It took a long time, but I finally made it to “The Wave” with the help of some very lucky friends. It happened the end of January – before the expansion of the number of daily visitors (which is a topic for another discussion. Of the many Arizona/Utah hiking experiences I’ve been lucky enough to do (Havasu Falls, Rim to Rim, Lockett Meadow, to name a few), this was one of the best.

For me, it was a wild ride just to get there – a blizzard hit Flagstaff that almost “froze” me out. It was a 4AM wake up just to get the rest of the way in time. But I did make it!
It began in the cold – the trail was icy and snowy in places.
It’s not a challenging hike, but we did use a guide. Mostly, because we didn’t want to waste the limited amount of daylight we had just finding it. It was worth it – I’d recommend hiring one.














And there is more to the area than just “The Wave”





And we were lucky to run into some big horn sheep on the journey out
I know a lot of people that have tried for years in the lottery, and I feel blessed. We saw only a handful of people (which I like). But I feel it will become less special and I’m worried that tripling the number of daily visitors will take its toll on the fragile sandstone.

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