This weekend was the best I've had since moving to Arizona. I got to go with some of my new friends to Havasupai, a beautiful oasis in the Grand Canyon. We had a couple of group meetings ahead of time to prepare for the adventure, but I was still a little nervous! We left Thursday night, right as it started to pour rain. That was a little discouraging to me, but nobody else seemed to think it was that big of a deal, so I just went along with it. Fortunately, it had stopped raining by the time we made it to the top of the canyon at about 2:00 am. We "slept" in the car for about an hour and a half, and then woke up to start the trek down to the waterfall. We carried everything we were going to need on our backs, and got to wear headlamps so we could see the path. The hike seemed long, but was well worth the hard work once we arrived at our destination. Havasu Falls is absolutely breathtaking. I've never seen water so clear and blue! My favorite part of our whole trip was the view from the pool at the very top of the waterfall. Not only do you have an aerial view of natural pools of clear, blue water, but you have a more eye-level view of the canyon.
Our first view of Havasu Falls
Finally-relief after 10 miles of hiking!
The view from just above the top of the waterfall
View of the canyon from the top of Havasu Falls
The place where we set up camp was just a short way down the trail from Havasu Falls. Immediately after setting up our tents, we headed straight for the water. The weather was perfect for hiking-warm, but mostly overcast so the heat was bearable- but certainly didn't help to make the freezing cold water feel any warmer! We realized it doesn't help to try and get used to the water slowly, so to avoid any hesitancy, we jumped right in! We swam behind the edge of the waterfall and jumped off one of the little cliffs! I didn't expect it to be so difficult, but once you get close the the waterfall, the current becomes stronger, the water gets very choppy, and you start inhaling thick mist, so it's not very pleasant. It was so worth it, though! Maybe I can put up those pictures, after I get them from my friend who had a digital water camera.
After taking long naps in our cozy tents, we explored a nearby cave. It had three levels, so we had to climb up and down a few times. In order to get to the lowest level, we had to climb down the face of the rock using only a rope. I'm surprised the guys talked us into it, but it turned out not to be so bad! In fact, we felt really adventurous!
Navajo Falls-near Havasu Falls
Inside the caves
Climbing back up the rope-not very clear, but you get the idea
The next day we hiked down to Mooney Falls, a much higher waterfall than Havasu, and an incredible sight! We climbed down through a tunnel of stony steps in order to get to it. We did some cliff jumping here too. Further down the trail, we found a rope swing and played on that for a little while.
Mooney Falls
My contemplative picture
Me with the girls
We hiked out really early Sunday morning. Again, the weather was incredible. Most of the group hiked out with their packs, but some friends and I decided to get a mule to carry ours. A 10-mile uphill hike sounds hard enough without them! It was a very rewarding experience, and I'm SO glad I got to do it!
Another pretty view of the canyon on our way out
Our muscle pose at the very end...that hike takes some strength!
5 comments:
Wow. That is gorgeous! I'll have to show you my waterfall pics...they won't be as amazing, but it's what I've got.
Thank you, Carly, for making Abby post this! That looks great. Sounds hard, but really beautiful and worth it. Looks like you're having a good summer. And congrats on that great job for the fall, too.
Thanks for the pictures, Abby! I had no idea it was so beautiful down there. What a great trip.
I'm so glad you finally updated your blog. Now I know what's going on in your life! :)
Wow, I never realized how beautiful it was! It sounds like spending the summer with Carly is turning out to be a good experience!
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