HikeArizona.COM

DATES ARE SET IN STONE FOR

TUESDAY JUNE 26th - FRIDAY JUNE 29th 2012


Because once in a lifetime isn't enough. This is open and recommended to all! If you have never been, this is the trip to get in shape for. It's a 14 mile hike downhill to the campground and small Indian town of Supai (the last remaining place in the US that receives it's mail via mule/horse).

Once established we will be swimming, hiking and exploring the canyon for four days and three nights.

The cost per person for camping will be around $100, plus any gear or food (you must provide yourself).
For the less adventurous the Havasupai tribe does offer to carry your gear via mule (find the details on the their website).
Once a guest list is established a carpool will be organized. If you are at all interested look at some photos via google(or my triplog from June 2011), it will quickly solidify your decision.
This is organized with the intention of sharing the experience with friends.
-Hiking/swimming/exploring Beaver Falls, Navajo Falls, Havasu Falls, and Mooney Falls.
-Possibly exploring underwater caves along the river.
-Hiking to the Grand Canyon via the river (10 mile day hike).

<<Hiking From Campground to Colorado River is 8.5 Miles One Way. Per Supai Website>>

-Exploring a part of the canyon that a majority of guest never get to see.

FYI-Prior to attending this trip there will be a few day hikes to help evaluate the groups flow and fitness level. Also to make it easier we will make extra reservations (due to some people not getting through last time). If you want us to make your reservation, please be advised that your portion of the tribe's camping fees will be due ahead of time (date-TBA).

Hike Details- http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=58
All details about Supai can be found on http://www.havasupaitribe.com/index.html .

This Trip Is being Coordinated by HippyHaley & Vincent1987
You can also find us (and the event of the same name) on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/hippystyle
(msg me here or there with any questions)

** Each person wanting to come along is responsible for making her or his own reservation(s) and having their camping fees on hand before the carpool/caravan leaves the meeting place (ATMS are available in citys we drive through but please be prepared beforehand). **

Don't go there expecting a true Shangri-La. You will be better off thinking of it as a Third World country. People come back from there complaining that their bubble got burst, and that is what I tell them. It's not wilderness, it has stray dogs, skinny horses with bad feet, trash, graffiti, and poverty, plus alcohol, drugs, incest and teen suicide. The high school dropout rate just about matches the rate of alcoholism, which is around 85 to 90% of the population. Thankfully, the tourist murder rate is very low, haha. It did happen one time, but the guy who did it is in prison forever. And the murdered girl was hiking by herself, which you won't be.

Oh, and please don't take your dog there. They do allow it, but please don't. I personally witnessed the following: A young tourist woman had a large beautiful Golden Retriever with her there. It was attacked by the rez dogs and bitten in such a way that it could no longer move its back legs, it was paralyzed. The poor girl was beside herself with aggravation and concern trying to get help for it. She enlisted the help of the local Physician's Assistant, and paid to have the dog helicoptered out.

I am not saying this to discourage you from going there, but people who go places with stars in their eyes are so often disappointed, whereas if a person is a little more realistic about what they will encounter, they can have a better experience, I feel.

And no way will I apologize for breaking anyone's bubble. And I won't stand for being called "negative." I have been there a bunch of times myself, and will probably go back.

What she said.

And after the floods last year and the year before, You get to swim in ankle deep water. Literally, unless they built dams again.

base871 wrote:What she said.

And after the floods last year and the year before, You get to swim in ankle deep water. Literally, unless they built dams again.

I think they pretty much always do rebuild the dams. They use cement bags, I think. Anyway, the travertine builds up on the bag dams and pretty soon they start looking very natural.

@azbackpackr
I hope you're not directing that to me, lol i read that in a book, i think it was beautifully written. i went there last year not sure what to expect and was semi expecting what i've seen on other reservations.
i was correct.

the natives are just tanned versions of us in a dustier environment, minus the car and noise pollution.
every single one of them speaks their native language and english and are very polite and willing to speak with you about their culture.
the lodge is not a lodge at all but a kind of modern log cabin type deal with warm showers.

of the reservation dogs 20-40 of them were vaccinated and sterilized this past fall by a group of veternarians that volunteer their time (one of those vets works here at the animal control shelter i work at which is how i know this)
the res dogs are all very use to people and 3 of them slept with us last year.

but despite all the modern variations of life you see down there that book i am reading is not incorrect in its description...

lush, green, paradise, such at the beautiful valley of wild grapes, where all you can see for what seems like miles (but is probably only 3/4 mile) is green bushes up to 8 feet high! BEAUTIFUL!!!

