Havasupai

April 13-15, 2001

Note: If you are looking for route descriptions, mileage estimates, water sources, time estimates, or anything else helpful in planning a trip to Havasupai, I suggest you look at my earlier trip reports to Havasupai. This report is more personal in nature, and chronicles a family reunion of sorts.

The idea for this trip actually germinated during a cruise our family took to Nova Scotia in the summer of 2000 to celebrate our parents 52nd wedding anniversary. As always, the subject of hiking in the Grand Canyon comes up eventually as we all catch up on what has been going on in our lives and I recount what I do for fun. After questioning the sanity of someone who thinks it is fun shitting in freshly dug holes, filtering water out of scummy pot holes, sleeping under the stars next to rattle snakes and scorpions, and walking 15 miles a day with a heavy pack on my back, the family actually warmed up to the idea that a trip to the Grand Canyon, if not fun, would at least be an adventure. And so the idea was born.

As winter 2000 approached, I began emailing everyone that if we were going to do a trip in the Spring, we had better start planning soon. To my surprise and delight, all my siblings were still interested. This is not to say they were all wildly enthusiastic. My sister Linda's idea of a vacation hike was walking from the deck of the cruise ship to the bar to get a pina colada, and then back again. Never the less, the idea of all of us getting together for a trip that no matter what else would at the very least be memorable, swayed everyone to commit to it. I suggested Havasupai for a number of reaons. First, it is one of the most beautiful places imaginable. Second, it is not a hard hike, and third, once you get to your destination there are some amenities, like a village with cafe, and campsites with picnic tables, drinking water and outhouses.

After numerous emails the weekend of Easter was decided upon. Everyone began making their plane reservations and I made camping reservations for a boatload of people. The original count was 20. In the end, 17 of us went down together.

My parents have 5 children ranging in age from 40 to 51, and 9 grandchildren. All of the children went on this trip. And of the 9 grandchildren, six came along. Two stayed home because of their age (2 years and 5 years) and one had a foot in a cast. How unusual is this? I don't really know, but I would have to guess that it is.In addition to the Calenti clan, Dan and Shelly Dillon and their children also joined us. Shelly and Dan had been on our Spring 1999 trip to Havasupai and were excited about taking their children.

Sometime between Wednesday afternoon the 11th and Thursday evening the 12th, everyone from the east coast flew into Las Vegas. The hikers included John, Linda, Carly and Katie Avello from Las Vegas, my brother Mike and wife Linda from Hyde Park NY, my sister Mary Beth and her son Gavin from Saratoga, my sister Sue and her children Garrett and Emily from New Jersey, the Dillons just mentioned, and my son Tony and myself.

Because of the large number of the family coming to the hilltop from LV, they rented a 9 passenger van and took a second car with which some of us would continue on to the south rim for a second trip while the rest of the gang would return to Las Vegas. It was decided we would meet at the trailhead at 7:30am so we could drop off some gear for the mules and get a relatively early start. Tony and I rode with the Dillons. We left Tucson at about 5pm on arrived in Seligman at 10, stopping only for gas and some to go fast food. Seligman is located on historic Route 66, and they never let you forget it. It is wonderfully tacky, with shopowners trying to cash in on the history with the usual shot glasses, minitature toilet bowls, pens, pencils, various scenes encased in snow storm containers, rubber snakes and Gila Monsters, rattlesnakes and scorpions encased in plastic. All emblazoned with “Historic Route 66”. We stayed in a small but clean hotel. I recognized the clerk from our last visit. Though the hotel was different (we had stayed in the one across the street) the clerk was the same. Friendly and helpful to a fault, he said he would get the continental breakfast started early because we’d be leaving for the hilltop by 6am. The breakfast consisted of coffee, orange juice and a few of those wrapped pastries you can find at any convenience store.

Eventually, what was going down with the mules found it’s way over to the man checking in the baggage and we started for the trailhead. We all pretty much started off together, but traveling as a group lasted about 500’ before we started to spread out.

Photos of heading down the trail

• Switchbacks
• Quick snack on the switchbacks
• Shedding packs for the first time
• Mary Beth and Gavin under the sandstone

Photos of the village

• Snacking and resting at the cafe
• Exiting the grocery store

Surprisingly, we had our choice of many fine campsites once we arrived at the campground. We eventually decided on one close to the border of the grounds and also close to the outhouses. The area was big and could easily accommodate our entire group without crowding tents. There were four tables, not counting the one in the water, and there was a beautiful and deep swimming hole right next to us. On the downside, we sometimes had to contend with unsavory odors from the outhouses when the wind shifted.

Photos around the campsite

• Linda enters camp
• The cousins
• Swimming
• Relaxing on the creek picnic table

No formal attempt was made to keep the group together for activities, but we did get to Havasu falls a couple of times that day and the next. The kids also explored some caves in the walls on the left on the way to Mooney Falls. I went along just to make sure everyone stayed safe.

Photos in the cave

• In the cave

Photos at the Falls

• To the right of the falls
• Tony and Casey
• The group enjoying the view
• Formal pose at the falls
• Tony and Uncle Mike

At about 10:30 or so, we started organizing for our trip downstream, past Mooney Falls. Some of the group were committed to it, some had taken a “Let’s wait and see what it looks like” approach and some flat out said no way when I described getting down the falls. Not that I blame them. One can easily get uncomfortable with the height, exposure and practically vertical climbs at times. The addition of ladders at the bottom, and the fact that the wind was not blowing the falls mist over the rocks made the climb much easier and safer. Another pleasant surprise was that there was not a big crowd trying to get down or back up the falls. It is definitely a one way corridor and things can easily get backed up. As expected, some of the group decided there was no way they were doing it, a few made it through all the tunnels to where the trail begins it’s steep final descent before they had second thoughts and turned around. The remainder made it to the bottom without incident and headed off downstream.

Photos of the descent

• Near the top
• Starting down
• Near the bottom
• Near the bottom
• Mike and Zia at Mooney
• Resting after the climb down
• Mike and Zia at Mooney

We decided to follow the stream instead of taking the high trail off to the left and were treated to a beautiful fern lined waterfall which we could easily walk under. The clear green water was stunning along the entire trail and each turn of a corner brought a whole new and gorgeous view. We stopped for lunch at the first big water crossing. Tony and Casey went swimming and tried to use the swing dangling tantalizingly from a huge cottonwood. Unfortunately, they couldn’t reach it. After lunch, some of the group decided they had gone far enough and were heading back. John, Carly Katie, Garrett and Emily, Shelly and Halley started back for camp while Tony and I, Dan and Casey and Zia and Mike continued on to try to get to Beaver Falls. We didn’t know exactly how long it would take to get there and gave ourselves a turnaround time of 2:30pm.

We arrived at the overlook to Beaver Falls about 2:20, having taken the high route instead of the lower route through the water. It did not look like an easy matter to get to the water from the bluff, and we didn’t have enough time anyway, so we enjoyed the falls from above, with quite a group of people. They had come from the campgrounds as we had and also from the river. Everyone that I spoke to agreed that the hardest part of the hike up from the river was the part getting to the bluff. Coming from the other direction I had to say the same was true. A rope climb about 5 minutes upstream of the Beaver Falls overlook kept things interesting.

Photos of Below Mooney

• Mooney Falls
• Creek
• Creek and Flora
• Small Falls
• Meadow
• Meadow
• Roping up
• Roping
• Beaver Falls