(March 25, 2002) A few weeks ago, I found myself truly awe-inspired by the natural wonder that is Havasu Canyon. . .You see, I talked my brother-in-law (Lance) and my good friend (Chuck) into trying a backpacking adventure over spring break. The three of us just happened to all be out of class the same week this year. Here's a (somewhat) brief synopsis of the adventure. . .with lots of links to pictures taken on the trip.
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A BIG thank you to. . .
Let me thank a few people for their contributions to the success of our trip:
- Scott Topel for again loaning me a backpack and several pieces of equipment.
- "Tub" Miller for loaning us his car, and for putting us up in his home in Phoenix.
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- Denise Traver (author of www.hitthetrail.com)
for her excellent advise.
- The Havasupai People for sharing this paradise with us tourists.
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My Previous Trips to the Canyon
This was my third time seeing the Grand Canyon the other two were both from the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. For more on those trips, click
here.
The Adventure Begins (just barely)
Leaving Minneapolis
When Chuck and I first started planning this trip, we were going to spend 4 or 5 days camping in Havasu Canyon, but when Lance joined the crew (and was providing a "free" car), we quickly (and happily) changed our itenerary to work around Lance's schedule. However, this meant that the flight into Phoenix on Saturday, March 9th, I was scheduled on wouldn't get me there early enough to allow the three of us to get near the trailhead before the wee-hours of Sunday morning. The only option the airline would give me for catching an earlier flight was to fly standby, and as things turned out, it's a good thing I did.
On Friday, March 8th, the Minneapolis area was hit with a rather nasty ice-n-snow storm (worst of what had been an incredibly mild winter). Many flights that day and evening were either delayed or canceled, so when I went to the airport at 5:00am to hopefully find a seat on a 7:00am flight (my reservation was for 5:15pm), I learned that I would be lucky to get out of town at all on Saturday.
I wasn't able to get a seat on the 7:00am flight, but the gate-agent call me and another standby-traveler up to the counter right after the plane left. She informed us that two seats had just opened up on the 9:20am flight, and that she would assign us to those seats (which even turned out to be first-class seats---yippee!!!)
I boarded the DC-10 at 9:00 in the morning and quickly nestled into my big, comfortable first-class seat, and continued reading my book (The First Counsel by Brad Meltzer) as the rest of the 200+ passengers boarded. We pushed back from the gate around 9:45 or so, and then the fun began. . .
We had waited for nearly 5 hours for the plane to be de-iced and readied for takeoff, as well as the "normal" congestion around the runways after an airport is closed due to weather. During this wait, we heard "it'll be another 20 or 30 minutes before we can get moving. . ." at least six times, and the folks back in coach were really getting grumpy due to the fact that the plane's ventilation has be be off during de-icing (I was surviving nicely with my book and the complimentary beverages).
At one point (after we'd already been on the plane for four hours), the captain asked if any of us wanted to go back to the gate. Since that would have started the whole process of boarding, securing, and de-icing the plane all over again, this near mutiny was squashed quickly, and our flight to Phoenix finally took off a few minutes after 2:00pm.
Arriving in Phoenix
Lance was the first of us to arrive in Phoenix. His dad met him at the airport around 10:30am, so by the time Chuck & I got there, we'd simply have to load our stuff in the car and head for the Canyon. Sounds simple, right? Well. . .
After all the delays, three flights from Minneapolis had arrived one right after the other. This overwhelmed the baggage-handlers, so while one of my bags appeared on the carousel after only a few minutes, the other one took almost an hour to show up. Still, considering all the weather problems, I was just happy to have made it at all.
Driving Up to the Canyon
It was about a four-hour drive from Phoenix to Seligman (the town closest to the trailhead), and it was nearly 6:00 by the time we got out of Phoenix, so we decided to stop and find some dinner in Flagstaff. I can't remember the name of the place, but we ate at this nice micro-brewery and restaurant just off the main drag. I do remember our bartenders Denim and Leah. . .they were just great (they even gave us some coffee grounds since we'd forgotten to include this in our list of campsite supplies).
We spent the night in the Stagecoach Motel in Seligman. It wasn't the Hilton, but it sufficed (and it was cheap!!). There was a big coyote-hunt in the area that weekend, so we were lucky to have anyplace at all the crash for the night.
