Sitting at Mom’s house eating to
excess. It was Thanksgiving. However, that meant tomorrow Joel
and I would begin an adventure 9 months in the planning. One of bucket list
proportions.
Day One
(Black) Friday afternoon Joel and
head off to the airport for our flight to Las Vegas. Logistically, this made
the most sense to be our insertion point. There were a few other options,
none with availability or discounts for airfare and accommodations that Vegas
could offer. Honestly, I enjoy the planning of the trip way more that someone
should.
We had an uneventful flight into
Vegas and took a Lyft to our first hotel of the trip. The Westin. Off strip, no
casinos, no bullshit, just simple but comfortable rooms.
We dropped our bags and did some
sightseeing. Typical Vegas stuff, see the themed
hotels, casinos, restaurants and take some pictures.
Being quite hungry we decided to
eat at Guy Fieri's Vegas Kitchen. Partially as a joke, partially
curious.
Surprisingly the Mayor of
Flavortown did not disappoint. It’s a higher level of bar food.
Big burgers done to order although a bit over the top with some of the toppings,
but tasty none the less. I expect
nothing less than extreme from Guy. The side of fries were a bit of a letdown.
A mix of skinny, fat, waffle, and other cuts of potatoes. Kind of felt like
when you have 3 partial bags of ore-ida frozen potatoes and you cook them all
up at the same time.
I also had a jalapeño margarita.
Chili salt on the rim, pepper slices in the drink. The waiter explained ‘It was
pretty hot, just so you know’. I bet this gets sent back a bit. It was spicy
but nothing to be afraid of.
A few more Vegas-y things like the
fountains of Bellagio and we headed back for the night.
Day Two
Saturday was more of a move from
base camp to our next site in prep to actually get to the trail.
We slept in, went to a little
breakfast place that made gourmet egg sandwiches, Eggslut. They had a line,
they were a bit pricy but yeah, they were really good. I mean tri-tip and
chimichurri sauce on my egg bagel? Absolutely.
We packed up our stuff, got a ride
back to the airport so we could pick up our rental car. A fine Hyundai Sonata,
one of the finest off-road vehicles if you occasionally need it. (See my
Saguaro trip for explanation).
From there we hit REI for a gas
canister, since it’s illegal to fly with cans of pressurized iso-butane,
whatever…
We found a Target for additional
comestibles. Fresh-ish food, water and snacks (Fritos!). Lastly, we hit the ATM
for a little scratch because the reservation isn’t much for debit or credit
cards.
By this time its near lunch time
and well we were hungry again. We had lunch at a local (as in way off strip,
city of Las Vegas proper) place called Honey Salt. An interesting menu of
brunch type items. Joel had breakfast nachos. Yep, tortilla chips, cheese,
avocado, salsa, peppers topped off with two eggs and crème fraiche. I had a
grilled cheese and bacon sandwich and a side of tomato soup. Sourdough bread
with bacon crumble baked in on top of it. The soup was excellent.
After our second breakfast it was
time to really hit the road, for reals. We had a three and a half hour drive
ahead of us to our next ‘camp’ just outside Peach Springs, Arizona.
It was an easy if not bring drive on some
interstate and about 60 miles of good old route 66.
We got to the Grand Canyon Caverns Inn at 5:50 PM. (we lost an hour due to crossing time zones as well). Checked
in just as they were shutting down for the night. After 6 we would have had to
call the on call person I guess. We also did a quick stop at the little store
for some mocha-chocs bullshit coffee drinks as I will need my caffeine fix
tomorrow morning.
I know I am spoiled when it comes
to hotels. When travelling for work, I am spoiled and that has carried over to
my personal travel as well. This place is a throwback. One of those road side
motels where you park right outside of your room type places. We get to the
door, use the key (real key, not some key-card) and walk in. She did not
disappoint. Cinder block walls, linoleum floors (cold) 6 channels on the TV, no
cell service. Joel immediately called it the murder room. I had to laugh as I
thought it too. But in the middle of nowhere you get what you can get, plus it
builds character.
This evening we unpacked everything
made sure we had everything we needed and wouldn’t forget anything. Also leaving
some things we probably wouldn’t use. We both took what would be our last
shower for the next four days and went to bed.
