Mining Town…Ghost Town….Jerome, AZ

March 30 - April 1, 2012 – After a very good night’s sleep back at our camper, we drove a few hours south to Dead Horse Ranch State Park. Despite the name, this is a very nice state park located between Sedona and Jerome. We planned to take a few quiet days to rest and regroup before joining up with my sister at Grand Canyon National Park, April 2nd.

We had heard about Jerome from our daughter, Sarah. She and Jason had enjoyed sightseeing around Jerome, and we were really looking forward to seeing it.

Saturday morning, we drove up the winding road to Jerome….

Which sits right up the side of the mountain…..

Jerome was settled in 1876 as a mining town…..They mined primarily copper. In its hay day, Jerome had a population of 15,000. With the Great Depression, and ore deposits petering out, Jerome became a ghost town of maybe 100 residents.

Jerome currently has about 500 residents, and a cute little downtown area with many of the old buildings still in existence.

We enjoyed looking around. This is the James Douglas Mansion. Douglas was the developer of the Little Daisy Mine (1912-1938). I do not usually like the Adobe style houses, but, I really liked the outside of this one.

Jerome also has a quaint old Catholic Church.

And a thriving artist population……

We have enjoyed our ‘quiet’ days….using the time to sort out pictures and write up  blogs, as well as take care of a few ‘housekeeping’ chores.

Next stop will be Grand Canyon National Park…….

Hiking Out

Thursday March 29, 2012- This was the day we were hiking back out of the canyon. We woke up early, at first light, and set about packing up sleeping bags and tent and backpacks. After a cup of coffee and a breakfast bar, we shouldered our packs and headed out. It was 7:15 am…our bodies were a bit sore from the previous days of hiking and packing…but we felt strong.

Hiking out has it’s own feeling…..you have seen it on the way down…..and have taken your pictures. You know just how long a trek is ahead. The hike out becomes more about the miles under your feet…..than the scenery around you.

We hiked with purpose, and we kept a good pace….Hiking 45 min to an hour….then taking 10 min breaks…...feeling the effort of hiking uphill. And, we drank water….lots of water.

We kept track of the miles…..me silently dreading the steep uphill last section. I knew that it was going to be a difficult effort after 9 miles of ‘packing’. What a feeling to see the end in sight!

And what a sense of accomplishment to look back down at the trail that we had traveled……

On foot….in this beautiful and truly awe inspiring place.

We made it back to our truck at 12:30 pm. 5.25 hours of hiking…..11 miles and 2,000 feet elevation climb. We had done it! And Oh – it was sooo worth it!

First things first…pack OFF…..potty break….lots of water…..then, as we drove off, we scarfed down our peanut butter and bagel! We were starving! And we talked about the experience….

This 11 mile backpack was pushing the limits of our comfort zone. It was longer than we have usually ‘packed’ and we had worried about our ability to handle it (not really our ability to DO it….only how much was it going to hurt). We had been preparing for our upcoming hike down the Grand Canyon from the National Park, and just shortly before had decided to throw this hike in. We felt like we should be in pretty good shape…..so we just decided to ‘go for it’.

Looking back…..we handled the effort really well. We felt strong, but we were pretty well worn out at the end of the day. We were surprised at how quickly we recovered. I think this is one of the big advantages of ‘conditioning’.

We talked about challenges…those planned and prepared for…..and those that just come up.

We faced challenges on this hike, and I faced fear…..and moved through it.  I do not feel that I have  ‘overcome’ my fears…..but I do know (as I have always known) that I can do whatever I have to do when necessary.

Neither Fred nor I are ‘adrenalin junkies’. We do not crave that rush that comes with extreme sports. But we do get a real sense of satisfaction from pushing our limits. And sometimes it is the only way too see something so absolutely amazing…….

In Search of Beaver Falls…..

After taking a few minutes to absorb the absolute beauty of the falls, we set out following the trail downstream to Beaver Falls, the fourth ‘named’ falls in Havasu Canyon.

As we walked…the only people on the trail…..we felt like we were walking through a ‘Garden of Eden’….

Green….lush…..……untouched and unchanged…..somehow primal.

 

With incredible beauty in the smallest of things…….

We walked in wonder and appreciation…..

