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(energetic upbeat music) Hiking is so often about reaching a destination, the summit, the overlook, the waterfall, rather than inhabiting the ground beneath our feet.

But what if the real journey begins when we slow down, breathe deeply, and pay attention?

Today we're exploring how staying present through awareness, grounding, and even kicking off our shoes can turn a hike into an experience for the body, mind, and soul.

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(bird calling) (soft upbeat music) - The stunning red rocks of Sedona draw hikers, seekers, and skeptics alike.

Many come in search of the region's so-called vortexes, places some believe radiate subtle energy that can inspire clarity, healing, or renewal.

But what are they exactly?

Geological phenomenon, cultural mythology, or something else?

Today we're hiking to the Seven Sacred Pools via Cibola Pass.

It's a 2.8 mile hike with 400 feet of elevation.

(soft music) Its Mr.

Sedona himself.

Dennis, thank you so much for being our guide today.

- Kristen, welcome to Sedona.

What do you say we hit the trail?

- Let's do it.

Our guide, Dennis, also known as Mr.

Sedona, is a nature and vortex energy expert, who's hiked nearly 15,000 miles, and guided more than 5,000 people through the many trails of Sedona.

Dennis, what was your first experience with the vortex energy of Sedona?

- About 35 years ago, I got accepted to graduate school in Arizona.

And I grew up in the East Coast, and my mother said, I'll drive out there with you if you promise we can stop in Sedona, a place I had never heard of.

We came through town, and I remember hiking on a red rock, feeling more energized by the time I got to the top than I had at the bottom.

But what was really amazing was back at the parking lot, my mother was weeping.

I asked her what was wrong, and she said, I've never felt so happy before in my life.

That day we started asking people, is there something going on here?

And everyone agreed it was the vortexes.

But when I'd asked them, so what's a vortex?

Everybody seemed to have a different answer.

I made it my mission to figure out what exactly is going on here?

- Wow, so that's when you just dug into researching.

- Absolutely.

I had to find out what's behind this mystery.

(birds chirping) - Dennis, is that, what is that?

Is that a tarantula?

- It is.

Isn't it great to see it right here on the side of the trail?

- It's actually really cute up close, and it seems so gentle.

- I think so, which is so nice because, a lot of people new to nature who start hiking in Sedona, get to see wildlife in a comfortable, safe way.

- You know, I've hiked in Sedona a lot, and I've never seen a tarantula.

I feel really lucky that we already saw this guy.

- Hey, I probably seen tarantulas less than 10 times on the trail.

But to be fair, it is their season.

In late monsoon period, right around September into early October, males will come out and cross the road or cross the forest looking for a date.

- I love that scientific info, but you know, in my heart, I'm hoping that there's a spiritual reason for this, and that maybe it's indicating something about the energy.

- Absolutely, as a matter of fact, what I've found visiting sacred sites around the world, talking to spiritual leaders is that there are a number of signs of the presence of this energy that you've called vortex energy here in Sedona.

One of them is called nature mysticism.

It's when animals come to bring you a message.

- Ooh.

- The tarantula is clearly bringing us one today.

And I think he's saying, keep on hiking.

- That is super exciting, so let's keep on hiking and see what else we find.

(tranquil music) So, how would I know if I were feeling vortex energy, what would the indicators be?

- It's a great question, it's the same one I was asking, and I would run into people in nature who seem to be feeling something unusual.

So I began to research it, actually interviewing thousands of people to see what they said.

And what I found is a number of ways that people can be in the presence of the energy.

It could be something physical like a tingling, maybe an overflow of emotion.

For some people it's a strong dream or intuition, and for a lot of people, a synchronicity.

And then the last way, my favorite, something mystical happening in nature, like seeing a tarantula.

- We're pretty lucky we saw that.

- I think so too.

Hey, how are you feeling, by the way?

- I feel good, no tingling or crying yet.

(tranquil music) - There's a spot.

- This is a stunning view.

- Yeah.

- You know, I grew up in Arizona, so I heard about the vortex of Sedona my whole life, and I always thought it was a specific place we were looking for within Sedona.

But now that we've discussed it, I'm realizing, it's not a destination, it's more of an experience.

- That's absolutely the case, and I think it's probably time to let the word go.

