blueeyes
ephemeral excursionist
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2012
- Messages
- 1,110
After a fun first backpack trip with Jenni, my sister-in-law, through The Narrows I jumped on board the idea of backpacking Havasupai. I had seen pictures and they captivated my imagination. Also appealing about this trip was I wasn’t planning it just pay my money, pack my bags, and show up. Every trip I do I plan, with it being only me and the kids. The thought of not having that responsibility was rather nice.
Jenni did a marvelous job planning the trip for 15 people. Initial costs for the three of us for two nights was $250 but later we paid and extra $45 because they misquoted Jenni. If you plan this trip I would make sure to clarify everything, Jenni is thorough and I didn’t mind but throw that information out as a tid bit for those planning a trip to Havasupai in the future.
Our plan was to drive down the night before we hiked in to Havasupai camp at the trail-head that evening. Wake up bright and early the next morning to start the 10 mile hike in. This was my fourth backpack trip, Spencer’s second and Sarah’s first. Spencer and I had just backpacked West Rim with some of the fine folks from Backcountrypost the weekend before. Sarah and I hiked Subway with the same awesome BCP folks the Sunday before Havasupai. Without going into details there was a major change in my life two weeks prior to this trip. All this played into the tone of the trip in the end.
Night before leaving I was trying to figure out how to pack everything we needed into three packs, leaving Sarah with the lightest weighing in around 26 lbs. I tried very carefully to pack her as light as I could and still get everything we would need into our bags. This was difficult for me as I have limited experience with backpacking and those of you who know my old ways of car camping can laugh as hard as you like! I have learned a lot and have come a LONG way. I still have so much to learn. I was struggling with all of it and gave Jenni a call. As we talked I learned her group was sleeping in hammocks with thin blankets. She told me the temperatures were 95+ down there and we wouldn’t need sleeping bags. It was too late to head to Desert Rat to get hammocks and I really didn’t have the money for it anyway. I made the decision to go without our sleeping bags and take one twin size sheet for each of us and our sleep mats. I really hate those nasty eight-legged creatures and on a good day I can barely tolerate them with those recent personal events my emotions were running on high and I packed the three man tent, instead of sleeping on a tarp in the open.
We left as planned May 24th following Kerry (brother-in-law) as he drove like a mad man in his big truck. Remember I didn’t do any planning and never bothered to look up directions on how to get down there because we were caravanning. I really wish I would have. My car does not go 110 down the freeway without feeling like it is going to rattle apart. Honestly, I may not be the best driver out there but I sure the hell as don’t need a speeding ticket! I had to call Kerry and ask him to slow down. It worked for a while but it is a super nice truck and easy to go fast in. Kerry missed a turn to Kingman that had me turned around and the other problem with the drive down was the freak wind storm…. by the time we made it to Peach Springs I was stressed and tired from trying to keep the car on the road. At one point the wind suddenly pushed us onto the shoulder of the road it was that strong.
The weather had become miserable and it was decided we would rent a room for the night instead of camp at the trail-head. If we would have walked into the hotel at that exact moment we made it to Peach Springs we could have rented a room for the night, but we all piled back into the cars and drove back down to the last gas station we saw about 10 miles back to get much needed gas. By the time we returned and sat down for dinner I overheard the waitress say they had just booked the last available room.
It was a very long drive out to the trail-head and we arrived just as we were losing the last bit of daylight. It was so windy you didn’t dare stand near the edge for fear of being set free by the wind. I did bring the tent but no rain-fly and the temperature was not agreeable with the simple tent, mats and twin size sheets. The three of us tried to make due in the Subaru. Keep in mind Spencer is 6’3” 235 lbs, Sarah and I are not petite women. I don’t recommend sleeping three in a Forester. Sleep never came. Cars were pulling in at all hours of the night. We had one park right next to us a truck with a back cab light that was INCREDIBLY bright. It would come on every time they opened the car door and eventually go out. They kept opening the car door so they could see what they were doing in the back of the truck. Every time the guy opened the door he would turn and look at us. Yes, you are annoying. That went on for about 30 minutes. It would get so hot in the car Spencer or I would crack the door open and then pretty soon we were freezing and we would close it. Not one of us could get comfortable and the endless stream of cars until about 2AM made it extremely difficult to stay asleep. I looked at the clock and it said 5AM sure was dark… but I couldn’t sleep and felt it was fruitless to try.
