Havasupai Trip - April 3-6, 2008
We went to Havasupai with Dan, Jenna, Sam, Cheryl, Paul W., Jimmy and Sarah. Hiked in on Thursday, stayed for three nights, hiked out on Sunday. It was a GREAT trip!
I posted a few videos up on YouTube:
Mooney Falls
Plank Crossing
Hiking Out
Hiking in. That's Paul in front of me. We were the last ones in, we just took a slow, steady pace, didn't really take any breaks. The sign is posted where there is a fork in the canyon. It points out the direction to Havasupai Village, and also gives hope that you're almost there! (Actually it's still another couple of miles to the village, then another couple to the campground).
There are three ways to get people and supplies into Havasupai: People can go by foot or helicopter; supplies are hauled by helicopter or mule. Campers can have their supplies taken in on mules. Some of our group did the mule thang; Jimmy, Sarah, Paul and I chose to backpack because we're gluttons for punishment.
Havasu Falls, before the final descent into the campground. Paul's feet were hurting so he hiked the last part barefoot. The sand is deep and soft for the two miles between the village and the campground. I am far too tender-footed to hike barefoot, so I suffered the rest of the hike in my shoes.
Hanging out at the Falls on Day Two. We hobbled our sore bodies back up to the falls and relaxed for a few hours. The terraces in the pools are made of travertine, which is a sedimentary rock that forms from the buildup of minerals, in this case lime. The lime builds up and catches sticks and leaves which help the walls build up further. The lime also gives the water its gorgeous blue color.
The animals around Havasupai are notorious about getting into peoples' packs and stealing their food. The last picture in the group above catches a squirrel in the act of digging through a pack that was left open while the owner went exploring. The squirrel really enjoyed what he found in there! He would dive down and grab a handful, then poke his head out and watch while he ate. We didn't chase him off because he was so cute and entertaining, but when we got back to camp we experienced instant karma when Cheryl discovered some of her food stash had been broken into!
Hanging out at camp. We had a beautiful camp spot,
with plenty of room to spread out. Here is Sarah prepping for dinner,
and Paul, Dan and Jenna hanging out. We spent several hours at those
tables, playing Scrabble and card games. Our campground was on the
opposite side of the creek as the entrance. In order to get to the other
side, we had to walk down to the end of the campground and cross these
planks. Exciting! There were a couple of other places to cross that were
closer to our campsite but they involved getting into the
freezing cold water, so I opted to walk the planks most of the time.
Day Three. At the top of Mooney Falls. See Cheryl and Jenna sitting on the edge at the top of the falls? See my white, white skin? I think I got a little bit of color this weekend, thankfully!
The last picture here shows the buildup of travertine around Mooney Falls. Very cool, it looks like waterfalls made of stone.
Day Four, and the hike out, which some people fondly call "The Death March Through The Canyon." It really is a looooong hike, starting out with a steep uphill climb out of the camp-ground, a long trek through the Canyon, then another steep uphill climb to the Hualapai Hilltop.The third picture shows Paul starting the ascent to the Hilltop. See the white spot at the top ofthe flat hilltop? That's our final destination. The white spot is the sun glaring off a windshield in the parking lot.
The trail up to the hilltop has several railroad ties and concrete cross-ties that you have to step up onto. This is a mule trail too, and the ties are designed to reduce erosion. Those ties are a bitch to step up onto when you've got a load on your back and have already hiked eight miles. Let me tell ya.
Our final stop, the kooky SnowCap on Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona. They serve all sorts of good food for after a hike. Paul and I had soft-serve ice cream. Jimmy and Sarah had burgers and fries,and Paul W. had a chili dog, Mexican style. That turned out to be a hot dog cut into chunks, with green chili and cheddar cheese, all wrapped up in a tortilla. It was enough to get my Paul thinking about Mexican food, so after we got home and showered, we headed straight out and had a terrific Mexican dinner. YUM!