On Sunday morning, October 14, 2001, Rosita and I drove to Peach Springs, Arizona from Phoenix, 70 miles south of the Havasupai Trailhead, and stayed overnight. There’s no lodging any closer to the trailhead than Peach Springs. Early Monday morning, while still dark, we drove through open range country on the Havasupai Indian Reservation to connect to the trail, which leads into the Supai Indian Village. There are only three ways into the village—by foot, horseback, or helicopter.
Wildlife Along The Way
Along the way, and about 200 feet in front of our car, stood a huge male Elk—as big as a horse. I hit the brakes to avoid striking him. We weren’t driving very fast because I knew domestic animals and wildlife frequently crossed the highway, as it is open range country. All animals on the Reservation are permitted to run wild.
Early Hike
We were at the trailhead at 6:40 a.m. and on the trail at 6:50. We made two snack stops as we descended the Canyon (raisins, sardines, crackers, applesauce, and water). We arrived at the Havasupai Lodge at about 10:15 a.m., after hiking 9 miles. We were tired, but I managed to dance a little tune for Rose inside the Lobby! The Lodge receptionist had some good dance music playing, so I performed a little solo dance for Rose. She really got a pleasurable kick out of that! She’s so much fun to do things with.
Havasu Falls
After resting and eating, we hiked about two additional miles to Havasu Falls. That was interesting, to say the least. We sat on a log and bathed our tired, sore feet in the clear, cold, clean mountain water. Small fish picked the trail dust from my feet. I told Rose they were giving my feet a massage! It felt good. She preferred not to have her feet cleaned in that manner. But I surely did enjoy it. We got to bed early because of the impending hike out of the Canyon on Tuesday morning.
Hiking Out
We left Supai Indian Village before daybreak. Somehow, some way, we got off the main trail and, for about a mile, hiked another trail—until it ended. The main trail was at the base of the opposite Canyon wall, as we discovered after having to pull off our hiking shoes and wade across a rapidly-running cold creek to get to it—fighting our way through brush and trees along the way. We finally made it, but lost some time.
When Rose and I are hiking local trails, she sometimes gets a little confused and questions the direction I’m taking her. I always tell her, “Trust me. I know where I’m going.” Well, after I led her astray on this trail, she said, “I won’t trust you again!” That was funny. She was only joking, of course, for she would trust me with her life, and I would trust her with my life.
Tired, Sore, and Sweaty—Plus More Elk
To bring this report to an end, we made it out in good shape, although tired and sore and sweaty. The last mile and a half were tough because of the steep incline. We refreshed ourselves and got on our way home, 311 miles, arriving in Phoenix at about 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 16. While driving through open range country on our way out, we ran across two female Elks standing in the middle of the highway. I snapped a picture of them through the car’s windshield before they darted across the highway and into brush terrain, where they completely disappeared. Too, we saw a number of wild Turkeys crossing the highway in front of us.
Blue Ribbon Mountain Hiker!
Rose is now an official mountain hiker. This was her first major hike since we were married on June 18, 2001. She has graduated with top honors!
Postscript
In case you might be interested in a future hike on this trail, here’s how to get there. The trail is located toward the West end of the Grand Canyon.
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