We got up and started packing our things back into our overstuffed bags. It was cold and based on Jenni’s report of 95-degree temps I only packed one long sleeve shirt and a beanie on the chance I needed it. I pulled this shirt over Sarah, put the beanie on her head, and wrapped a sheet around her before she put on her pack. Spencer and I wrapped our sheets around us and we headed down the trail. We slowly picked our way in the dark down the switchbacks with our head lamps about half way down the most putrid smell hit our noses. Enough to make a weak stomach vomit! We had been told one of the pack horses had fallen and died. I was glad it was dark; I really didn’t need to see the carcass, smelling it was bad enough. As we trekked on down my gut was twisted in knots, I felt ill prepared, the winds were not letting up, and emotionally I was drained from that recently dissolved relationship. As the light of day started to grace the surroundings I paused and took it all in. The kids were cold but uncomplaining. I was unsure and vulnerable. What to do? Storm sure doesn’t look like it is going to let up. Are we going to be as miserable at Havasupai as we were in the Subaru? If I hadn’t paid a chunk of money for this adventure I would bail right now. The kids looked to me for direction, not choosing one option over the other. I swallowed hard and hoped for the best.
We made our way slowly down the trail. Spencer was impatient with our progress and hiked on ahead of us. For the most part the hike in is not very scenic. We made it to Supai by 9AM. Not bad at all. 4 hours!! Oh wait….. I woke up at 5AM by my car clock right. Well someone forgot to change it for Arizona time. No wonder it was so dark when we started our hike it was really 4AM! Wahahaha!!!!!! Okay 5 hours still I was proud of Sarah. By the time we arrived at the check in office, the weather was looking much brighter. Jenni and gang arrived about hour and half later. That is when she paid for the reservations… and for a split second I was in a state of WTF if I would have known at the top I would have bailed!!! Ultimately it was losing $250 that made me decide to just bite the bullet and go.
As we continued our hike and finally reached the first falls I was very glad we came. The water is clear blue-green and refreshing. I love a big pay off when adventuring and this is a true gem. Pictures speak louder than words, enjoy. Stick around for the ending because it…. I fall apart.
hiking in
Seeing beautiful water.
Lower Navajo Falls.. you can kind of see Upper Navajo
Eating a snack.
Home Sweet Home
Hammocks
Climbing down to Mooney Falls
Most of the gang at Mooney Falls
Havasup Falls Early Morning
Navajo Falls Early Morning
Almost there!
I chose not to hike to Beaver falls we were only down there for two nights and I had to get Sarah out of that canyon. Two nights is really too short if you go definitely do three preferably four. We saw Lower Navajo, Havasu, and Mooney Falls. My favorite was Havasu. The first night was cold but with three in the tent we stayed warm enough and I slept. Second night was warmer but I did not sleep at this point I was becoming over exhausted from previous weekend trip, drive down, personal issues and lack of sleep on this trip. Temperatures were back to being hot during the day so we woke up early morning to get a jump start on the day and beat the heat out of the canyon. I knew it was going to be a long one.
Spencer and I stopped to take morning pictures of Havasu and Upper Navajo and we hiked to Supai Village to have breakfast before starting our journey in earnest. We sat at some picnic tables and the last of the food we brought except some snack stuff for the hike out. I was very worried about getting Sarah up to the top and had packed everything I could into my pack. Spencer being 15 still thinks I should be fair and was pitching a fit that Sarah wasn’t packing anything out and I was making him carry her stuff. To shut him up I packed all of her stuff in my pack and even some of his. Sometimes it is just easier to deal then argue. My pack was heavier, much heavier going out than coming in.
As I made breakfast Sarah wandered up to the check in station and learned you could fly out in a helicopter for $85. It was tempting, put her on the helicopter and meet her up there. If I had a spare $85…sigh… with breakfast done we headed out.
It was slow going from the get go. I finally pulled out my phone and said you have to walk for 30 min without stopping and then we will rest for 15. This is how we proceeded out the entire hike! Even with walking non-stop for 30 minutes she ddddrrrraaagggeeeedddd her feet. As we hiked along I noticed a girl with a knee brace hiking out. Having had knee surgery I could tell by the way she was walking it was killing her. She was making me sick to my stomach just watching her wince with each step. The three of us had hiking poles and they were very useful. Sarah only had her pack, water and the poles tied to her pack. We caught up to the girl while she was resting and I offered her Sarah’s poles. She wasn’t going to take them but I insisted and so did her boyfriend. She was worried about returning the poles to me. I told her I really didn’t care about the poles I couldn’t bear watching her walk and new the poles would help immensely. I gave her a description of my car and said if they are there when I arrive great. If not, no big deal. Sarah and I proceeded on at our slower than cold tar pace. It took 10 ½ hours to hike out. She made it! So did I…. I think.
