Sedona, Arizona | Pre/Post-Wedding
I was in Arizona to photograph Casey + Derek’s incredible Sedona wedding. I flew in the day before, leaving plenty of time for exploration prior to the wedding. Sedona is home to some of the best desert views in the country, with hiking to go with. Also worth noting is the different energy vortexes - each radiating its own particular energy. Vortexes are the intersections of natural electromagnetic earth energy, also known as ley lines. Whether or not you subscribe to the idea, the sites of these vortexes alone is enough to take your breath away. I was sure to check at least one off my list before returning home.
Saturday morning, I was lucky enough to snag parking at the base of Cathedral Rock, one of the most popular (and for good reason) hikes in Sedona. Getting there early also meant not enduring temperatures in the 90’s or above. About half-way up the trail, I stopped to put the drone up and get some aerial views. It gave me a moment to catch my breath and also try for some unique perspectives of this incredible location.
Sunday offered the entirety of the day to me, as the wedding was Saturday night. With the curse of choice on which mountain / hike to check out, I finally decided on Boynton Canyon. Boynton Canyon is home to one of these vortexes and quite easy to get to. I decided to plop down here for more than 2 hours, hike the immediate area, people watch and just enjoy the immense gratitude I was feeling. A couple of girls next to me caught glimpse of a guy walking up the trail, stopping people as he did. She said something like “that’s him! I hope I get one,” unsure what she was talking about.
Soon a white-haired and mustached, older gentleman approached me with a warm smile. He dug his right hand into his pocket, exclaiming that although he was almost out, he had a gift for me. He then pulled out the heart-shaped rock you see in the photo. “A gift for you, from Mother Earth. The heart symbolizes unconditional love” and continued on about the importance of both giving and allowing yourself to receive unconditional love and with that, we can change the world.
I came to learn his name was Robert and he’s quite the local celebrity. He climbed the unnamed rock knoll and played about 5-6 songs with his flute, shouting what each song was about prior. He played songs to help you with releasing something you’ve been holding on to that is not serving you, healing, and gratitude for your life, your surroundings and those you love, and so on.
Robert is an awesome human. Grateful to have crossed paths, even if just for a moment.