Day Three
5:00 Am came early as it tends to
do. I never sleep well one night in a hotel and with these beds, this was no
exception.
We dressed, had a few quick
breakfast items and were on the road by 5:20 AM. Why so early? We still had to
drive over 60 miles to the trailhead and my research told me the earlier the
start the better. Less heat, less people etc. Made sense, plus more time to
relax when we get there.
It was about 6:45 when
we got to the trailhead parking lot. We stretched our legs, took a quick walk
around (still pretty dark) and pulled our packs out of the trunk. We slowly
made our way over to the start of the trail, waiting for the sun to break a bit
before travelling down a narrow trail and 2500’ of elevation drop.
A few minutes before 7 we began the
8 mile or was it 10 mile (or more) hike to Supai. The mileage was questionable
as they say it’s 8 miles to the reservation, 10 miles to the campsites, but the
campsite area is over a mile long, so we prep for the longest and enjoy it if
it ends up being shorter, right?
Right off the bat, I knew this was
going to be special. This is a feeder to the Grand Canyon and the early morning
light was hitting the high canyon walls, it may sound cliché, but almost spritital.
The hike down wasn’t too hard, very
dusty as it is also a horse trail. Their hooves beat the soil and rocks to a
fine powder.
About two thirds of the way down
the initial decent we met a burro and a horse. Wild? Probably not but they
could care less, they see people all the time I am certain.
We continue down the trail until we
get to the canyon floor. The weather so far is great, temps in the mid 50’s.
Not going to sweat, not too cold.
As we hike through the canyon, its
just one spectacular view after another. Every turn a different perspective of
what we may have just seen. I take a lot of pictures and video, but I know it
won’t do it the justice of being here in the moment, but I try to capture it.
Not sure how long we were hiking
when we met our first few people coming the other way. I decide to keep count
of how many people we pass. It’s something I do almost every hike, especially
the more remote ones. Not sure why, maybe it gives me a feeling of solitude
knowing there are not too many people where I am.
We hike on more and we pass many
more people coming out. The number keeps climbing 30, 50… Then a huge group of
over 30 in one pass. Joel and I stopped counting at 150. Makes sense though, it
is Sunday and many people probably are here only for the weekend.
This place gets very busy and it is
near impossible to get reservations. I think they have around a daily capacity
of around 300 campers. Based on how many people we saw leaving and we were only
a few going in, I thought it might not be near as crowded. This was confirmed by
a guy we passed who told us ‘You’ll have a great time the place is almost
empty”.
Close to three hours into our hike,
we finally start seeing the reservation. Houses and horse corrals start to line
the path. Eventually we make it to the camp office. We check in, get
wristbands, like we were at some waterpark. From here it is supposed to be
another 2 miles to the campsites.
We continue through the
reservation. There are some schools, a lodge, a church, cafeteria and general
store. Oh yeah, and a helipad as well. There are three ways into and out of
this place: By foot, By horse or by helicopter.
As we leave the ‘town’ we come
around a corner to the first waterfall: Havasua Falls. Joel and I just look at
it then at each other, grinning. It’s beautiful. I think we said wow and
bonkers. Turns out we would use these works a lot the next four days.
Eventually we make it to the
campsites proper. There are very few people here, we have the choice of pretty
much anywhere we want to camp.
Since we can be picky we take our
time and go back and forth until we decide one, near the end opposite of where
we came in.
We drop our packs, and after having
them on our backs for the last 4 hours it’s a welcome break. I survey the site,
pick some trees and hang our hammocks. Once that’s done we set up a few other
things and that’s that. Its still very early. I read you should expect between
5 and 6 hours to get here. We were here and set up in a little over four hours.
It’s not even 11 AM.
We grab our water bottles and take
a walk back to the spring for drinking water. This is the source for the whole
camp.
I failed to mention as you enter
the camp there are some small huts. The Fry Bread hut. It’s basically some tarp
covered sheds in which you can buy hot food from. A satellite of the cafeteria
2 miles back. You can get this food, If, and that is a big if, they are open.
They have hours posted but even that sign jokes about them. They are open when
they are open. I assume during the peak summer months they probably stick to
the hours and are open often.
