An early wake up, and a quick breakfast, and we were on the road to the Hualapai Hilltop trailhead about an hour and a half away. This trail provides the only overland access to the wonders of Havasupai below. Our gear is loaded onto pack mules and horses and will meet us at the bottom, so we have our backpacks, lots of water and anxious anticipation for the days ahead. We are starting out at about 5,400 ft elevation, and will camp at about 3,200 ft, so it’s a long descent, mostly in the first 2 miles, half of which is switchbacks. We began the hike at 9AM, and the sun was already high in the sky, and we all had to peel off our layers as we went. Our guides, Gary and Anna, pointed out various bird and plant life, and talked about the rock layers of Cataract Canyon surrounding us.
We paused for a longer break in Supai, the most remote village in the U.S. Mail is still brought in by packhorse to the 450 members of the Havasupai tribe who live there. The tribal name translates to “people of the blue-green water”, and they manage about 185,000 acres that weren’t re-allocated to the tribe until 1975. The tribe manages the campgrounds, and all campers must have a permit and respect the land in a respectful and environmentally conscientious way. Havasu Canyon is the largest of over 600 side canyons forming the 280 mile long Grand Canyon, and it is far less visited than the better known South Rim, but it is referred to as the “gem” of the Grand Canyon.
The campsite is another 2 miles, mostly downhill, and it is on this portion of the hike today that we get our first glimpse of the blue-green waters and the spectacular waterfalls — New “50-foot” Falls, Rock Falls and finally the 100-foot Havasu Falls. They are all spectacular. Our tents are already set up next to the creek of the same hue, just downstream from Havasu. Our gear has arrived just as we do, so we are assigned our tents for the next 4 nights, and get settled as the guides get organized and get dinner started. Our campsite is next to a group of 84 seventh graders from Redwood City, CA, and I feared noise at bedtime, but this trip is a reward, and a learning experience, so they were very well behaved.
We were all in our tents and ready for bed at 8:30 — once the stars come out, there’s no other light — so we settled in for our first night. The sound of the water provided a lovely white noise to fall asleep to, and after the long day, it wasn’t difficult.
wow. so cool.