May 4, 2017

May 4, 2017

We are up at dawn continuing our journey.  We follow old Route 66 west till we hit the Hualapai Indian Reservation where we turn north and drive two hours across empty expanses of pine forest and scrub ranch until the road ends at Hualapai Hilltop.   Hilltop is a little bit of a stretch, as it should really be called “Cliffside”.  Cars are parked along both sides of the road for the last mile where it hugs the narrow rim of a canyon.  We luck out and find the only open parking spot at the very end near the trailhead.

We are here to join a few hundred people wanting to visit the Havasupai Indian Reservation.  There is no road access, only a long dusty trail.  Since my backpacking days are long gone, we drop our packs off at the top.  The Indians will load them onto horses for transport to their campground.

 

With only a daypack, Aimee and I set out ahead of the horses.  The trail starts with a steep 2000-foot descent of the canyon wall along a dozen switchbacks.  Then we follow Hualapai Canyon for many miles, with the walls growing taller and taller. After 6.5 miles, we merge with Havasu Canyon.  It is dramatically different.  A large spring disgorges water turning the desert environment into a narrow green riparian oasis filled with cottonwood trees.

We turn left and follow Havasu Creek 1.5 miles to a wide spot in the canyon and the Indian village of Supai, where 200 Havasupai live. The USA considers it the most remote community in the lower 48.  There is a small grocery, elementary school, and post office. The tourist office issues us a wristband showing we paid our entrance fee.

Downstream of Supai, the creek drops in elevation precipitously, forming thousands of waterfalls.  Most are small cascades but the largest have 100 and 210-foot drops.  Two miles farther down a very hot sandy trail, we enter the campground.  The campground hugs the next mile of creek-side land.  It is free-form.  Just drop your tent on any open area.  After a few minutes sweating in the sun, we decide a spot near the shady cliff is our new home.  We drag an unused picnic table close.  Our temporary home is crowded but reasonably close to the entrance, the outhouse, and a natural spring.

Aimee took up the challenge of being a camping gourmet and found an Internet recipe.  She made us a delicious chicken in peanut sauce wrap. While she is “cooking” I walk to the corral and grab our duffel bags.  After lunch, we setup camp, and then relax.  In the late afternoon, we enjoy the refreshingly cool waters of Havasu Falls.