As fate would have it, we stopped
by after getting water (As it was only about 100 yards from the spring). It was
just opening for the day. The woman working there told us to come back in 20
minutes as she had needed some time to prep a few things.
Wait we did, close to 20 minutes on
the dot we were back. First the bad news. They were out of taco meat and cheese
and beans, so no fry bread Indian tacos. They did have beef rolls, ‘rez’ dogs
and fry bread. That’s what we got. First fry bread. It’s fried dough, plain and
simple, like something you would get at the state fair. This one came with
cinnamon, powdered sugar and a drizzle of honey. The rez dogs were hot dogs cooked in a fry bread ‘bun’ and the beef roll was ground beef mixed with some corn and chili, wrapped in frybread, deep fried and then topped with salsa.
We devoured all of it. After
virtually no breakfast, nearly 12 miles of hiking we were craving the calories.
And these where the kind you crave after activity, Fatty Carbs. We left having
visions of fry bread later over the next few days..
Sadly, it was never to happen
again. They were never open again during our stay. And we looked, several
times.
With full bellies and potable
water, we arrive back at our site. What to do now? Relax. Joel ‘tries out’ his
hammock, I sit and read a bit.
Some of that reading is the rules
and regulations we received when we checked in. Also, a map of the area.
The map is set up based on the
three outhouses. One at the beginning, one halfway though and one near the need
of the camp. A quick little note about these facilities. They are some of the
nicest outdoor toilets you will ever encounter. Special composting models that
were cleaned daily. Just a little note for those how have aversion to backwoods
facilities.
Anyway, I look where we are on the
map and realize that we are so far at the end of the camp that we are perhaps
only 100 yards from the next major feature. Mooney Falls.
I look up from the map, turn to my
left an notice a small bridge near the back of our site that disappears into
some brush. When Joel gets up I tell him about the map and where we are. We
take a little walk. In less than 1 minute we are at the right side edge looking
into the bottom of Mooney Falls. Over 100 foot drop. All we can say is wow.
We take it all in and can’t wait to
get down there tomorrow and start exploring, hiking, swimming. It’s only 3:30
PM right now but as we will notice the rest of the time here, the limited
sunlight and being almost December, it seems darker and later than it really is.
And the sun does set at around 5:00 PM anyway.
We walk back to camp and play
cribbage. I picked up this most excellent handmade leather travel cribbage set.
I was looking for something different but eventually found this in my search. I
emailed the guy and asked him if he was still making them. We would make one
for me. It is very cool. Barely larger than the deck of cards itself.
We made dinner and as I mentioned a
little after 5:00 PM it is dark. We sit and talk a bit more, going over the
plans for tomorrow. No fires are allowed in the camp, so we sit by lantern
light. We realize the early morning and all the hiking has caught up to us. Soon
we are both hanging in our hammocks reading. Which usually means about 3 pages
and I am fast asleep.
Day Four
The next morning we get up around
6:30-7. That’s nearly 12 hours of sleep. I will take that anytime. We proceed
to make some breakfast and I attempt to make pour over coffee. I am using this
ultralight thing I picked up. It is small and it is touchy. About halfway through
I get over zealous with the water and I end up with a bunch or grounds and coffee
on the picnic table. I swear. Joel laughs, I drink the partial coffee I made and
try again.
After breakfast we pack a daypack
with water, food, a towel and extra clothing. Today we descend Mooney Falls and
go further into the canyon. Beaver Falls and if we are feeling up to it all the
way to the Colorado River.
The left side of Mooney Falls has
the terracing and the only way to get down to the bottom of the falls. Ominously
there is a sign that says 'descend at your own risk'.
The trail starts down a small passage
cut into the face of the cliff. You then pop out for a little bit and again are
warned with a sign that this is not easy and potentially dangerous. Back into another
tunnel, that exits on the wet and steep slope for the final descent. I guess
you could say they were stairs but not really. Foot holds in some places and
large chains anchored into the rock here and there. The chains are wet, the
ground is wet from the mist of the falls. The whole thing is kind of like a
wet climbing wall you might see at some rock climbing places. Eventually you
get to some wet worn wooden ladders that are not much better. The whole trip
down only takes less than 10 minutes, but the adrenaline is pumping.
