Havasu Canyon :: Day 1

We packed up and left Vegas after a night of blackjack and vodka tonics and headed down Route 66 to the Havasupai Indian Reservation. The reservation is on Navajo Highway 18 off of Route 66 between Kingman and Flagstaff, Arizona. Our destination was Havasu Canyon and the jade waters of Havasu Creek. After 60 miles on Highway 18 we ended up at the Hualapai Hilltop some 20 miles south of the Grand Canyon. The Hilltop descends down steep switchbacks for the first 1.5 miles and enters Havasu Canyon. We packed in: a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, some dry clothes, two pairs of wool socks, hiking boots, TEVAs (sandals) for water crossings, a first aid kit, propane fuel and stove, pocket knife or LeatherMan, lighter, CamelBacks and Nalegenes for water, apples, bananas, eggs (put them in a pot with clothes to protect them), raisins, bread, cheese, peanut butter (great energy food), couple cans of soup each, some pasta and spaghetti sauce, lots of granola bars, digital cameras, flashlights and headlamps, some headgear (hats and bandanas), some iodine tablets for water purification (always a good idea on strenuous treks in remote places), and TOILET PAPER. We decided not to pack in a tent and planned to sleep under the stars. This was fine until our last night when it ended up biting us in the ass. I picked up a basic 2 light LED headlamp by Petzl before the trip and for $22 its one of the best pieces of equipment I've ever bought. They have more powerful ones but this one got the job done in the pitch black. After packing up our gear, we started our hike around 7 p.m. Under the cover of darkness, we hiked 7 miles into the canyon just short of the village Supai and made camp against Havasu Creek. At 6 am. we picked up and hiked the last 3 miles to the first of a series of waterfalls along the creek, Havasu Falls. The pictures really do all the talking. Continuing down the trail we descended 200 feet through a miner's tunnel in the walls of Mooney Falls. Mooney hits the bottom with such force it sends spray for at least 50 feet in all directions. After following the meandering trail through brush, multiple creek crossings, and a steep cliff ascent, we set down for lunch and relaxation at Beaver Falls. I was constantly reminding myself as I sat there that even though I was in this remote place there were some 200 campers around and I had to look no further than an empty Chef Boyardee left behind sitting in a hole in the canyon rock next to me.
That night, we slept in Coyote Canyon just outside the tribal land in Grand Canyon Nat'l Park. After dinner and some pulls of SoCo, we set up our sleeping bags on a small ledge in the canyon. Thinking we were the only humans for miles, we began to see brief flashes of light on the canyon walls that appeared to be getting closer. In our haze we decided we were either about to be in a scene from Deliverence or attacked by angered natives. Thankfully it turned out to be crazed hikers on their way back to the campground and we were left to contemplate what the hell had just happened in the darkness of the canyon.