The trail to Beaver Falls was not as straightforward as it would first seem. The foot-trail would be lost as we had to clamber over rocks and boulders….only to pick up a bit later. And, of course, no signs! The down side to ‘untouched’.  ;- ) 

There were numerous creek crossings……

This one had this makeshift ‘bridge’. I hesitated on this…..I really did not want to cross….I don’t trust my balance to be that good. Thank goodness for Fred! His balance has always been great, and he would never hesitate (I actually think he really enjoys it). We crossed…..me hanging on to Fred’s hand the whole way….You know, this is a great exercise in trust…..both in one’s own abilities and in each other.

Other times, we waded across. We had brought our Teva’s (waterproof sandals) and changed into them at the first crossing. We hiked on in our sandals….as we had about three more knee deep crossings.

The trail (and I use that term loosely) continued…across rock ledges….through the grass….scrambling up and down slopes of red dirt…..between rocks. We were sometimes having to climb using both hands and feet.

There were numerous ‘falls’ on this creek…..

Each of them incredibly beautiful…..We kept wondering…”Is that Beaver Falls”. We had come to accept that there probably would be no sign telling us, and we had not read a description of Beaver Falls beyond the notation that it was 3 miles below Mooney Falls.

Then, we came to this! This was where it looked like the trail continued. After all the crazy trail we had hiked…..over 4 miles out. ….We said, “No way. We are NOT  heading up that ladder”! We decided “Enough”. We may not have found Beaver Falls…….

But we had glimpsed paradise……and were content to turn around and head back.

The hike back took less time…It always seems that way….but was no less confusing. We started passing more people hiking out towards Beaver Falls, and all of them seemed equally confused as to where exactly Beaver Falls was, and which way the trail went.

The whole walk back…I had in the back of my mind the climb back up Mooney Falls. It had that sense of inevitability that I really hate. I remember feeling that way when I was pregnant…..You know, no other way out of this…..I tried not to think about it…..

When we got to the base of the falls, we stopped for a rest and a water break. We watched as this guy clambered up the rock face, making it seem easy. I knew that it was NOT going to be easy for me…but I also knew that I WAS going to do this.

So…taking a deep breath, I said “OK, lets get it over with”, and started back up the first ladder. Fred leading….me following…..placing hands and feet where he did. Using the chains to pull myself up. I stayed focused straight ahead….each hand….each foot hold….not looking up….and certainly, not looking down! I was climbing well…my legs were not shaking this time. It took 12 minutes to get to the top….12 minutes of focused concentration..…but not overwhelming effort. This was ‘do-able’…..I was doing it!

Once on top, one has to ask….was it worth it? The answer to that is ….ABSOLUTELY! The hike beyond Mooney Falls was SO AMAZING….I would not have wanted to miss that experience. Would I do it again? At first, I said…..NO. After having a few days to process things……Even though it was very scary, and would still be very scary for me……Yeah, I think I would……

Getting to the Bottom of It…….Mooney Falls

March 28, 2012- We woke up Wednesday morning and decided to hike through the campground to see Mooney Falls,  which was located just past the lower end of the campground. We were then going to hike on towards Beaver Falls, 3 miles further downstream.

I don’t think that there are enough ‘amazing’ words to describe this sight…….Mooney Falls is a spectacular 200 foot falls, emptying into a cathedral like basin. And the colors……

After enjoying the falls from the top, we noticed that the trail that we were planning to hike started out by descending to the bottom to the falls. We had visited with several people who had hiked out to Beaver Falls. One man told us that it was great, but getting to the bottom of Mooney Falls was “not for the faint hearted”. Another fellow that we talked with told us that the bottom of the falls….and the amazing ‘cathedral’…. was one of the most beautiful sights that he had ever seen. He left us with this parting note….”The way down is not as bad as it first looks”.

From what I could see…it looked pretty steep. But, we have hiked down worse things……For those off you who know me, you know that I have a real fear of heights. The problem was….if we stopped now, we would not get to Beaver Falls, and really would not have any more hiking and exploring that we could do. It seemed a shame to let this obstacle stop us.

So…..we started down…….

You know….our first warning should have been the “Descend at your own risk” sign. But, we figured that it was probably just some ‘legal liability thing’.

Just past those first set of steps, the path down seemed to lead to this tunnel. I kept saying “No way….I am sure that is not right”. So, Fred told me to stay put while he checked it out. I held the camera….and decided to snap one last picture of Fred….in case he didn’t make it back out of that tunnel!

Indeed, that was the way……Fred reported  “ There is a tunnel, one person wide, then an  open spot that has a chain railing, then another tunnel”. The second tip-off  should have been the sign that noted “exercise extreme caution”.

