I'm back from the big adventure. And it was a great time! I have tried several times to upload some pictures and it's not working, so I'll be trying again tomorrow. But here is an overview of my trip!
On Wednesday night, the girls came over to my house at 6:30 and we ate pizza and played games (Apples to Apples, Cranium and Mafia) until midnight. Then we loaded up the cars and drove to the Grand Canyon. One of the girls who was going to go hadn't been feeling well, but started feeling better that day so she decided to go. Well, we got partway to Saligman and she had us call her dad to meet us there to pick her up because she wasn't feeling well. Poor her! I felt bad for her (and her dad)! I rode with Bishop Purtymun and Rachel Pribyl. I only slept for maybe 30 minutes the whole way. We got to the top of the Canyon at about 4:30 AM, where we unloaded the packs and left them for the helicopter to fly them in. We ate a little breakfast, went to the bathroom in the smelly outhouses (yuck!!), then we started hiking in at 5:30. The first two miles are switchbacks and fairly steep, but after that it's just like a bumpy hike for 7 miles and pretty easy. I didn't get any blisters, so that was nice. And I didn't have to go to the bathroom either, so that was helpful too!
We arrived at the village in Havasupai at 8:30, so we made good time. The village is just a reservation-type atmosphere. There is a little bare-bones store and there is a cafe where we bought (and enjoyed) some fry bread. Yum! When we walked into the village, Brian was there on their way out from their trip. It was good to see him and chat for a little while before we went on our way. We waited quite a while there for the helicopter to bring our packs in. Brian told me that they saw Nicholas Cage with Jessice Biel and they were at Havasu Falls filming a movie.
Once we got our packs, we loaded up and hiked two miles to the campground. Those two miles were grueling. My pack was probably heavier than it should have been, plus it was hot and we had been hiking a while before that. Rachel and I were hiking together and we were dying!! The whole time we were wondering how we were going to make it back to the village on the way out with our stuff--uphill!!! We got to the campground and found the rest of our ward. They had a place across a little river. We had to cross a wood slat bridge to get over there, but it was a great place to be because there was no foot traffic on our side. We set up camp and got settled. After getting settled, we went down to Havasu Falls. They were beautiful, but the water was so icy cold, it took some great courage to get in! We swam around there for a while, then went back to camp and ate dinner. For meals I had simple stuff that you just basically have to boil water for. Then for lunches and breakfasts, I just had ready-made items. It got old fast and makes me sick to think about! We all went to bed pretty early that night because it had been about 40 hours without sleep.
Then next morning we woke up and ate breakfast and got our swimming suits on. Then we made the 1/2 miles or so hike down to Mooney Falls. Once we got to the edge, we had to make a crazy hike practically straight down the side of the mountain. There are some "steps" in the mountain, but then you go through a couple of tunnels and then you go the rest of the way slowly while holding onto a chain. It was a little frightening, hoping you didn't slip or lose your footing! But we made it down and I thought I would just take pictures because the water was so incredibly cold. But of course, with all the girls wanting you to come in, you just grit your teeth and do it. So I got in and even did the rope swing. We also swam down the river to another little waterfall area that you could walk under and sit in. It was very beautiful. Someone had brought shampoo, so I took advantage and washed my hair under the waterfall. But the falls are so majestic and very powerful.
After Mooney, we hiked back to the campground, ate lunch, then headed to Navajo Falls. Those were probably my favorites. They just spanned the whole side of a rock wall and had some many neat things. There was a big jump off the rock that a few girls did. I didn't do it...I was way too chicken. I didn't even think about it. We also found a little secluded area off of Navajo Falls that was so private and lush. I expected to see a mermaid there...that is what it looked like. After spending quite a while at Navajo, we hiked back to camp and some of the girls did a rope swing. Then we ate dinner, played some games and went to bed. It was a worse night than the night before. It was noisy and not comfortable. And Rachel, my tent buddy, got sick, so she was up a lot and it kept me up. But the next day we packed up, hiked back the two miles--which were much easier because 4 of us went in together to get a mule. So it was an easy hike back. Once we got there, we probably waited 20 minutes, then we helicoptered out. It was an awesome ride. I had never done that before and it was great. We were going to drive home, but instead I flew home with Greg Barlow from our ward. He was going to fly Rachel home, but she was a little nervous to be too far from facilities. So I jumped on the chance. We helicoptered to Valle Airport, then picked up a little 2-seater Sessna and flew into Glendale Airport. I did great at the beginning, then he let me steer for a while, and I think that did me in. I got a touch of nausea, but I drank some water and felt better, then we were over Lake Pleasant--almost home--and I couldn't hold it down, so I used the nice air sickness bag he had on the plane. Lovely. But once I did that I was much better. But it was a fun experience despite that.
I am still tired and my pack is still full and not unpacked! I hope I will have the energy and gumption to do it tomorrow! But it was a great trip and a great chance to interact with the girls.
