First, some thoughts about adventuring and social media:

“The Mountains Are Calling and I Must Go” – John Muir

How many times have you seen this quote plastered onto a stylized social media post about traveling/hiking? Well, since my SM feeds are geared towards adventuring and traveling, I’ve seen it A LOT. It’s not that I dislike the quote; it’s just that it seems to be overused and consequently its meaning has been lessened for me. That quote and “Not all those who wander are lost” (J.R.R. Tolkien)- ugh I can’t stand the overuse of that one!

Let me start by saying that I personally appreciate and benefit from social media. When I post on Instagram (and those posts automatically get posted on Facebook), it affords me the opportunity to chronicle our travels and causes me to be creative with my smartphone, rather than doomscrolling through others’ (mostly political) opinions or playing mindless games. There’s nothing I enjoy more or find more relaxing while waiting for an airplane to board than picking out my favorite pics and vids from a trip, editing them individually and creating an Instagram reel out of those favorites. Also, Instagram connects me with like-minded people, encourages me to explore new places that I find on the app and inspires me to be out in nature, which I believe benefits health and well-being.

These quotes that I see so often are short enough that they fit the instagram square-frame format as a neat overlay; perhaps that is why they are used so much. And these days, social media posters seem to have an obsession with wanderlust. But when I look at the meaning of the words, I get so much more from them than the posts normally imply- that we can “find the answers” or “fix our problems” by climbing Mount Whitney or backpacking in Zion. For me, being out in nature and adventuring helps remind me that we’re not omnipotent, that there are things much bigger than us. And it reminds me that we’re tougher and more capable than our normal environs make us out to be. It also provides an escape- in mind and of surroundings. Who can resist the crisp air, low cell service, dark skies and sparse populations… at least for a while?

All of that said, here is my photo blog about our recent travel adventure to Havasupai– a canyon paradise nestled in a branch of the Grand Canyon. Here, the mountains (at least the cliffs… and the waters) were indeed calling!

Imagine a place where time seems to stand still, but where the streams move through the canyon in a gentle, almost musical, flow. Havasupai is such a place.

Imagine a place where the sound of that flowing water mingles with the rustling leaves of lush vegetation. Havasupai is such a place.

Imagine a place where giant cottonwood trees thrive in the shade of majestic sandstone cliffs. Havasupai is such a place.

And imagine a place where the waterfalls thunder over the red cliffs, dumping into pools of crystalline blue waters. Havasupai is such a place!

⬆️ This image was shot in long exposure to capture the flowing water in a soft blur. This image was NOT edited for color.

Havasupai came on my radar about five years ago when we were living in Arizona. To visit Havasupai, you must have a permit and to get a permit you need to enter an annual lottery. For the first four years that I tried, I wasn’t awarded a permit; they are highly coveted and typically sell out in the first day. On the fifth year, when we were finally awarded a permit, we were living in Amsterdam at the time. But, we knew we were coming back to the States, so we marked our calendars! We had a full year to physically and mentally prepare.

The Havasu Canyon is northwest of the South rim of the Grand Canyon. Havasu Creek runs through this canyon and eventually butts into the Colorado River on its north end. It’s an eight mile hike down into (about 1 mile), then along the canyon (about 7 more miles) to the village of Supai where the Havasupai tribe members live and work. Hiking in in early November, we were spared the blistering sun and choking dust of the summer. Instead we were treated to a cool, light drizzle the whole way down. From the village, it is another two miles to the campground. So- 10 mile hike in, lots of hiking to waterfalls and other canyon features during the four days we were down there, then 10 miles out, put us at almost 50 miles of hiking over the course of the trip.

We were all set (mentally anyway) to hike in with 30-lb backpacks, but a couple weeks before our trip, a reservation for a pack mule came through. This made the trek in and out a lot easier since then we only had to carry daypacks with enough water to last the hike (2+ liters each). We packed our borrowed (thanks Jim & Ally!) large packs anyway in case something went wrong with our mule res and to be able to carry our gear from the mule drop-off to our campsite.

⬆️ Rich snackin’ and seeking shelter from the wet

It was really fun to live for four days as “real” campers (our normal mode of camping is in an RV with all the amenities). Chef Ricardo was in charge of boiling water, which was all that was needed to prepare our meals and our nighttime hot water bottles for our sleeping bags. We sustained the trip on dehydrated meals, energy bars, gorp and electrolyte pellets. Oh yeah- and we made a few trips to the Supai Fry Bread stand for some well-earned treats.