We got up, showered, and ready to roll early on Sunday morning, and after a quick breakfast at the general store in Seligman, we made the 100-mile drive to the trailhead. We were amazed to have only met or passed three cars during the whole trip, and by 10:00am, we were at the trailhead. After a few minutes of looking around, we got our boots laced up and our packs strapped on, and we were ready to get going.
The Hike In
Sunday, March 10th
The first mile or so of the trail is all switchbacks, dropping around 1200 feet, but in our excitement, we barely noticed, and we we moving a a pretty good clip. At the 3/4-mile mark, we took a break to stretch, drink, and take pictures.
As we continued our descent, we noticed how the walls of the canyon were changing from a sandstone-tan to a reddish color, and that it was getting warmer by the minute. This was a nice change from winter (especially for me). We also couldn't help but notice the helicopter that was hauling goods an people to/from Supai (the home of the Havasupai, the tribe who lives in Havasu Canyon). Hearing a helicopter every ten to fifteen minutes was certainly out of place for our "wilderness adventure," but it didn't take us too long to start ignoring the sound as we hiked. Our packs were each 35-40 pounds, and by the time we stopped for lunch (just short of the four-mile marker), we were all feeling the strain of carrying the extra weight.
At the six-mile mark, we finally encountered Havasu Creek. Neither words nor photos can really give you a sense of just how clear the water was or of its color. If you've ever ridden a "log flume" ride, it's sort of like that, only it looks much more natural. From this point, it was still a couple of miles to Supai, the home of the Havasupai ("people of blue-green water") tribe.
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Chuck had gotten ahead of Lance and me, but the two of us arrived at the Camping Office in Supai around 3:30pm. Again, neither words nor pictures can really describe this place, so I'm not even going to try. I got us all squared away regarding our permits and fees, and we were soon back on the trail. . .only two more miles to go before we could set up camp.
The hike from the village to the campgrounds involves passing two impressive waterfalls.
Navajo Falls drops about 75 feet in a series of cascades off to the left of the trail, and is a little hard to see through the trees and vegetation. Havasu Falls is without a doubt one of the most beautiful "postcard perfect" places a person can visit. Havasu Falls is a 90-foot drop into a large pool, perfect for wading and swimming.
It's only a half mile or so from Havasu Falls to the campground, so after a short break by the falls, we hiked the last leg of our 10-mile journey and found a place to set up camp. We chose a semi-private site at the base of a huge bluff on the west side of the campground. This allowed us to get the morning sun (and its warmth) as early as possible.
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Havasu means "blue-green water."
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Once camp was set up, it was time to make dinner. This required refilling our water-containers at the one tap in the campground. To our amazement when we got there, Lance and I found a youngster was relieving himself almost directly into the water!!! He left quickly (after we chewed on him for a minute) and we knew it had been a good idea to bring along a water filter even though this was supposed to be a "clean" water-source. Darkness came pretty early, and after that ten-mile hike, we were ready to get some sleep, as we had a full day planned for Monday.
A Day to Explore
Monday, March 11th
Oh man, were we sore that morning!!! For my last trip (in October to Grand National Park), I had done several prep-hikes to get into shape for hiking, but Minnesota weather in January and February doesn't lend itself to this sort of thing, so my hips, knees, and calves were really telling me how displeased they were with me for torturing them the day before. In fact, I'm still waking up each day with tightness in my hips and knees, and I've been home for over two weeks!
Mooney Falls plunges over 200 feet. That's taller than Niagra!!
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Lance was the first to roll out of bed on Monday morning, and he had the coffee (courtesy of Leah and Denim, our bartenders in Flagstaff) going in no time. Breakfast was freeze-dried "scrambled eggs with real bacon"---not the best I've ever had, but it was nice just to have a hot breakfast on a cold morning.
The trail extends from the campground, down the side of Mooney Falls, then down Beaver Falls, and includes 12 creek-crossings on its way to the Colorado River. The three of us grabbed our cameras, some water and snacks, and our swimming trunks and headed out for a day of exploring around 9:30am.
