I just got back from the Supai/Havasupai trip yesterday. Wow! The falls have to be the most beautiful natural things I have ever experienced. It is everything it has been made out to be.
Before I go into the trip, I need to list my packing items and go over which worked and which didn't. This will help me (or anyone else) when trying to determine what to take. The time line was to camp at hill top on Wednesday night then hike down early Thursday and return Sunday early morning (6/11/14 - 6/15/14).
| Description | qty |
cash
|
20
|
medical card
|
1
|
credit card
|
1
|
driver's license
|
1
|
emergency contact/information
|
1
|
UNO cards
|
1
|
large zip lock bag for trash
|
1
|
dehydrated meals (breakfast,
lunch, dinner)
|
3,4,3
|
hiking snack (dehydrated fruit,
bars, fig newtons)
|
10
|
water in camelback, nalgene
|
2+1 liters
|
water flavoring with calories
|
5
|
honey packets (taken from Whataburger)
|
5
|
tea bags
|
5
|
1
|
|
large fuel canister filled with white gas
|
2
|
lighter
|
2
|
titanium pot with lid
|
1
|
titanium spork
|
1
|
cup
|
1
|
foldable plate/bowl
|
3
|
small sponge
|
1
|
dish soap
|
1oz
|
olive oil
|
1oz
|
sun block small bottle
|
3oz
|
lip balm
|
1oz
|
mesquito spray
|
1oz
|
hand santizer
|
3oz
|
body wipes
|
15
|
3oz
|
|
deodorant small bottle
|
3oz
|
mouth wash
|
3oz
|
tooth paste
|
1oz
|
tooth brush
|
1
|
toilet paper small amount in zip
lock
|
30
|
1
|
|
medical pack small
|
1
|
medium zip lock bag for toiletries
above
|
1
|
1
|
|
day pack
|
1
|
tent (rainfly, tent, footprint)
|
1
|
1
|
|
solar charger (nomad 7, guide 10, 4xAA charged)
|
1
|
caribeaners for solar panel to
hook to backpack/tent
|
4
|
bluetooth speaker
|
1
|
2
|
|
1
|
|
paracord with caribeaner for
hanging food/pack
|
25'
|
head lamp with fresh batteries
|
1,3
|
iphone with motionx maps
downloaded
|
1
|
iphone water proof bag
|
1
|
big brim hat
|
1
|
sun glasses
|
1
|
underwear (non cotton)
|
3
|
shorts (non cotton, pants+shorts)
|
3
|
shirts (non cotton)
|
3
|
socks (non cotton)
|
4
|
bag for clean clothes, doubles as
pillow
|
1
|
1
|
|
sandals
|
1
|
trail shoes
|
1
|
small light/latern with fresh batteries
|
1,4
|
Things to do differently/better:
I would have brought my car camping stove with all the cookware to make a great meal when at the parking lot at the hill top. Also, my ice chest with cold drinks. The reason, is that the hill top the night before is like a tail gate party. Everyone is cooking and chatting it up. The extra cold drinks and plenty of food would not only be good for myself but also for anyone around that I would like to share with. Also, when coming back after the trip, the extra drinks might still be cool enough to drink. I slept in the bed of my truck on Wednesday night at the hill top using my sleeping pad and sleeping bag. The only problem I had was that I forgot my headlamp in the bed of my truck when I left for Supai village (turned out that it wasn't a big deal since we had a great full moon). I didn't use the bluetooth speaker (our group was anti music). I really didn't need my Whisper Light and fuel. Our group didn't announce their packing items so it was unclear who was already bringing a stove...etc. I didn't need the mosquito deet spray. When I entered into Arizona (I live in NM), my bank debt card no longer worked as a credit card. This made some things a bit difficult for me on the travel there. Some of the gas pumps defaulted to credit and would not work. I had to go inside to pay in person using debit and my security code. This is fine except at my last stop I went to a food establishment on Route 66 (Snow Cap) and they didn't know how to do anything other than "swipe" the card; which only used credit, so I had to pay in cash. I should have brought more cash, but I was lucky enough that it wasn't a real issue. I didn't take a rain pancho but the weather was forecasted clear the entire duration. Just in-case you might decide to have your backpack transported up for you (either by helicopter or mule), it would be prudent to have a large tag to attach to your bag with your contact information. Although we had purification tablets from our group leader, I would recommend to bring some. We ended up being short on water for drinking and cooking when we reached Beaver Falls. Also, my toiletry zip lock bag was not perfect. The toilet paper got wet due to putting other moist items in this same bag (tooth brush, wet wipes). The wet wipes worked great for cleaning myself up at the end of the day but the package (reseal flap) tended to not stay sealed. Sleeping was hot and uncomfortable. I'm thinking a hammock would be much more comfortable and lighter to carry. Lastly, since we (our group size was 7) used water for cooking, cleaning and drinking, we used a lot of it. We had a lot of small (1 liter or less) bottles which made filling up a pain and often. The water source can have long lines. It would be better to bring a large gravity feed bag or a large collapsible water container just to leave at our camp site.
