Navajo and Havasu Falls -

From the town of Supai, it was 2.5 miles and 400 feet more descent to the campground. We hiked on….at first feeling a bit energized……excited to be almost there. Then….just really ready to be there. The trail (more of a road) was straightforward, but the surface was dirt….with a consistency like sand….and tough to walk on. We kept looking for signs pointing towards the campground……but, it seems that signs are in short supply here on Tribal lands.

Then, we rounded a corner and saw this!

The stunning beauty of Navajo Falls was enough to take our breath away!

It felt like we had walked into Shangri-La……

People were swimming in the pool below the falls….. some were jumping off the falls!

It seemed almost magical that such blue water and such emerald green .…could emerge from the rocks and the desert that we had just walked through.

About 20 minutes further down the road, we finally came upon the sign for the campground which was located just down from Havasu Falls.

We briefly stopped to look at Havasu Falls……almost more beauty than we could appreciate right then.

When we finally arrived at the campground….we found a vacant campsite, a really beautiful spot right beside Havasu Creek, and gratefully put down our packs. It was 1:30 pm and we had hiked the 11 miles and 2,000 foot descent in 6 hours. After a bit of a rest, we decided to walk back to Havasu Falls to enjoy the afternoon.

Havasu Falls was beautiful…..100 feet high…..spectacular!

Refreshing……almost like a spa…or resort…..

The colors were striking….the green vegetation, the reddish hue of the rocks, and the blue-green water! And the limestone deposits flowed off the rocks…evidence of ancient waters that once flowed through these canyons.

People  were swimming or wading in the pool beneath the falls.

We waded in - The water was COLD! Not enticing for swimming, but it felt so good on our tired feet….

Transported Back in Time- The Village of Supai

Supai sits in a u-shaped canyon surrounded by cliffs of Supai sandstone. The two prominent spires of rock in the background are regarded by the natives as sacred……one male and one female……watching over the Havasupai people and their crops.

The Native American village of Supai has about 200 residents…..

A church and a school……and horses everywhere….. and dogs (some sort of short, stocky, strong looking breed – friendly enough, but just running kind-of ‘loose’ - (I didn’t get pictures of this)

If Grand Canyon Caverns seemed to be out of the 1950’s, we now seemed to have been transported to the 1850’s.

Nothing was in Supai that had not been brought in on foot, or by horseback, or by helicopter. Supplies were loaded onto pack animals at the top…….

And driven down by long horse/mule trains. Horses are the lifeblood of Supai

People in this village rode horseback or walked (though we did see a couple of 4 wheelers, one owned by the local police). We saw one woman riding out of the village on horseback, with a small child (maybe 2 years old) on her lap and two somewhat older children on a horse behind her. The older children were bouncing up and down as the horse trotted….laughing and giggling as they rode along. I would guess that the children in Supai grow up riding horseback. Another boy who looked to be about 8 years old came racing by us on a horse as we walked out of the town.

This is just outside of the tourist office in Supai, where every visitor must stop and pay an ‘entry fee’ of $37 and a $5 ‘environmental fee’. You must also have made a prior reservation (we had) for the lodge or campground, and pay the campground or lodge fees.

Once you have checked in, signed a waiver of liability, and paid your fees, you are given an armband. The armband is waterproof, like at a water park, and is stamped with your name, the dates that you have paid through, and ‘tourist’. No ‘blending in’ with the natives……  ;-)

We checked in, then following the advice in the guide book, we stopped at the store for an ice cream sandwich…..and then hiked on…..

The Hike Down Hualapai/Havasu Canyons

Tuesday, March 27, 2012 – We woke up at The Caverns Campground at 5 am (we were awake, anyway….too excited to sleep in), had coffee and breakfast, and by 6am, loaded up, leaving the camper parked at the Caverns campsite.   

We were headed to Hualapai Hilltop…..1.5 hours north, through the Hualapai and Havasupai Reservations. The road was deserted at this time…. no cars, and nothing along side, no buildings or services. However, when we arrived at the trailhead parking, (7:30am), the lot was full!

We lucked out and found  a spot, hit the porta-potty, and, with a '”Are you ready?” We shouldered our backpacks and started hiking…..hoping that the training hikes at Lost Dutchman would pay off. Note – Our backpacks weighed 28 and 29 lbs. Certainly, not the lightest we have carried, but it felt ‘do-able’.

The temperature was a brisk 25 degrees, we were glad to have a jacket, but knew that the temps at the bottom of the canyon were going to be warmer.

The view from the top was breathtaking in the morning light……

The trail descends 1,100 feet in the first 1.5 miles……rather steep….

With switchbacks through the Coconino Sandstone…..If you look closely, you can see the trail winding its way down through the middle of the ‘swirly’ rock formations.