It helped put Sedona back on the map once upon a time, it gave us a term to talk about this mystery, but it's causing problems today.

It's making people think that there's a spot they have to find.

Actually the energy of Sedona is widespread.

It makes people think that they are gonna see something physical that they can take a picture of, when actually the energy of Sedona is invisible.

And the third thing is, it makes people think that there's something scientific in terms of magnetism or electricity.

Actually, I've done the research, other professionals have too.

There is no physical energy here in Sedona.

- Wow, well, I think that all the work you've done, and everything you share is definitely leading the way of changing that perspective.

- The most exciting part of my research, is that I found an energy that makes a lot more sense when you think about Sedona.

I can't wait to tell you about it.

- Yeah, I'm learning so much, and this is just a really good spot to take in all that we're feeling in the City of Sedona.

- Yeah.

(serene music) (serene music continues) (serene music continues) (serene music continues) (serene music continues) (serene music continues) - All right, we have come to a fork in the road here.

Which path are we taking now?

- Well, first we've come up and over and down the Cibola Pass.

Now we're heading on the Jordan Road, a famous name for this neighborhood, people used to, believe it or not, grow apples around here.

And we're taking Jordan Trail to connect to Soldiers Pass, which should lead us to the Seven Sacred Pools.

- Perfect.

This is cool, nice surprise on this hike.

- Welcome to Devil's Kitchen.

- This really gives us a great up close look at the geology of Sedona.

And one of the things I've always heard is that, it was the red rocks that had the vortex energy, but that's not true, is it?

- Well, people thought that there was magnetism, because there is iron in the rocks.

Iron oxide has stained the sandstone and turned it to red color.

But magnetism is measurable.

We've measured, there's none here.

So whatever's happening in Sedona, it is not coming from magnetism.

- All right, a myth debunked.

Are we getting close to the Seven Sacred Pools?

- If we keep hiking.

- Okay.

(serene music) (birds chirping) Wow, here they are, the Seven Sacred Pools, we've made it.

- It's a great spot, a beautiful little nature treasure that marks the end of our hike today.

- Yeah, this is really just a perfect spot to take it all in, and really connect with the surroundings.

- To me, Sedona is a place where the energy of nature meets the nature of energy.

And I love a spot like this to sit, to visualize, to meditate, or just to let it all in.

- Well, and you said it's a good idea to make a wish in Sedona while you're here, right?

- There's good evidence that spiritual energy acts to amplify or augment.

So I always encourage people, when you're in Sedona, make a wish.

- Alright, I'm gonna be thinking about my wish.

(birds chirping) You have traveled so much, 60 countries, in fact, and you've been studying spiritual sites around the world.

What did you learn in your travels that you were then able to apply to your research here in Sedona?

- I started my career after I moved to Sedona, but actually, I was guiding to sacred sites around the world, and bringing clients there, I started noticing people would have the same kind of phenomena happening that I would see here in Sedona.

But as I learned more from religious elders and Indigenous peoples, I began to realize that everybody had a perfectly good word for this energy that is real, but not physical.

In lots of Asia, or in your yoga class, they would call it prana.

Your acupuncturist would call it Chi.

In Europe and Western European traditions, people would call it spirit or grace as well.

- Wow, that's so interesting that you saw those synchronicities throughout so many different cultures.

And we've determined, it's not an actual spot that you're heading to when you are trying to tap into the vortex.

What would you say it is, Dennis?

- It makes sense that people wanna find a spot, or hope that it's visible.

But in my research I found, first of all that, many sacred places are not a spot, like the River Ganges in India, the whole river is sacred, or the Himalayan mountain chain.

And secondly, there have actually been sacred sites since before the founding of major religions.

We know they go back tens of thousands of years.

- If it's not a destination, is this Chi, this prana, this spirit, is this something we can tap into at any time, and it just becomes easier in the location of Sedona?

- What makes a site sacred are two things.

First is the presence of spiritual energy, we've been talking about it all day.

But the second is a people, a tribe, a community, a religious group that has some connection to the energy of that place.

And today in America, the fastest growing demographic of religious people are actually people who think of themselves as spiritual.

When they come to Sedona, they're not just doing a hike in nature, they're making a pilgrimage.