Things that worked great:
The amount of food I initially planned for was too much but I ended up bringing less (2 one person Mountain House, 2 two people Mountain House, 2 packets of chicken, 1 packet of pasta, 1 packet of rice, 6 packets of oatmeal with nuts). This left me with one large size Mountain House and two packets of oatmeal left over when the trip was over. I brought a two liter water bladder with a 1 liter nalgene, both filled for the trip down. This turned out to be too much liquid for me. I only drank about 1 liter of water (NOTE: everyone is different with respect to amount of liquids needed). I think I'm not drinking enough during my hikes (as noted by my urine color) but I felt great the entire duration. I'm very glad I brought the day/hydration pack. It was needed for the various hikes to the more distant water falls (Beaver Falls). I used my clothes, packed in my sleeping bag stuff sack, as my pillow which worked good. I also bought a special bag to place my dirty clothes in which you can roll out the air from. Since the dirty clothes were part of my pillow, I didn't want to have the nasty smell around me when I was sleeping :-). The hiking poles WERE INVALUABLE! I'm am very glad I had them. They give you a bit of an arm/shoulder workout, but they help so much with balance, speed, forward propulsion...THEY WORK! At the last minute, I bought a small light/latern. I thought, instead of bringing the extra batteries for my head light, I would put the batteries in this extra light source. It was a good thing I did that since I forgot my head light in my truck, plus the lantern was great for around the picnic table and not too bright to be annoying. Although the bugs loved it too which attracted some bats too, which was ok since I hung the light high enough in the tree above us. Another note, the villagers sell items such as cold drinks, huge tacos and fry bread (along with their grocery store items). This is where the extra cash comes in handy. I believe they accept credit cards in the village but I wouldn't chance it.
Wednesday 6/11/2014
I woke up around 7am with plans to leave Albuquerque, NM around 9am. The drive was determined to be around 8 hours (plus ~1.5 hours for stops). I wanted to reach the hill top around 7pm to avoid most of the heat from the day. I made the mistake of not considering the time change and arrived at the hill top around 4:15pm. There were plenty of cars, but I was the only person there. I used the restroom (which was actually kinda cool even during the hot day) and walked around. Note, there is no water at the hill top. Around 5-6pm, more and more cars started to arrive. I was able to nap a bit in my truck while waiting for the Houston NEO group to show up. They were flying in to Las Vegas from Houston. It turned out that they showed up very late in the day, considering we had plans to leave in the morning around 4am. The hill top was reminiscent of a tail gate party. Everyone was out cooking, drinking and chatting to each other. This is the reason I think a grill and a cooler full of drinks would be a great idea. Maybe even a chair and canopy....hmmm.
We started our hike relatively late, around 6am. I was behind Alex, who carried a very very fast pace and a heavy pack. I tried to keep up but he lost me a few times. This meant that both of us left the other 4 behind as they took a much more enjoyable pace. I really wish groups like this would agree to stick together. I believe that would be more enjoyable for everyone and safer.
Alex and I arrived at the Supai village in about 2.5 hours. We went to the office to get our wrist bands and then made a "bee line" to the camp grounds to try and get a good spot. We ended up fairly close by to the only drinking water source. After some thought, it might have been better to be at the back end of the camp grounds under all the heavy tree line and near the stream. We could use a filter to drink from this stream, plus the shade would be so much better during the hot day (the water probably makes the nights cooler too).