We both set foot on the ground at the
bottom and turn around. There in all it’s glory is Mooney Falls.
We explore around the falls for a
good while, wading around and enjoying this from every angle before we set off
to hike the canyon. I also find a basket for carrying a prone person out of
this place by helicopter. You know, just in case.
This scenery on this hike is
nothing short of spectacular. Words and my pictures can’t do it justice. The
high walls, the white-blue water, the ever-shifting light, changing the color
and mood on every turn.
The trail itself is moderately easy.
We were wearing water sandals and not our hiking shoes. Because you need to cross
the river several times this seemed better than watching some people take their
socks and shoes off every time. Plus, if we missed a step on a bridge no big
deal. There were spots on the trail that were fun water crossings and some
spots with sketchy ladders and ropes to climb up and down. We enjoy the walk
and stop and admire the beauty at every opportunity.
Finally, we reach Beaver Falls. It’s
a large series of little falls completly different than Havasua or Mooney. On
the other side of the river on the narrow outcrop is a family (herd?) of
bighorn sheep. They are jumping walking around on the small outcrops.
Eventually, they make it to the
river and walk across at the top of the falls. It’s very neat to see and the
way they look at the people around as if this is normal for them.
Beaver Falls is almost the end of
the reservation proper, any further past this point and you were entering Grand
Canyon National Parklands.
Since we had a lot of time, we
thought we would make a effort at getting all the way to the Colorado River.
The problem is we couldn’t find the way down to continue the trail. We saw a
trail some 50 feet below the rocks we were on but how to get there? With help
of some other people we located a rope attached the rocks and then disappearing
over the edge. No one was sure if this was it since it was hard to see past it. If it’s not right it’s a hell of a place to get stuck.
Perhaps if we found a ranger at the
time we would have asked. They were dispersed all though the reservation. With
notepads, taking names and numbers in the party as well as checking wristbands. As
a side note when we did get back to camp that evening I did read you are
supposed to notify them if you do go off the reservation so they are aware of who
is down there for safety reasons. So it is doable They just probably don’t make
it too easy for obvious reasons.
Facing the fact we are not going to
go any further today, we start the hike back. During this time, we find a
picnic table and eat the lunch we brought.
This brings up a trivial but interesting
topic of discussion. How and who got all these random picnic tables this far
down the canyon? Were all the materials brought in my hand? There is no way a
horse gets down here. Were the materials air lifted in then built wherever?
Where the whole tables just brought it? Every time we ran across one in the oddest
random spots we had to wonder.
Not quite two hours later we are
back at Mooney falls. Time to really get wet. We drop our gear off on a picnic
table (of course!). I take my shirt off and we begin wading into the fury of
the falls. The water is a bit on the cold side but more so it’s incredibly
powerful. It takes a serious effort just to get near it with the force of waves
and pounding water pushing you back. I get as close as I can, laughing the
whole time at the ridiculous feeling and sound of being so close to this.
I come out and dry off a bit as we
ponder the climb back out. I can already feel the bit of anxiety (or is it excitement)
as we look at the rock wall. It’s a wet and muddy climb up, but we make it.
We work our way back to camp, change
out of our wet clothes and shoes and warm up a bit. So far the weather has been
great. Highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the mid 30’s with some sun and some
clouds, nothing too extreme. This was one of my biggest concerns on booking
this trip so late in the year. Would it be too cold to enjoy any of the water?
It wasn’t summer by any means but we were able to enjoy it regardless.
Darkness falls fast tonight. We eat
dinner and play some more cards. During a hand we feel rain drops. Over the past
hour or so the sky has clouded up and now we get rain? We hustle in the dark to
put up our tarps. We originally left them off because we did not think we would
need them, sleeping under the stars. We get the tarps up and no more than 30
minutes later all the clouds disappear and its back to near full-moon clear
skies. Oh well. We leave the tarps up anyway as the wind did pick up considerably
and they help break that a bit.
Day Five
We had an easy relaxing day today
and the morning was full sun. The colors and light that came though the canyon
at sunrise were spectacular. The water was a kaleidoscope of blues and white
changing as the sun quickly moved through the slot canyon.