My conclusion is, Sedona isn't a vortex or a series of vortexes.

For spiritual Americans, and people from around the world, Sedona is a new sacred site.

- Well, it certainly has changed how I feel about vortex energy, and we all love Sedona anyways, but you have really helped us foster an even deeper love Dennis - It's been a pleasure to take you out today.

Thanks so much for coming.

- No matter where you hike, one of the most important ways to stay safe and healthy is to choose the right shoe with the right tread.

What I look for is a really substantial lug.

So a lug is basically the hiking version of a cleat, if you will.

It's rubber, but it's gonna give you really good grip on the trail.

So my lugs are five millimeters.

Typically a hiking shoe will have about three to eight millimeters.

Five is great to me.

And I also look for this arrow shape that really helps you grip onto numerous types of surfaces.

And it's just really gonna help you stay safer on the trail.

While choosing the right hiking shoe is important, there are some trails where you don't need shoes at all.

From the spiritual highs of Sedona, we're traveling over to Flagstaff, to get fully grounded to the earth.

The Barefoot Trail is the first official barefoot, or grounding park in the US, offering a meditative, nature-immersive experience that connects you to the land in a grounded way, even at high elevation.

The Barefoot Trail is an easy one-mile hike that takes us through a journey of simple obstacles that are suitable for almost anyone.

Hi Leah.

- Hi Kristen.

Welcome to the Barefoot Trail.

- I'm so excited to do this.

- Well, we're happy to have you.

So let's get started, and go take your shoes off.

- All right.

And this looks like it's nice and soft.

- It is.

We start off pretty easy here with some sand.

So how do your feet feel first?

- They feel amazing.

- Wonderful, are you ready to get going?

- I am ready to go.

- Okay, well let's head out on the trail.

(soft music) - Leah Williams is the founder of the Barefoot Trail, and she is incredibly passionate about bringing grounding to America.

Yeah, it really does put you in touch with your inner child.

- It does.

- So if we run into water, should we walk right through it?

- Yes, soak those feet.

- It feels good on the feet.

- Yes, it does.

That's one of the things about the trail, you get a lot of temperature changes based on the day, the season, and you know, just the time of day that you come.

- Leah, what inspired you to create the Barefoot Trail?

- Well, in my childhood, I spent every day barefoot in the summer, of course, like many people did in their youth.

And so there was a nostalgia there, you know, when I went to Europe, and we went to the first Barefoot Trail park, our family went to in Belgium, and it just took me back to my childhood again.

And it was all ages, there were people of all kinds, and they were out in the forest, enjoying the beauty, enjoying the nature, and then doing these walks on these trails barefoot.

And I just loved the concept.

I think we need to be out in nature more, we need to incorporate more outdoor recreation into our daily lives.

And then on top of that, it was the benefits of, you know, grounding and also reflexology mixed in with those trails as well.

So it was just a concept that I absolutely fell in love with, and I thought, I really wanna bring this to my community to enhance our physical fitness, but also our mental and physical and spiritual wellness.

- Oh, there's a balance beam.

Are there any specific benefits to balancing?

- Well, yes, I mean, it's just important that we have a natural balance to our lives as we walk for safety issues, just as humans.

But when we are walking barefoot, we have better balance.

Because our toes spread out, we actually have better posture, we stand up straight.

And the gait, the length of what we walk, how we walk, is actually improved.

Think about when you walk with high heel shoes on, you know, you're elevated, you're unsteady, you're not grounded, and you're walking like this, and the spacing is very, you know, different, it's not even.

- Alright, well I am ready to see how much more improved my balance is while I'm barefoot.

(laughing) - All right, let's do it.

(soft music) - Leah, what is going on here?

This is a fun segment we call the Blind Walk, and it's four separate sections of different kinds of materials, and we're really gonna go hard, soft, and varied throughout the experience here.

So we're gonna give you a little bit of everything.

- I'm gathering, I'm supposed to close my eyes?

- You can, and you can hold the rope, or if you just wanna experience it with your eyes open, you're welcome to do that too.

- Okay, I'm gonna try to do it with my eyes closed, okay?

- That is a little rough on my feet.

(laughing) oh, thank goodness, something soft.

- So yeah, you go through the pokey corks, which really put pressure on the bottom of your feet, to these nice soft pool floaties.