The Havasu Canyon is a red-rock oasis that is filled with natural wonders. There are stunning tumbling waterfalls and pristine aquamarine pools of water. The canyon has exposed rock dating back more than 1.8 billion years. Everywhere we looked we saw postcard-like scenes of brilliantly-blue water, weathered rock formations and lush vegetation. Even our campsite was in a beautiful spot- along the banks of Havasu Creek among towering cottonwood trees and red cliffs. The melodious gurgle of the creek lulled us to sleep each night.

On our second day there, we ventured on the well-known and must-do hike through Mooney Falls on to Beaver Falls. It was about a 9 mile out and back with some grueling sections of steepness and many creek (knee-high water) crossings. The Mooney Falls descent was tough- a fun challenge. Since it is so steep and wet (from the mist of the falls at the base), everyone hiking through it takes their good ol’ time and there are chains and steps to assist on the really hairy parts. And when you get through that difficult part, your reward is spectacular!

⬆️ A peek view of Mooney Falls as we were coming out of the tunnel before descending. It was cool to get up close views of the skirts of travertine hanging all over!

The Descent ⬇️

After navigating that challenging section, the rest of the hike to Beaver is varied and fun. There was one very wooded section where the folks ahead of us yelled back, “Big animal coming at you!” When Rich and I looked up we indeed saw this big horn sheep coming right at us on the hiking trail. When he saw us, he stopped and we moved off trail to let him by. But as he did the same, we realized he preferred that we went by him instead, and so we did. Of course I had my phone at the ready to snap a pic and vid of him as we passed.

The creek crossings were chilly but fun. The bottoms were a bit slippery due to the water running over a slick travertine base and I indeed slipped and fell a couple of times. When we got to Beaver Falls I played in them and got pretty wet, but Rich stayed on the banks knowing full well it would be hard to get dry and warm in a steep canyon which gets little or no sunlight. He was right!

After the hike back, we went straight up the hill from our campsite to the fry bread stand and it happened to be open (it has weird hours, as evidenced by their sign below). By this point, we felt we definitely earned those nutritionally lacking treats!

On day three, we did some exploring for lesser known waterfalls and hidden spots. We found two more sets of falls called “50 foot” and “Little Navajo”, then ventured up to the village of Supai for some café chow, outlets for charging our phones and wifi. (We just may have gotten some more fry bread while there). Photographs are not allowed in the village.

⬆️ The wide wall of Little Navajo Falls

In the town there is a very small souvenir shop that I wanted to check out. When I got to the shop door I saw a hand-written sign that said “be right back”. As I waited for the store to open, I watched two young ladies shooting hoops on a cracked cement surface, against a weathered wooden backboard. After about 20 minutes I decided to give up on visiting the store, when I noticed a lady sitting in a mule reservation office next door. I asked her if she knew when the gift shop would open, she got up from her desk, came out the door, whistled over to the two young ladies playing hoops and yelled, “You got a customer!”

The village of Supai is inhabited by the members of the Havasupai tribe and they call themselves “Havasuw ‘Baaja” which translates to ‘people of the blue-green water’. Let’s make ‘Baaja our “code word” for this blog ; ) The tribe has about 650 members most of whom live and work in the village. They have their own language, but also speak English. Tourism is the base of their economy and so most residents have jobs in packing supplies on horseback and operating the campground, the cafe, the grocery store and the lodge (yes there is a lodge there, but we CHOSE to camp). These two pillars of rock ⬇️ stand over the village. They are known as Wigleeva and the Havasupai look to them as guardian figures over the village and its residents.

Havasu creek is renowned for its stunning travertine formations, created over centuries by the deposit of minerals from the creek’s water. These formations have shaped cascades and pools that beckon visitors to take a dip. Indeed, Rich took his dip in Havasu Falls after our trip to the village. He had the chilly “pool” all to himself.

Hiking out of Havasu Canyon was not so bad, especially because, once again, we only had daypacks. Along the way, we hiked and chatted with new friends we had made over the last few days. The last one mile up hill was a bit tough, but it felt great to be finished and on our way to an In-N-Out Burger only a two hour car ride away.

This trip to Havasupai has left an indelible impression on me. I can’t stop thinking about the tranquil waters, the steep canyon walls and the awe-inspiring waterfalls. The untouched beauty of this place makes me appreciate (more than ever) the magnificence of nature and I have no doubt that I will be called to the mountains again and again.

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