After a 10-minute walk to the far end of the campground, we found ourselves looking down from the top of Mooney Falls to the pool of water 200 feet below. The "$500 fine for jumping from this point" sign that was posted was completely unnecessary for me, but we did all manage to negotiate the tunnels, ladders, and chain-ropes required to descend down the bluff next to the falls into the sun-bathed valley below.
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It didn't take us long to decide that hiking all the way to the Colorado River and back again was beyond our desire (not to mention abillity that day), so we spent a couple of hours goofing off in the area about a half-mile or so below Mooney Falls.
After a couple of hours of playing and swimming, we decided to head back up to the campsite and make some lunch. The climb back up Mooney Falls was actually easier than the descent (no looking down).
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Chuck climbs back up the bluff along side Mooney Falls. |
After eating lunch (chicken-teriyaki. . .best meal we had with us), Lance & Chuck headed back up to Supai to check out the cantina and grocery store, but I didn't feel like making the trek, so I just hung out around Havasu Falls for a couple of hours, where I sat and made some new friends (Karen, Susan, Michael. . .) We all shared short self-biographies as well as stories of this or previous trip to the Grand Canyon. All in all, I'd have to say that the people on the trails in the Canyon have been among the friendliest I've ever met.
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Jeff wonders if he ever has to leave Havasu Canyon.
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As the afternoon wore on, I stretched out back in the campsite and finished reading my book (The First Counsel by Brad Meltzer). I made the 5-minute walk to replentish our water supply, and as I was starting to boil a pot of water and make dinner, the guys came back from their trip up to the village. We made a batch of "hearty stew" for dinner and made our plans for hiking out in the morning.
The Hike Out
Tuesday, March 12th
We were up with the sun again, but this time, the coffee and breakfast would have to wait until we hiked back to Supai. Lance had made arrangements for most our gear to be "shipped" up to the trailhead on horseback, so we had to break camp and get moving by 8:00am. I was very surprised to learn that we had "rented" a horse to carry a maximum of 130 pounds for about the same money Jerry paid on my previous trip (to Grand Canyon National Park) to send one pack to the top. In any case, I only had a pound or two of stuff in my fanny-pack (and plenty of water) with me for the 10-mile hike back to the car.
Chuck and Lance opted to not stop for breakfast, but I was hungry, so we parted ways in Supai. I also took some time to visit the store and the post office. Supai, AZ, is the only place left in the United States where mail is delivered on horseback, so I sent a postcard to my parents in St. Louis (which finally arrived at their house nearly three weeks later). I didn't catch up to them again until we got back to the switchbacks. Chuck was a little further up the trail than Lance, so he went after the car as Lance and I made our final ascent.
Right around 2:00pm on Tuesday, March 12th, we returned to our car at the trailhead, and we were rewarded for our effort. Lance had bought some beer back in Seligman, and despite the afternoon temperature around 65 degrees, we discovered the beer was cold!!!! Now that was a nice way to end our adventure!!!!
Some Reflections (and Suggestions)
Overall, my trip to Havasu Canyon was just great (even if I'm still a little sore almost three weeks later). As was the case with my previous trip, I learned a lot during this adventure. I hope to return to Havasu Canyon before too many years have passed, and this time, I won't beat myself up physically so much. I think I'll let the horse carry the gear both ways, and I might even let him carry me too!!
Things I'll do differently next time:
- Take less food. I guess I didn't learn after the first trip.
- Book a morning flight from Minnesota in March (just in case).
- Get on a treadmill or Stair-Master and train.
- Get a non-mummy sleeping bag. I just didn't like the one I borrowed.
- Get my parents down there (via helicopter).
- Hike to the Colorado River.
Lance, Chuck, and I all agreed that Havasu Canyon is a terrific spring-break trip, and we look forward to returning soon. If you'd like to make reservations for camping (or staying in the lodge), or for taking a horse or helicopter from the trailhead to Supai (saving you eight miles of hiking, but costing you $75-$100 each way), here's how:
Havasupai Tribal Council
P.O. Box 10
Supai, Arizona 86435
(928) 448-2961
(928) 448-2731
(928) 448-2141
(928) 448-2237
For a ton of information and good advise for planning your visit to the Grand Canyon, I strongly suggest you pay visit to www.hitthetrail.com. This site (authored by Denise Traver of Flagstaff) is excellent---thanks Denise!!
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