There were sections of the river last year where I was able to dive down about 10 feet. (i know this because i am five foot tall and my best friend isn't much taller and i held her ankle until i touched the bottom lol)

the base of Mooney Falls was maybe 2-3 feet deep unfortunately. and the natural "reef" that once enveloped the base of the falls was wiped out and is disgusting looking now. full of litter and rotting corpses of trees and bushes.

navajo falls was trashed but the allure is not in just the falls, nor just the culture.

but when you drive through flagstaff on to seligman or however you choose to get there all you can think of is "i am surrounded by city. by roads. by pavement. by buildings."

when you finally get off onto the road that leads you to Hualapai Hilltop...that's where my mind began to think, "I'm on the reservation. in the middle of nowhere. just miles from a seemingly peaceful paradise"

then you arrive at the hilltop, it's just a parking lot, a rez dog meets you as you take a power nap in the back of your vehicle. a few natives ride by on their pack mules or horses. the smile and wave and say "see you at the bottom"

that's when you realize. I'm here. i am no longer in phoenix or flagstaff, i am somewhere new and different and exciting.

after that flat, dry, dusty 10 mile walk, when you finally first glimpse the beautiful blue green waters. THAT my friends is when you realize WHY you did this, why you came here.

Where else can you see blue green waters surrounded by a thick copse of green trees and wildlife!
just a mile above the roaring waterfalls and lush green campground what is there? desert, harsh, flat, dry upland desert.

no, she is right, don't expect a shangi-la, don't expect to rush back 100 years like at Rawhide or The Ren Fest
Expect reality to punch you in the face. remember what these natives lost and how they fought to win it back, and realize that they are living a modernized version of their past and it's not as easy as it seems.

it may not be paradise, but it most certainly is NOT the city and it makes for a wonderful vacation and it helps support the new lives the Supai have been forced to adapt to. Without our tourism, the Pai wouldn't be able to survive down there any longer.

So please, don't expect to go back in time, don't expect paradise, but do see beyond the litter and grubby modern clothing and loud rap music and rankous tourists, see the falls, see the trials, learn the history. respect the present as much as the past.
and most of all support them, in all that they do down there. their story is an amazing one, more amazing than any native struggle i've ever read about.

I heartily agree, basically, with what you said. Many of the people are friendly, it's a beautiful place, and they had a long struggle with the government to retain not only the canyon bottomlands, but also their lands on the rim.

But I've been around Arizona for 26 years, going backpacking most of those years, and have heard dozens of backpackers come back from there complaining about what they found when they went there. So, rather than making people think it is going to be something it isn't I chose to tell a little of what I know about it. Having talked to people who have in the past few years worked in the school there, I have heard some of the stories of how life is, particularly for young people who live there. In many ways it is not pretty. I didn't even scratch the surface of what one of the former teachers told me about a couple of serious issues, particularly with young men there, because it was far too bitter and ugly to post on this forum. Every year students from NAU have projects they do in the school there with the students. I have a lot of respect for people who will go there and try to help the children there. Those kids have a hard row to hoe, even just in their chances of living a healthy life.

It isn't pretty at all, but it's the same with any reservations, especially here in AZ the white man ruined what were once such proud people, now they're addicted to alcohol and junk food and they suffer from diabetes and oh darwin it's a sad sad truth.
i tell my friends that are coming with us not to expect indians in head dresses, this isn't Rawhide or some "Indian Fort" in Canada. I tell them not to expect culture shock, because it's so much like the city there, i tell them to look past, to look TO the past and I tell them what happened to the culture and respect how they survived on tourism. It's a sad bitter truth. And yes, we want to volunteer a week down there and help them through a friend's church missionaries. i have high respect for people who go down there to help, including my vet friends who go down once a year to vaccinate and sterilize the res dogs cats and horses.

that said i cannot wait to get down there in June. my friends from Nevada have never been to that area and are very excited to see the waterfalls and get down to that section of the Colorado River.

any one interested in joining up still? i hear there is possibly one spot left open...let me know asap and I'll discuss having it held for you. NOT GUARANTEED!!!