Just past the second tunnel, the ‘trail’ led to a series of vertical rock climbs, with footholds occasionally cut into the rock face, and chains to hold onto.

I was scared….but I was following Fred down….and I didn’t want to be the one who gave up and had to climb back up….leading the way! I’ll say it again….I was scared….my legs were shaking……but I kept going. I should note here that this was challenging even for Fred, but he never gets as rattled by heights as I do.

We made this descent backing down, facing the rock. Fred would take a step, then he would tell me where to put my foot, then, I would step down. There were chains the whole way down that we held on to as we stepped from one rock outcropping to another.  As we got closer to the bottom, the spray from the falls had gotten the rocks and the chains wet…..and a bit muddy. I held tight and stayed focused and kept climbing down.

When Fred told me that we had come to a ladder….my first thought was “Great, at least the footing will be more secure and predictable”. I knew that I could climb a ladder…. One ladder, a bit more climbing, then a second ladder. After what had seemed like an eternity, but was only about 15 minutes,we made it to the bottom! With a flood of relief….and a real sense of accomplishment….I stepped off that last rung of the ladder….

I had a couple of minutes of the ‘shakes’ and a few tears (all from the excess adrenalin), then was able to really appreciate the awesome beauty of Mooney Falls.

I know that I had said that I like to pick my own challenges. Some challenges you can plan and prepare for…..other times, you just find yourself in the middle of something, and I guess…. the challenge just picks you…….

Camp Life

March 27-28, 2012 - When we arrived at the campground just below Havasu Falls, we looked around. This was a first-come-first-serve campground, so we did not have a reserved site. We tried to identify the designated campsites, but there really did not seem to be any real ‘sites’….again, no signs ……marking site #  ‘whatever’….

Only picnic tables set here and there and a number of tents set all around, especially along Havasu Creek.

Havasu Creek seemed like a nice place to camp ….I do like the sound of rushing water…..soothing at night.

So, we picked out a vacant flat spot for our tent, moved a nearby picnic table into position, and set up camp.

We had water on one side of us and the canyon walls on the other…..   

We really could not have asked for a nicer campsite. It was beautiful….and this campground was well cared for and clean. The campground can hold a total of 300 and stretches 1/2 mile along the banks of Havasu Creek. It did not seem crowded, but, as you can see, it was pretty full.

There was, of course, no plumbing, but there were several restrooms with very clean composting toilets. Actually, much cleaner than the usual chemical toilets….you just added a scoop of wood shavings from the bucket on the wall after you finished. No smell at all!

Drinking water was available from a boxed in spring, or you could filter your own water right from the creek.

This campground had a very ‘International’ flavor…..We met people from all over….some from New York or Michigan, or Idaho….others walked by speaking German, or French. There was a group of guys we kept running into from Bolivia, Columbia and Argentina, all now living in San Francisco. And a group of Asians…. carrying nice cameras and setting up tripods, and taking amazing photos.

I was surprised at the range of ages and mix of peoples. This was mostly a young group, however, we did see people our age. There were several groups that consisted of of young women - and some not-so-young women. Backpacking and hiking is NOT a sport  just for the young and buff and male (though we did see a number of those). We also saw, surprisingly, a number of families with young children (some even infants in diapers). These families had arrived, with all their gear, by horseback.

When living out of a backpack, camp life becomes pretty simple. Breakfast consisted of one or two Power Bars and that all important cup of coffee. I am sooo glad that Starbucks has come out with their instant caramel coffee…..Yum!

Lunch was a bagel and peanut butter……snacks - trail mix, or another Power Bar.

For dinner, we had Chicken Teriyaki one night and Beef Stew (pictured here) the next…..compliments of Mountain House backpackers meals. Preparation could not be easier…just boil water, add to packet, stir and let sit 8 minutes. Then, serve and eat. After a day’s hike it was VERY good. As a bonus, I had packed a couple of brownies for dessert.     : )

At night, (actually, about 8pm), we crawled into our little tent and let our tired, sore bodies just relax. We slept surprisingly well.

It is always interesting to see how others are camping. This couple shared this double hammock for the night. It eliminates the need to carry a tent or sleeping pad. I could not do this……but a number of people do.

In the morning we were greeted by these horses….who seemed to be just wandering about the campground. So pretty….so serene…….A life set apart.