It Seemed Like The First Day of School….
September 25, 2026
By Dick Williams
Fay Canyon ship's prow
Imagine our surprise, at 7:30 in the morning, as we came around the bend near the Fay Canyon trailhead parking area and saw an almost full line of parking spaces and a large group of hikers standing in a circle ready to go. This morning’s adventure, a nice out and back on the Fay Canyon Trail, was going to be led by Linda Schermer and Jean Barton.
The Drifters, our Wednesday morning hiking group, was the brainchild of Linda Forsythe. A past Trail Boss of the Westerners, she saw the need for a group that allowed folks who had been gone for a while, had some ailments or surgeries they were recovering from, or just wanted a more leisurely pace. After developing the concept, the Westerner Board approved its creation and the rest is history. Starting its second year, this morning’s 22 hikers were proof positive of the need for and the success of last year’s first season. Drifter hikes are the shortest and easiest Westerner hikes offered, typically under 3 miles, with little or no elevation gain and a leisurely pace. What is special about them, however, is the camaraderie and wonderful conversation.
Cindy Mascone, the Drifter Boss, quieted the group and introduced her assistant, Karen Heinze. Each hiking group has these two positions. They have the very important, yet thankless, job of developing the hiking list for each season and getting leaders and co-leaders in place for each week. Dedicated volunteers truly are the magic that makes the Westerners so successful. After reading the rules, and a briefing us on the hike, we split into two group (slow, and a little slower) and struck off down the trail.
The weather, forecasted to get toasty later, was quite pleasant in the canyon…and by the great numbers of other hikers we saw, others had the same plan to start and finish early. We were in Linda Schermer’s group—which is always informative thanks to her vast knowledge of flora in the area. We stopped numerous times to see plants, hear when they bloomed, or what they might do to us.
Coming to the “End of Trail” sign in a little over a mile, we all chose a nice rock to rest on and spent time enjoying the beautiful views looking up. The trip back was uneventful—it was just as scenic but gave us a completely different perspective.
Most of us have not been to the first day of school for more than 50 years, but we hopefully remember seeing old friends again after a summer off, gossiping, and sharing “What I did on my summer vacation.” I always marvel at the spectrum of conversation that occurs during our hikes. We even had a “new student” this day…one of the digital media folks from Enchantment Resort. She was an absolute delight to have along, and we hope to see her on future hikes. She even taught us how to take an angular “ussie” that got more of us in a photo.
Just like Westerners don’t sit too much during hiking season, we also don’t stay put much during the summer. For countries visited, I heard Norway, Ireland, England, Scotland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Albania, Romania, Spain, Portugal, Germany, France, Canada, New Zealand, and quite a few folks to Iceland. There was a fairly even split of guided hiking tours and folks striking out on their own with cars and campers.
The United States were not forgotten. A surprising large number had gotten houses in Colorado, Oregon, or Utah, with shorter trips to South and North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, California, Montana, Idaho, New Mexico, Illinois, New York, Vermont, and Florida.
This is just from the 22 folks on this hike…I can only imagine how the list grows with the other 390 members. Needless to say, the Westerners just about covered the world and US atlases this year.
Other discussions included charitable work, and hobbies including weaving, quilting, sculpture, and painting. The Pocket Fire spurred some conversation, mostly including watching the flames at a distance—but also including the plethora of hiking alternatives that were still open…mostly to the east of 179 and all around the Village of Oak Creek. Except for a few days where the smoke drifted south, people stayed busy on the trails.
Fun Fact of the week: Linda Schermer told us she was starting her 27th year with the Westerners. That in itself is amazing. She described the first time she hiked Fay Canyon. The parking lot was across the street from the current one (she showed us the remnants), Bear/Doe parking was not there, and Boynton Pass Road was just a dirt path. It was eventually paved when the Aerie neighborhood was developed.
The Westerners offer hiking opportunities for just about everyone. For the week starting September 26th , we will have adventures in Walnut Canyon, West Fork, Wilson Canyon, Carroll Canyon, Munds Mountain, and Fay Canyon. Please visit sedonawesterners.org for the full hike schedule and how you can join us.