Spaze Racing

Now that I’m back into the writing and actually updated my blog I figured I’d post something thats not actually automotive related! Shocking really, yes, the world is about to end in 3, 2, 1 pffffft… ok so maybe I over exaggerated that a little. But back on topic, the grand canyon! I’ve wanted to go to the grand canyon for some time now, and this year I finally went. The trip was put together very quickly but ended up being the best vacation I’ve ever been on. I booked a flight to las vegas, called a few buddies of mine and told them to come with me to the canyon! Two weeks later we had a hotel, car, flights, and reservations to hike into Havasu Falls. The trip promised breath taking views that overlook some of the highest falls in the area, flowing with crystal sea green water.

The trip started with a five hour flight from DC to Vegas, and in normal fashion I was asleep for most of it. Once I got to vegas I met up with one friend and we headed out to REI to pickup some last minute things. The weather had changed a lot, and a cold front had moved in for the weekend. Flagstaff was getting snow and there were reports that the canyon might as well. I’m glad I only packed shorts, and that there was an REI 10 minutes from the airport. After picking up some pants, and long sleeve shirts we went back to the airport to pick up the 3rd member of our party. After that we drove the 3 hours to Seligman, Az where we spent the night. A few hours later we were up and packing out stuff into a truck from Hydros Adventures. Our guide, steven, turned out to be a really cool 20-something year old bartender/guide with a ton of stories. After a stop for supplies, and a flat tire we arrived at the drop off point and packing more stuff for the hike down into the canyon.

After repacking, grabbing the food we’d need for the trek down, we had a few minutes to enjoy the views. They were amazing, beautiful red rock with sage and tan grass sparsely populating the hill sides. We then got the first taste of the hike, the “switchbacks!” From the drop off point the trail falls 1000ft in a mile or so. They are a series of goat paths down the side of the cliff, but on the way down they are not that bad. Once at the bottom the temperature was at least ten degrees warmer than at that top, and there were no longer hill sides, there were only red rock canyon walls. The hike down was doted with little climbs on the rock face onto cool places. We even ate lunch on a rock that was 10 feet off the ground and quite removed from the trail. A little over 4 hours later we arrived at the village, and only another two miles to the camp site! Before we knew it we heard the roaring water of the Havasu Falls. Without much warning or build up we were staring at the most beautiful waterfall I’ve ever seen.

Now I don’t take the best pictures, which means the falls a lot more spectacular in person. We then walked the remaining mile to the campsite. The river flows right though the  middle of the campsite, with cool blue green water. We located a spot near one of the canyon walls, and right under a cave. While waiting for our gear to arrive via the mule train, we set off exploring the caves. We found 3 caves around the campsite and throughly explored each.  The climbs up to the caves were a lot of fun and some were very challenging. Steven told us about Canyoneering, which is a sport that combines Hiking, rock climbing, repelling, caving, etc into one. He told us about some of his expeditions and i was instantly sold! It sounded amazing, seeing cool places and repelling into canyons that not many people see! Later that night we walked over to Mooney falls at the south end of the camp site. Mooney falls has the biggest drop of any of the falls, and has a technical climb down to the bottom. With huge signs saying “Climb at your own risk” it really is not for the faint at heart. But it was starting to rain, and the day was almost over. After setting up the tents and sleeping gear, we all sat down and ate Chilli we brought with us. Angle hair pasta, a few cans of Dixie Chili and we were happy as could be.

The next day it was up early and we all decided that we wanted to hike down to Beaver Falls. Its a 6 mile hike round trip over some “interesting” terrain. But before that we had important business to attend to, like throwing a frisbe off the top of mooney falls! No joke, what we thought would be the coolest disk throw ever, turned out to be a little bit of a bust. The disk skirted the outside of the falls, and then was sucked down into the mossy area 20-30 feet from the falls. That meant we get to go swimming! Now on a normal day this would be fine, but its maybe 60 degrees, and the water is a LOT colder. So we climbed down, stripped and waded into the water and jumped in. After the first 5 minutes I stopped feeling the cold water and it actually became enjoyable!

After a few hours swimming and enjoying ourselves we were on our way to Beaver falls. Shortly into the hike we crossed onto a less traveled path which lead us to climb over some rocks and actually walk down the river. We then found some of the most beautiful falls I’ve seen. They were small, but created a good sized grotto with an amazing view. After we returned to the trail we happened upon a rope swing that provided an hour or so of entertainment. There are few things in life better than rope swings into crystal colored water. Even if it was cold, it was worth it, and I’d not been on a rope swing since I was knee high to a grasshopper. We eventually hiked to the “interesting part” of the trail, which consisted of a “ladder,” ropes, and a few cool climbs up the canyon walls. After getting to beaver falls, we realized that while it was cool looking, it was the journey that made the falls special, not the destination.

The hike back was much shorter, but just as good. Steven had told us about an old mine that was just north of the campsite. After returning the the site, and changing clothes we then trekked to the mine. Again, anything we could climb, scale, or shimmy into, we were there! We went down into the small shafts, and up into some other ones, and we all spotted each other to make sure no one got hurt.  By the time we got out of the mine, it was fairly dark and we decided to head back to camp. We broke out the camelpack of whiskey and had a great time.

Again it was up early, pack up the gear and get headed out. The hike out was a blur, since we pushed as hard as we could to get out of the canyon. Only a few stops and 3 hours later we were at the bottom of the switchbacks. Well, now we understood the faces of the people we passed by two days ago. It was rough, but by the time we got to the time the view was still amazing, and we were still alive. Although after adding it all up, it was 30 miles of hiking in 3 days. Thats a ton of hiking for 3 hour of shape guys, but it was a BLAST!!! For more pictures you can look here and I’d HIGHLY recommend Havasu Falls as a place everyone needs to go before they die. The hike is great, the falls are amazing, and the trip is something you’ll never forget!