Our neighbors in the truck, that kept waking me up, were at the top as well. Apparently they left the cab light on and the car battery was dead and a rock had fallen off the cliff above and cracked their windshield. The dead battery was kind of deserved and made me smile a bit. But I did feel bad about the rock.
If you go don’t park your car on the left as you drive down to the trail-head. Falling rocks!
I helped them push the truck out for a friendly hiker to help jump-start their truck.
On my car was a small yellow note that said Thanks Kate! On the driver side leaned up against the car were Sarah’s poles. We piled into the car and headed home. I made it about 45 minutes out and started to feel myself fight the exhaustion. I could barely keep my eyes open. We made it into Kingman and I found a hotel. There was no way I was driving all the way home.
The next morning we found a good donuts shop for breakfast and started our journey home so I could get to work. If you recall I did no research on the route down to Peach Springs, simply followed Kerry the entire way. He missed the exit to Kingman and we did some backtracking so on the way out after getting donuts I missed a turn. I swear I was paying attention to road signs but I missed something. The first clue should have been when we drove by a rather larger golf ball shaped building that was an obvious tourist trap. Spencer looked at me puzzled and we both said “Funny I don’t remember that”. But I just kept driving it wasn’t until the second clue hit me 5 minutes after I passed a sign that said “Welcome to California”. Seriously I was about 5 minutes down the road before it registered. What the hell am I doing in California!!!!!!
After consulting a map and deciding the best course we redirected ourselves and started home again. So much had happened in past 13 days and with three big hikes, four if you count Havasupai as two separate 10 mile hikes, and a break up. I was physically and emotionally worn out. I can’t even tell you what road we came back on all I know is at some point I felt lost again and had a meltdown. I sobbed uncontrollably for about 30 minutes. Making it to work at this point was not going to happen and in the end we drove back to Hoover Dam for a tour. It has always been on my list of places to see.
What did I learn:
1. Even if someone else is doing the planning you had still better check the weather for yourself and be prepared.
2. I need better lightweight gear.
3. Know the route you are driving and don’t zone out on the way home.
4. Fork out the $85 and fly the 12 year old to the top or you end up paying it to a seedy hotel.
5. Don’t plan two really big trips back to back.
Featured image for home page:
Jenni did a marvelous job planning the trip for 15 people. Initial costs for the three of us for two nights was $250 but later we paid and extra $45 because they misquoted Jenni. If you plan this trip I would make sure to clarify everything, Jenni is thorough and I didn’t mind but throw that information out as a tid bit for those planning a trip to Havasupai in the future.
Our plan was to drive down the night before we hiked in to Havasupai camp at the trail-head that evening. Wake up bright and early the next morning to start the 10 mile hike in. This was my fourth backpack trip, Spencer’s second and Sarah’s first. Spencer and I had just backpacked West Rim with some of the fine folks from Backcountrypost the weekend before. Sarah and I hiked Subway with the same awesome BCP folks the Sunday before Havasupai. Without going into details there was a major change in my life two weeks prior to this trip. All this played into the tone of the trip in the end.
Night before leaving I was trying to figure out how to pack everything we needed into three packs, leaving Sarah with the lightest weighing in around 26 lbs. I tried very carefully to pack her as light as I could and still get everything we would need into our bags. This was difficult for me as I have limited experience with backpacking and those of you who know my old ways of car camping can laugh as hard as you like! I have learned a lot and have come a LONG way. I still have so much to learn. I was struggling with all of it and gave Jenni a call. As we talked I learned her group was sleeping in hammocks with thin blankets. She told me the temperatures were 95+ down there and we wouldn’t need sleeping bags. It was too late to head to Desert Rat to get hammocks and I really didn’t have the money for it anyway. I made the decision to go without our sleeping bags and take one twin size sheet for each of us and our sleep mats. I really hate those nasty eight-legged creatures and on a good day I can barely tolerate them with those recent personal events my emotions were running on high and I packed the three man tent, instead of sleeping on a tarp in the open.
