Havasu Falls Backpacking

The trip began with about a 20+ hour drive from Nebraska to the trail head parking area. We took 2 vehicles and there were 7 of us total; Tjaden- my best friend, Tessa- Tjaden's sister, Jordan- Tessa's boyfriend, Michael- my "foster" brother, Chelsea- Tessa's friend, and Evan- Chelsea's boyfriend (at that time). We arrived late at night and all slept cramp-ily in our car seats praying we wouldn't wake up with stiff necks and backs for the long day of hiking the next morning. We all woke just before the sun, stretched from our uncomfortable sleeping positions, and packed the remaining items into our backpacks. Except for Jordan... who forgot to pack ANY of his food. We made our way through the parking lot to the trail head and began our descent on the switchbacks, which we knew we'd regret upon returning. The morning view of the journey ahead of us made all previous annoyances disappear, and was replaced with euphoria.

We had reservations that were made months in advanced to stay 3 nights at the campground near the waterfalls, and packed enough food accordingly. It was actually a bit more than enough (lucky for Jordan). Also, this was Michael's first backpacking trip (potentially even camping trip) so beforehand I helped him pick out some of the gear he would need. I would have normally decided to go with my hammock camping setup to reduce weight, but to save Michael some money I told him I could just pack my tent instead to share. It was a 5lb 4 person tent. Needless to say, that combined with the extra food and gear, I felt I was a bit over packed. The good news was that we didn't have to pack a lot of water with us. About 8ish miles into the hike would be a stream where you could filter water, and near the campsite was a natural spring spigot where we routinely refilled our water containers. We traveled through the canyons until we reached the village of Supai where we would check in at. The campsite was a couple more miles after the village, and as you arrive there you are gifted with the view of the main attraction.

To be honest, at that point I didn't marvel at it for very long. I was a bit exhausted from the lack of sleep the night before and the 20 hour drive before that, and was ready to lose the weight off my back and escape the heat I was hiking in for the last couple hours. We picked out a campsite near the entrance, not too far from the composting toilets (but far enough), I quickly set up my tent for Michael and I to deposit our gear in, and I hung my hammock in the trees behind my tent to nap in for the next few hours while the others went back to admire Havasu Falls. The rest of that evening we lounged around near the campsite, refueled our bellies, and discussed the day hike tomorrow to Beaver Falls. We woke early the next morning, hiked to the far end of the campsite, and found ourselves at the top of a cliff, eye-to-eye with the biggest, and IMO the most majestic, waterfall in the area, Mooney Falls.

We traveled beyond a sign that read "Descend At Your Own Risk" and scaled down the cliff-side supported by bolted chains until we reached the base of Mooney Falls. From there we would follow the stream, feeling lost at times, enjoying the immensely beautiful landscape during our wandering. The climate was dramatically more comfortable near the falls and streams compared to the previous day's hike, I would say at least 15-20 degrees difference or so. It was also way more enjoyable hiking with a smaller day bag on my back that only included a single canteen of water, a GoPro, and a small camcorder. We followed the trail back and forth through the stream, through open valleys of pure green vegetation, across makeshift bridges, ascended and descended small cliffs and makeshift ladders, and finally arrived at Beaver Falls.

The following day we hiked to a waterfall we passed on the first day while traveling to our campsite. We met some of the natives that lived in the village of Supai and one of the boys was showing us where we could cliff jump off of the waterfall and land safely. Michael was the brave soul who went first, and the rest of us followed. The anticipated fear and the adrenaline-filled exuberance is hard to precisely explain about the experience but it was definitely a moment I will never forget. I managed to capture a lot of these experiences on video, including the waterfall cliff jumping, so I will post a link below where you can watch the video documentation of this trip. It began to storm so we made our way back to our campsite and waited out the rain from within our tents. The storm had passed just before the evening's golden hour and we rushed to Havasu Falls to capture the gift the rainstorm had left upon the crown of the canyon and waterfall.

On the last day we woke a few hours before the sun to start our journey back so that we may avoid the heat of the day. With our packs now devoid of the weight of our food, the journey back towards the trail head was one more of melancholy, reflecting on what we had just experienced, and now knowing of the beauty we were leaving behind. Ascending the switchbacks was the last challenge to overcome, but gifted me the sensation of accomplishment, and allowed me to leave feeling the journey, in it's entirety, was worthwhile (Although Tessa may disagree about the switchbacks :P). Trips can be challenging and imperfect, but I have found that through perseverance of those challenges and imperfections is what makes relationships stronger than ever before. Not only the relationships with the people you are sharing the experience, but the relationship with yourself and what you're capable of accomplishing. That is a beautiful thing.

Check out more of the experience here! -->