With the big side trip of the week done
yesterday, today we head back to the other large falls, Havasua Falls. It’s not
a big as Mooney but it’s easily as breathtaking. Its also much easier to
access. The top, bottom and sides are all without the excitement of wet wall
scaling. The sun is out in force today but it much cooler. After climbing all over
and taking it all in, I attempt to swim in this one as well. Not a chance. The water
was much colder than yesterday, almost icy. I thought that with the air temperatures
being cooler it might not be so bad, I though wrong. I only got up to my knees
before I bailed.
When we were done with this exploration,
we were back at camp with lots of time to relax, read, play cards and talk. No
cell phones, no people, no distractions. Truly an unwinding.
Dinner time rolled around and we
had not one but two meals. We brought extra food and we could eat it or carry
it back out. We ate it.
This night was clear and chilly.
The moon was almost full, and the stars shone. I went to sleep and woke up a
few hour later to look at the stars hoping the moon would have dipped a bit and
allowed me to see more starlight. It was still high enough that you could see
by the brightness. I went and sat on a table at the edge of Mooney falls. The
sound of the water, the clear sky, the cool air. I breathe it all in.
Day Six
Sadly it's time to go back. We get up
early have breakfast and coffee (I spill none of it) and are on the trail by
8:30 am. It’s a bit warmer today and this hike is all uphill.
About two miles in we make it to Supai and stop at the general store. I buy a cold root beer and a few candy bars for
the trail. I donate the remainder of the gas cannister to the reservation.
Better they use it than me just empty and trash it.
Before we continue we visit the
little café. We were hoping for one more piece of fry bread. It was not meant
to be, they don’t serve that until 11:00 AM.
Joel and I split the soda and head
out.
Along the way we are passed in both
directions by horse trains. Carrying packs for hikers and supplies and such
for the tribe. They funniest thing to see was the large horse train that was
for the post office. Those white USPS bins and Amazon.com boxes strapped to
these horses was quite a site to see. You certainly get your moneys worth out of
a Prime membership this way.
It’s much more difficult that the
hike in was, that’s for sure. We take a few stops, drink water, eat those candy
bars for some quick energy. Eventually we reach the base of the main ascent.
The 2 miles of switchbacks up to the top of the canyon. The sun is out in full
and its warming us up nicely just to make it more fun.
This last 2000 feet of up is hard.
We pass some people,some people pass us. However, those people have no packs
to speak of. One guy confessed that he wimped out and paid for them to carry
his pack out by horse. Wimp or smart? At least we can say we did it the right
way (PURIST!).
Finally, we reach the top. It
takes us 90 minutes more to get our than it did to get down. Relieved and tired
we drop the packs, dole out fist bumps, hugs and a few woooos! We did it.
After the short rest we drag our stuff
to the car. Change into some clothes not full of sweat and dust and drink a lot
of the water we left in the car just for this moment. We look around and take it all in. A
few more deep breaths before we start the four plus hour drive back to Las Vegas.
We settle in and play whatever music I
have on my phone, because there is still no service. We sing along and talk
about what we will eat for dinner when we get back to Vegas. A giant burger? A
cold beer? Whatever it would be it would be good.
As we approached the Arizona/Nevada
border we decide to stop and quick tour the Hoover Dam. It’s on the way and who
knows the next time we would be back this way.
We have about 45 minutes as the dam
closes at dusk. We make it an abbreviated tour. Incredible engineering; the
structure, the bridge. We had just witnessed so much natural wonderment, now we
stood looking at some man-made wonderment.
We eventually arrive in Vegas. This
time we are staying at a more typical Vegas hotel. The NY NY Hotel and Casino. It’s a
nice place, big rooms and cheap on top of it. We drag our gear up to the room.
Take some much-needed showers get dressed in clean clothes and go get the
burgers and beers we were talking about!
After dinner we walk around a bit
on the strip again (as if we had not walked enough). We hit a little bar for a
night cap/celebratory drink.
Day Seven
We both sleep as late as we can. Grab
some eats and pack our bags. Of course, before we go we have to ride the roller
coaster that is part of the hotel. Joel and I add it to the long list of coasters
we have ridden together. Good times.
The flight home was uneventful. We
talked about the trip and what we had seen. When we might want to go back here as
well as what we could do next for an adventure.....