And it's meant to give you that variety and that change.

- Yeah, this is nice.

- Kind of soothe your feet after the harder part.

- Yeah, I like this.

- And then you're gonna go onto blue spruce pine cones here.

- Am I going the right direction, Leah?

- You are, you're doing great.

- Okay.

- You're doing great.

And then you're gonna come to our last segment.

And we're really gonna treat your feet, and it's gonna be super soft.

- Ooh, this is heavenly.

I feel like I'm walking on a cloud right now.

- Yes, it's meant to feel like that.

- What is this?

- This is a moss, a peat moss designed for bare feet.

- Oh my gosh, I want this in my garden, I wanna feel this every day.

This is definitely my favorite.

Oh, it has to end?

It was so good.

Okay, I did it with my eyes closed.

- You did good.

- Yay.

- Okay, do a little bit of everything there.

- Yeah, do you wanna see what's next?

- Yeah, let's go.

- The Barefoot Trail is a seasonal park.

It's open throughout the spring, summer, and fall, even when it's raining.

It's a great place for a solo healing experience, or for families with kids of all ages.

More balancing.

- Yes.

- So as I go barefoot, my balancing should get better then.

- Yes, 'cause your feet spread, your toes spread.

Not your feet, but your toes.

- I will say I do feel like I'm balancing better on this than the first one.

- Good.

- Like I don't even feel like I have to try, and on the first one, I felt like I was struggling a little more than I expected.

- So part of the whole barefoot experience is a self-awareness.

You will find out how good your balance is when you walk barefoot.

(soft upbeat music) And we have a little bit of reflexology going on with these stones as well.

We're hitting the pressure points, which stimulate that circulation, and really get our blood working and moving in our bodies.

So it's really a two in one, not only are we grounding, but we're getting that reflexology sensation as well.

- It feels like a massage on my feet, I love it.

- It does, it feels good, doesn't it?

I know, it's one of my favorites.

- Well, this looks like a nice way to end.

- Yes, our final foot washing area here, our final walking creek, gives you a little bit of cool refreshment to ease your feet from the trail before we had to clean our feet.

- Ooh, they feel so nice and cool.

A little foot washing station over here.

- Yep, and then you can just grab a bottle, grab one.

And we can sit down here and just clean our feet off.

It's just a rinse.

You can go home and do the thorough cleaning, but just spray them off.

- Okay.

You really thought of everything here.

I can tell you put your whole heart into it, and it's very intentional.

Here, you wanna use mine?

(laughing) - That one's not working.

How do you feel?

- You know what?

I feel like I got a break from our fast-paced world.

What I really appreciated the most about this was, I feel like there's always so many things grabbing for our attention, and this separated me from that.

And I got to actually be in the moment in my favorite place in the forest.

And you've created something that kind of forces us to be right here, right now in the moment.

- Yeah, wonderful.

So you have a sense of your wellbeing, you have a sense of, you know, your connection, your reconnection, and then there's just, do you feel peace at peace at all?

- I was gonna say I feel completely at peace.

That's definitely my favorite part is, I feel like my nervous system is- - De-stressed.

- Much more regulated than it was when I was thinking about work, and thinking about all those life stresses before we got here.

- Good, that's the magic of the forest, and that's what grounding does for you, it just de-stresses you, and makes your life a little bit more peaceful.

- You've created something that's just so special and I imagine very life changing for some people.

So thank you so much for sharing it with us.

- My pleasure, I hope you had fun as well.

- I had a great time.

- Thank you for coming.

- Of course, we'll be back.

- [Announcer 1] Trail Mix'd is supported in part by; - [Announcer 5] There are so many reasons to love the play with the Arizona Lottery.

Because every time you play, you're giving back to your community.

A portion of each lottery ticket helps to protect and conserve Arizona wildlife, preserve their habitats, and reintroduce critical species through the Arizona Game and Fish Department Heritage Fund.

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(energetic music) - [Kristen] When you're out hiking in nature, the trail never demands that you rush.

When we slow down and feel the ground beneath us, whether boots on soil, or bare feet in the mud, it can help us return to something beautiful and sacred.

Healthy hiking is not only about miles gained, but about awareness and experience.

Thank you for joining us on this episode.

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