I am interested in going if there is an opening

HippyHaley wrote:any one interested in joining up still? i hear there is possibly one spot left open...let me know asap and I'll discuss having it held for you. NOT GUARANTEED!!!

The spot has been filled.
All reservations are taken up.
If you are still interested in going these dates please call the Tribe to see if they have an opening available.

Votg, welcome to the group!


Also, if anyone is interested, we will be planning this trip again next year roughly the same dates. Event will be posted 6-7 months in advance to allow for scheduling! THANK YOU!

Ladies and gentlemen Vincent, Jen and I are leaving Phoenix on Monday June 25th no later than 8pm...does anyone need a ride? We have 2 open seats in the Subaru and plenty of room for gear.

maybe me - I'll send you a pm

Sure hope you are planning to hike at night.

azbackpackr wrote:Sure hope you are planning to hike at night.

Some people enjoy hiking in sun and heat. No question it can be hot there in June, but the heat has already been thoroughly discussed in this thread.

chumley wrote:

azbackpackr wrote:Sure hope you are planning to hike at night.

Some people enjoy hiking in sun and heat. No question it can be hot there in June, but the heat has already been thoroughly discussed in this thread.

no worries, heat we can do. i warned everyone well ahead of time, if they read what I told them they SHOULD know what they're getting into.

as for me, i'll take hot hot heat over the cold ANY DAY!

Well, the reason I brought it up again is because sometimes we invite people to go along on our trips with whom we are not totally familiar. We don't know their tolerance for heat, we don't know their medical histories, etc. We may not know if they really know how to prepare for it, despite what they may have told us. And flukey things can happen with it, too, that are unexpected. It's not to be taken lightly.

I therefore will make no apologies for repeating myself. More than one hiker has died already this year in Arizona due to the heat. The temperature forecasts have been consistently pretty brutally hot. Looks like maybe a shower might cool things down next week, but it's hard to say.

yea, i can only hope everyone knows what they are doing! I know DBMooner & Squatpuke, myself and my boyfriend Vince will be fine. I know two of my group (my 2 best female friends) are not strong hikers therefore i made sure they are bringing 2 hydration bladders for the hike down and i will lead "the slow group" while Vince heads out with whoever can keep up and he will snag my favorite campsites as soon as he gets there.
We have upped our arrival and departure times and will start the hike down between midnight and 1am tuesday morning to better suit my 2 girlfriend's hiking levels.

Our grand canyon trips usually go off without a hitch (it's our excursions into the Supes you want to worry about )

Be careful down there:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/tribpreps/ ... h.html.csp

Harrison, a rising junior at the school, drowned in the Supai Canyon, located on the west side of the Grand Canyon, Coconino County Sheriff spokesman Gerry Blair confirmed.

the 2 freinds i have comeing with me are stronger hikers then me and both can handel the heat. I wouldnt invite someone on a hike like this inless i knew they could handel it.

@Dave1 that's too bad! but no worries with my group, we actually know what we're doing, between myself and Vince alone, we are prepared for anything (except maybe a tsunami or tornado...or malaria...) and with good ol' Squatpuke along we're even better off, and with DBMooner and his friends coming al lthe gals in the group are safely surrounded by good guys. so no worries, plus the natives down there are absolute gems
just have to get through work today and tomorrow and we're off WHOOOO!!!

Turns out we will be departing Phx at 6pm monday evening, should arrive at the hilltop by midnight then 2-3 hours sleep/rest etc then head out at 3am, tribal office opens at 7am for campers sign in, so the faster feet of our group should be there by the time it opens so they can rush in and grab my tentative camping spot.

any last minute questions please email them to goyaah@ymail.com
or text me, all those attending should have my # anyway.