The lighter streaks in this picture, middle left, are the various trails once you get to the floor of Hualapai  Canyon.

The trail surface was good…mostly gravel, or dirt, with railroad ties ……rather like the Bright Angel Trail at the National Park.  Oh, and LOTS of horse poop!

True to what the guide book said, at about 1.5 miles and a little over an hour of hiking, we were at the floor of Hualapai Canyon. I really don’t like steep down-hills……But, the descent was OK….Not too tough on knees and feet ……Only 6.5 more miles to the town of Supai -- and then, 2.5 more on to our campground!

The trail continues along the bed of this canyon another 5.5 miles ……and descending another 500 feet….before joining up with Havasu Canyon. We hiked on….feeling pretty strong.

The canyon was so amazing! We stopped to take pictures at every turn (and I took several of Fred hiking ahead of me!)

The rock formations were awesome…….and the day was just beautiful!

There were not many people on the trail…..several passed us going down, and by 10 am or so, more were passing us who were hiking up. Some hikers were just carrying a day pack – they were staying at the Lodge in Supai and did not need tents and sleeping bags, cook stoves and pots, etc.

As we walked, we were startled by the pack horses coming up…..

These horses were driven from behind, not led, and they were not tied together…..

And they trotted! These were NOT the mule trains of Grand Canyon National park! When you hear the sound of hooves, you had better move over, fast!

The pack horses are the life-line to Supai village. People, mail and supplies (and tourists) come in and out of Supai by horse…..or on foot. There is also a helicopter service that flies several times a week.

We took picture after picture of the rock formations in this canyon…..

The smooth stone showing the effects of erosion…..

You could really picture this canyon hollowed out by the forces of water and wind.

The further into the canyon we walked, the more the vegetation changed to support the occasional tree…..I think this is a Cottonwood.

And Redbud trees in bloom!

We took a break under the shade of this large Cottonwood tree. The temperature had warmed…..to maybe  70 degrees.

About 1 mile outside of Supai…..water….tributaries drain 3,000 square miles of the Coconino Plateau….and eventually empty into the Colorado River. These tributaries, and the Havasu River are the reason Supai exists at the bottom of this canyon.

We were excited!…..we were almost to Supai…and still feeling good…..tired, but good.

A Little Piece of ‘Times Gone By’

Monday, March 26, 2012 – We got an early start this morning, pulling out of the Good Sam Rally at 6am – did not have to wait in a line of RVs leaving….and the traffic out of Phoenix was not too bad. Our destination-- Grand Canyon Caverns RV park, just out of Peach Springs, AZ.

Grand Canyon Caverns are located along a section of historic Route 66…….

A wonderfully quiet change of pace…….

With a little bit of nostalgia…..

Does anyone remember Burma Shave?………

Arriving at the Caverns, we were tickled to find a very 1950’s atmosphere, along with a nice, clean and quite RV park.

After settling in, we took the cave tour….

These caverns are the largest dry caverns in the United States. They have most of the usual features of caves…..

And a few features that are a bit more unusual…..These caves are so dry that no animals…not even bacteria….can live in them. There have been a few unfortunate accidents where animals may have fallen in and died. The dry air mummified the Bob Cat on the left, who they believed fell in around 1850. On the right is a reconstructed model of a 4 toed tree sloth from the Ice Age. Its bones were found in the cave as it was excavated for the public. This sloth is 15 feet tall!

The Cavern Inn also has the world’s only (their claim) Cavern Suite.

Yes, you really can stay down there. After the last tour at 5pm, they serve you dinner, and you have to stay there until the first tour in the morning. And…yes, there is a bathroom.

Also, thanks to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1963, all caverns were designated bomb shelters. Emergency rations were brought in and stored. Water is in the black barrels, food supplies in packages in front of them. There are enough rations (supposedly) for 2,000 people (the population of the area at the time) for 2 weeks. The supplies have never been refurnished….and it is too expensive to remove them…so there they sit…..stale water and food stuffs (actually, they only supplied crackers and hard candy)! Last year, with all the unrest in the world, the owners of the caverns brought down bottled water….just in case……

Oh my goodness…..after the crowds at the RV Rally……this place, where we are the only camper in the lot, is just what we needed. Peaceful, quaint, kitschy……and quiet. After the cave tour, we stopped by the café for a piece of homemade coconut cream pie…..Yummy!

Back at our camper, we took some time to double check our backpacks and other gear. Tomorrow morning we will get an early start and drive to Hualapai Hilltop, the trailhead to the town of Supai, at the bottom of this section of the Grand Canyon. We will hike the 10 miles down on Tuesday, spending two nights at the campground, before hiking back out on Thursday. A long hike, but we have been told that the waterfalls in Havasu Canyon are well worth the effort. I promise lots of pictures…….   : )