For over 1,000 years the Havasu Baaja, People of the Blue Green Water, have lived on the Colorado River, west and downstream of what today we call the Grand Canyon. The Havasupai Tribe lives in the remote village of Supai, Arizona, which can only be reached by foot, horse, or helicopter. There are no roads and no motorized vehicles can traverse the steep, narrow, and winding trail from the top to the bottom of the canyon.
Above the village lies a hidden limestone aquifer which provides the life-sustaining blue green waters which nourish the fields of corn, squash, and beans. This water has enabled the Havasu Baaja to thrive for centuries in spite of the harsh desert landscape deep in the Grand Canyon. Life is simple, but not easy.
The night before our hike we stay in Seligman, Arizona, on famed Route 66. Because McKenna doesn’t want to fight the crowds, we leave EXTREMELY early. Cresting a hill, we suddenly find ourselves in the dark, at 70 MPH, in a herd of deer crossing the road. This is when I see some of the best driving I’ve ever seen as McKenna skillfully dodges deer right and left. Once through them, we pull over and sit in shock and amazement at what we just survived.
Continuing to the parking lot at the top of the canyon, we realize it is still too dark to start, but we have a great parking spot and take a bit of a snooze before finally starting our hike.
We hike through the village and on towards the falls and the campground, hearing the first falls before we see it. And there are no words to describe the color and the beauty. A surprising gem in the desert.
Our tent and campsite are on the side of the canyon wall, not too close to the compost toilets and water spigot, but not too far. There’s a talent to determining the correct distance. Our view from our tent up through the canopy is relaxing and comforting.
Hiking back to the falls we enjoy a refreshing swim. Upon our return to our campsite for dinner we find we have neighbors. Sitting at our picnic table we try not to obviously stare at the them, but their antics of trying to set up their tents is too much for McKenna who finally offers to help them. They are true novices and we learn they are a group of friendly nurses from Colorado Springs. With no backpacking experience.
Throughout the next two days we help them in various ways… we lend them nail clippers, safety pins, moleskin, sleeping pad repair patch, give them instructions on how to use their stove, and tell them how far away some of the other falls are, and how to get there. At one point, they are clearly in awe that we have anything and everything they will need. McKenna smugly tells them this isn’t our first rodeo.
The next morning we travel to some of the other falls and explore the canyon. When we return for lunch and a nap, the nurses are gone and we see that a squirrel or chipmunk or some kind of small animal has gotten into their food, their garbage, and generally destroyed their campsite. Shaking our heads, we return to our tent, only to find that a squirrel or chipmunk or some kind of small animal has chewed into our tent and through some of our stuff sacks and we now have no dinner for tonight. Checking for other damage we determine that packs and sleeping bags are ok. We clean up and lay down for a nap, wordlessly agreeing that we will never tell the nurses.
Later we lay in our tents suppressing laughter when they return and, not knowing we are in our tent, hurry and clean up before they think we will return, because they don’t want us to know.
After a siesta we walk back to Supai and the woefully tiny market for makings for supper and also get a deck of cards. Kenna’s not much of a soda drinker, but I am, so I take advantage of getting a cold, refreshing Dr. Pepper. I'm so happy I could do a commercial for them... I'm a Pepper.
The next morning we are up early and head back to the top, to our car, and civilization. And other than the climb out, which kills me, it has been a magical three days.
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