We left as planned May 24th following Kerry (brother-in-law) as he drove like a mad man in his big truck. Remember I didn’t do any planning and never bothered to look up directions on how to get down there because we were caravanning. I really wish I would have. My car does not go 110 down the freeway without feeling like it is going to rattle apart. Honestly, I may not be the best driver out there but I sure the hell as don’t need a speeding ticket! I had to call Kerry and ask him to slow down. It worked for a while but it is a super nice truck and easy to go fast in. Kerry missed a turn to Kingman that had me turned around and the other problem with the drive down was the freak wind storm…. by the time we made it to Peach Springs I was stressed and tired from trying to keep the car on the road. At one point the wind suddenly pushed us onto the shoulder of the road it was that strong.
The weather had become miserable and it was decided we would rent a room for the night instead of camp at the trail-head. If we would have walked into the hotel at that exact moment we made it to Peach Springs we could have rented a room for the night, but we all piled back into the cars and drove back down to the last gas station we saw about 10 miles back to get much needed gas. By the time we returned and sat down for dinner I overheard the waitress say they had just booked the last available room.
It was a very long drive out to the trail-head and we arrived just as we were losing the last bit of daylight. It was so windy you didn’t dare stand near the edge for fear of being set free by the wind. I did bring the tent but no rain-fly and the temperature was not agreeable with the simple tent, mats and twin size sheets. The three of us tried to make due in the Subaru. Keep in mind Spencer is 6’3” 235 lbs, Sarah and I are not petite women. I don’t recommend sleeping three in a Forester. Sleep never came. Cars were pulling in at all hours of the night. We had one park right next to us a truck with a back cab light that was INCREDIBLY bright. It would come on every time they opened the car door and eventually go out. They kept opening the car door so they could see what they were doing in the back of the truck. Every time the guy opened the door he would turn and look at us. Yes, you are annoying. That went on for about 30 minutes. It would get so hot in the car Spencer or I would crack the door open and then pretty soon we were freezing and we would close it. Not one of us could get comfortable and the endless stream of cars until about 2AM made it extremely difficult to stay asleep. I looked at the clock and it said 5AM sure was dark… but I couldn’t sleep and felt it was fruitless to try.
We got up and started packing our things back into our overstuffed bags. It was cold and based on Jenni’s report of 95-degree temps I only packed one long sleeve shirt and a beanie on the chance I needed it. I pulled this shirt over Sarah, put the beanie on her head, and wrapped a sheet around her before she put on her pack. Spencer and I wrapped our sheets around us and we headed down the trail. We slowly picked our way in the dark down the switchbacks with our head lamps about half way down the most putrid smell hit our noses. Enough to make a weak stomach vomit! We had been told one of the pack horses had fallen and died. I was glad it was dark; I really didn’t need to see the carcass, smelling it was bad enough. As we trekked on down my gut was twisted in knots, I felt ill prepared, the winds were not letting up, and emotionally I was drained from that recently dissolved relationship. As the light of day started to grace the surroundings I paused and took it all in. The kids were cold but uncomplaining. I was unsure and vulnerable. What to do? Storm sure doesn’t look like it is going to let up. Are we going to be as miserable at Havasupai as we were in the Subaru? If I hadn’t paid a chunk of money for this adventure I would bail right now. The kids looked to me for direction, not choosing one option over the other. I swallowed hard and hoped for the best.
We made our way slowly down the trail. Spencer was impatient with our progress and hiked on ahead of us. For the most part the hike in is not very scenic. We made it to Supai by 9AM. Not bad at all. 4 hours!! Oh wait….. I woke up at 5AM by my car clock right. Well someone forgot to change it for Arizona time. No wonder it was so dark when we started our hike it was really 4AM! Wahahaha!!!!!! Okay 5 hours still I was proud of Sarah. By the time we arrived at the check in office, the weather was looking much brighter. Jenni and gang arrived about hour and half later. That is when she paid for the reservations… and for a split second I was in a state of WTF if I would have known at the top I would have bailed!!! Ultimately it was losing $250 that made me decide to just bite the bullet and go.
As we continued our hike and finally reached the first falls I was very glad we came. The water is clear blue-green and refreshing. I love a big pay off when adventuring and this is a true gem. Pictures speak louder than words, enjoy. Stick around for the ending because it…. I fall apart.
hiking in
Seeing beautiful water.
Lower Navajo Falls.. you can kind of see Upper Navajo
Eating a snack.
Home Sweet Home
Hammocks
Climbing down to Mooney Falls
Most of the gang at Mooney Falls
Havasup Falls Early Morning
Navajo Falls Early Morning
Almost there!
