients they need to live a healthy life.

This also may not break down the way you think it's going to.

How biodegradable something is depends on different factors like sunlight, humidity, the microorganisms in the soil.

So that's just something for you to keep in mind the next time you're having your snacks.

(regal uplifting music) (waterfall splashing) (regal uplifting music continues) I definitely hear a waterfall.

It's gotta be right here.

When you got water and stone, it's going to be slippery.

We know that.

Ah!

Okay, there it is.

(waterfall splashing) It is right up here.

It's kind of hidden behind these rock formations.

(waterfall splashing) You want to get close to it?

Let's go check it out!

Wow!

There you go!

Where water meets stone in the desert.

There's lots of moss covering the walls.

You can really see that this waterfall has been carving out this area for a long time.

We got some beautiful photos and videos on this hike.

If you'd like to see our behind-the-scenes content, get hiker safety tips and more, make sure you're following Arizona PBS on Instagram and Facebook.

(creek babbling) (airy wistful music) (airy wistful music continues) (birds chirping) (airy wistful music continues) (arrow pops) (creek babbling) (airy wistful music continues) (airy wistful music continues) From Sedona to the outskirts of the valley, we have witnessed water finding a way to make life in Arizona possible, even when it means carving out stone.

Nature gives us all this and it's our job to take care of it in return.

Thank you for joining us on this episode.

We'll see you when our paths cross again on "Trail Mix'd."

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(uplifting dramatic music) (uplifting dramatic music continues)