Since the majority of our group was a bit slow to reach the camp ground and Alex had to go back to the village to get his extra bag/tent; I ended up going to the Havasu Falls. My God it is incredible. I'm not too used to seeing waterfalls but I cannot imagine it being any more beautiful. The water color is just such an incredible turquoise color. The cool (slightly cold) water temperature was a very welcomed contrast from the heat of the day.
Our camp neighbors were about to leave and left us some of their goods. This means extra fuel canisters, coffee, coffee filters, plates, bowls, etc. This is the norm, to have people give items away the day before they are leaving. If you walk around the camp grounds, you will likely see "FREE" signs next to fuel, food and other various items. This makes sense since the fuel cannot be taken on a plane for those who flew in. Also, the hike up is a bit of a workout, that removing unnecessary weight is to your benefit. Actually, on the way out on early Sunday morning, Alex took a solo tent someone left behind.
Thursday 6/12/2014
We woke up and started to make our breakfast (oatmeal with various nuts for me), and we made the coffee our generous camp neighbors gave us.
We packed up our day packs with water and food for our day's worth of hiking. We first went to Mooney falls. This is located at the end of the camp ground. To get to this fall you must scale down the cliff which is a bit intimidating. You go thru a few small tunnels and scale down the hill side using chains and ladders. The only issue is that there is traffic going both up and down which makes things interesting. Mooney falls is incredible. We were able to climb behind (well almost behind) the falls on the travertine walls.
After a few hours at Mooney, we dried ourselves up and started to hike to Beaver falls. This was several miles down river. There were a couple of stream crossings, so make sure you have water shoes available. It might actually be best to wear them for the entire hike, but make sure you have socks on too. Rocks tend to get in your water shoes and/or are a bit tough on the bare foot skin. We arrive at Beaver falls and it wasn't a tall falls like the others but it still was incredible. When we got there, we saw several Long Horn Sheep. They are incredible climbers.
After cliff jumping into the waters at Beaver falls, we started to cook our food. We realized that we didn't have enough water to hike back (after using our water for cooking). So we fill our bladders from the water in the river and add some purification pills.
When we got back to our camp, our 7th group member Victoria was there. She arrived late due to other obligations. She pretty much brought everything in her pack but took the helicopter from the hill top. She mentioned how hard the hike was and I thought "wow, she hiked down with all this gear?"...except she was referring to the hike from the village to the camp ground (~2 miles).
What a great day.
Friday 6/13/2014
We woke up to our breakfast and coffee. We had 3 Jetboils going full time each morning. Invaluable. This day was a "Victoria" day. We already visited all the falls we wanted, so we were just showing Victoria around the block. The first stop, Mooney falls.
I was worried that she would not be able to do the climb down the cliff to the falls. She was wearing high heels for God's sake :-) (really). As we started down the climb, we approached the first tunnel, and I heard the fear in Victoria's voice when she said she couldn't do this. I know this had to be one of the most difficult things for her to do. With coaxing from our group, we helped her down to the bottom and she nearly broke out in tear. She overcame her fears and did something most people never achieve in their life time.
We were all wading in the water, when I see Victoria walk over the edge of a small fall, which others were jumping off of. Next think I know, she jumps!? Wow!
Saturday 6/14/2014
On last day, I bought a cold Dr. Pepper for $2. I gave up soda about 4 years ago and decided I really deserved this one luxury :-). It was good. I was burping up the sweet 23 flavors I used to enjoy in my previous life.
We had planned to wake up in the morning at 3:30am. The reason for the early time is because some of our group members wanted to fly out on the helicopter, and to do so you must put yourself on a waiting list. Everyone else is also wanting to fly out, so the wait line can be long.
Sunday 6/15/2014
Around 2:30am I hear Boaz walking around the camp and I hear someone say "Everyone is already leaving!". We decide to get up at this time to try to beat the long line to the helicopter. I was able to pack up my items pretty quickly. We had a couple people in our group that was a bit slower, so we ended up walking to the village and expecting to meet these other people there.
Alex, Sneha, and myself met Jennifer and Boaz at the village's helicopter pad. Alex and Sneha pay to have their back packs taken by the helicopter. Me? I'm hiking out with what I came in with (minus some food). People are already in line for the helicopter; actually, it looked like some of them slept there. Wow... After the backpacks are dropped off and we top off our water bladders (spigot at the village office); we start the hike up to the hill top.