I chose not to hike to Beaver falls we were only down there for two nights and I had to get Sarah out of that canyon. Two nights is really too short if you go definitely do three preferably four. We saw Lower Navajo, Havasu, and Mooney Falls. My favorite was Havasu. The first night was cold but with three in the tent we stayed warm enough and I slept. Second night was warmer but I did not sleep at this point I was becoming over exhausted from previous weekend trip, drive down, personal issues and lack of sleep on this trip. Temperatures were back to being hot during the day so we woke up early morning to get a jump start on the day and beat the heat out of the canyon. I knew it was going to be a long one.
Spencer and I stopped to take morning pictures of Havasu and Upper Navajo and we hiked to Supai Village to have breakfast before starting our journey in earnest. We sat at some picnic tables and the last of the food we brought except some snack stuff for the hike out. I was very worried about getting Sarah up to the top and had packed everything I could into my pack. Spencer being 15 still thinks I should be fair and was pitching a fit that Sarah wasn’t packing anything out and I was making him carry her stuff. To shut him up I packed all of her stuff in my pack and even some of his. Sometimes it is just easier to deal then argue. My pack was heavier, much heavier going out than coming in.
As I made breakfast Sarah wandered up to the check in station and learned you could fly out in a helicopter for $85. It was tempting, put her on the helicopter and meet her up there. If I had a spare $85…sigh… with breakfast done we headed out.
It was slow going from the get go. I finally pulled out my phone and said you have to walk for 30 min without stopping and then we will rest for 15. This is how we proceeded out the entire hike! Even with walking non-stop for 30 minutes she ddddrrrraaagggeeeedddd her feet. As we hiked along I noticed a girl with a knee brace hiking out. Having had knee surgery I could tell by the way she was walking it was killing her. She was making me sick to my stomach just watching her wince with each step. The three of us had hiking poles and they were very useful. Sarah only had her pack, water and the poles tied to her pack. We caught up to the girl while she was resting and I offered her Sarah’s poles. She wasn’t going to take them but I insisted and so did her boyfriend. She was worried about returning the poles to me. I told her I really didn’t care about the poles I couldn’t bear watching her walk and new the poles would help immensely. I gave her a description of my car and said if they are there when I arrive great. If not, no big deal. Sarah and I proceeded on at our slower than cold tar pace. It took 10 ½ hours to hike out. She made it! So did I…. I think.
Our neighbors in the truck, that kept waking me up, were at the top as well. Apparently they left the cab light on and the car battery was dead and a rock had fallen off the cliff above and cracked their windshield. The dead battery was kind of deserved and made me smile a bit. But I did feel bad about the rock.
If you go don’t park your car on the left as you drive down to the trail-head. Falling rocks!
I helped them push the truck out for a friendly hiker to help jump-start their truck.
On my car was a small yellow note that said Thanks Kate! On the driver side leaned up against the car were Sarah’s poles. We piled into the car and headed home. I made it about 45 minutes out and started to feel myself fight the exhaustion. I could barely keep my eyes open. We made it into Kingman and I found a hotel. There was no way I was driving all the way home.
The next morning we found a good donuts shop for breakfast and started our journey home so I could get to work. If you recall I did no research on the route down to Peach Springs, simply followed Kerry the entire way. He missed the exit to Kingman and we did some backtracking so on the way out after getting donuts I missed a turn. I swear I was paying attention to road signs but I missed something. The first clue should have been when we drove by a rather larger golf ball shaped building that was an obvious tourist trap. Spencer looked at me puzzled and we both said “Funny I don’t remember that”. But I just kept driving it wasn’t until the second clue hit me 5 minutes after I passed a sign that said “Welcome to California”. Seriously I was about 5 minutes down the road before it registered. What the hell am I doing in California!!!!!!
After consulting a map and deciding the best course we redirected ourselves and started home again. So much had happened in past 13 days and with three big hikes, four if you count Havasupai as two separate 10 mile hikes, and a break up. I was physically and emotionally worn out. I can’t even tell you what road we came back on all I know is at some point I felt lost again and had a meltdown. I sobbed uncontrollably for about 30 minutes. Making it to work at this point was not going to happen and in the end we drove back to Hoover Dam for a tour. It has always been on my list of places to see.
What did I learn:
1. Even if someone else is doing the planning you had still better check the weather for yourself and be prepared.
2. I need better lightweight gear.
3. Know the route you are driving and don’t zone out on the way home.
4. Fork out the $85 and fly the 12 year old to the top or you end up paying it to a seedy hotel.
5. Don’t plan two really big trips back to back.
Featured image for home page:
I realize this might be funnier since I spend half my days sifting through search queries and stuff, but thought I'd share anyway. 