The moon was full and bright. This was a relief to me since I had left my head lamp in the bed of my truck. I was worried that I wouldn't have light to hike to. The temperature was great. There was a cool breeze blowing. Perfect conditions to hike back to the hill top. Alex and I were on a mission. The mission, beat the helicopter to the top. Unfortunately, Sneha got left behind :-(. I felt bad about this, but a mission is a mission.
We pass people sitting in shade resting, fast and slow hikers. I felt really good, but I attest this to living at 5200 feet. The village is around 3000' and the hill top is around 5000'. That is my new sweat spot for elevation. Alex kept a very fast pace. His foot started to cramp up but he kept going. We finally took a break partially up the 1.5 mile switch back just before the hill top. This last 1.5 mile ascension is the real work. It hurt me quite a bit. My nose started running during this climb and sweat started dripping off my face. This last climb had a good amount of sun too. On the switch backs, my back would be towards the sun and I would see my shadow in front of me. I would yell "backpack shade!" since my pack was tall enough to block the sun from me. Yes, I know...we were getting dehydrated.
We see the office at the hill top, and knew we were almost there. Finally!!! The top. We high five each other and gloat about beating the fuck out of the helicopter. I don't think the helicopter even left for its first trip. Booyaa!
At the top, there were quite a few people getting ready to go down. What?! Kinda late to start....it is going to be a hot hike for them.
Here is my Motion-X GPS data from my iPhone:
Alex, Sneha, and myself met Jennifer and Boaz at the village's helicopter pad. Alex and Sneha pay to have their back packs taken by the helicopter. Me? I'm hiking out with what I came in with (minus some food). People are already in line for the helicopter; actually, it looked like some of them slept there. Wow... After the backpacks are dropped off and we top off our water bladders (spigot at the village office); we start the hike up to the hill top.
The moon was full and bright. This was a relief to me since I had left my head lamp in the bed of my truck. I was worried that I wouldn't have light to hike to. The temperature was great. There was a cool breeze blowing. Perfect conditions to hike back to the hill top. Alex and I were on a mission. The mission, beat the helicopter to the top. Unfortunately, Sneha got left behind :-(. I felt bad about this, but a mission is a mission.
We pass people sitting in shade resting, fast and slow hikers. I felt really good, but I attest this to living at 5200 feet. The village is around 3000' and the hill top is around 5000'. That is my new sweat spot for elevation. Alex kept a very fast pace. His foot started to cramp up but he kept going. We finally took a break partially up the 1.5 mile switch back just before the hill top. This last 1.5 mile ascension is the real work. It hurt me quite a bit. My nose started running during this climb and sweat started dripping off my face. This last climb had a good amount of sun too. On the switch backs, my back would be towards the sun and I would see my shadow in front of me. I would yell "backpack shade!" since my pack was tall enough to block the sun from me. Yes, I know...we were getting dehydrated.
We see the office at the hill top, and knew we were almost there. Finally!!! The top. We high five each other and gloat about beating the fuck out of the helicopter. I don't think the helicopter even left for its first trip. Booyaa!
At the top, there were quite a few people getting ready to go down. What?! Kinda late to start....it is going to be a hot hike for them.
Here is my Motion-X GPS data from my iPhone:
Jun 15, 2014 5:46 am
| Name: | Supai To Hill Top | |
| Date: | Jun 15, 2014 6:46 am | |
| Map: (valid until Dec 13, 2014) | View on Map | |
| Distance: | 7.87 miles | |
| Elapsed Time: | 2:41:34 | |
| Avg Speed: | 2.9 mph | |
| Max Speed: | 9.5 mph | |
| Avg Pace: | 20' 31" per mile | |
| Min Altitude: | 3,093 ft | |
| Max Altitude: | 5,162 ft | |
| Start Time: | 2014-06-15T12:46:33Z | |
| Start Location: | ||
| Latitude: | 36º 14' 01" N | |
| Longitude: | 112º 41' 18" W | |
| End Location: | ||
| Latitude: | 36º 09' 36" N | |
| Longitude: | 112º 42' 34" W | |
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