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 There are many remote sites in the Grand Canyon that are worth exploring. (File/Dan Leeth) |
SCOTTSDALE, Arizona -- The last time Matt Bozek hiked to Havasu Falls at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, he was accompanied on the entire route -- 16 km -- by a stray dog. When he returned to the same spot again this spring, one year later, he was surprised to find the dog was still there!
"He's a lot bigger now," Bozek oberves.
It makes you wonder, if the animal was unsure about how to get back out or whether it liked its new surroundings so much it decided to stay. Perhaps the critter has made pals with some of the other stray dogs and survives off scraps from the campers and nearby villagers.
The mutt certainly settled in a choice location. Many consider Havasu, with its waterfalls, blue-green waters, native village, and varied rock formations, to be a gem of the Grand Canyon. Most Arizonans I met responded with dreamy-eyed looks at the mere mention of the place.
There are several ways to reach this lush paradise: Hike in on your own, take a horse or helicopter or, as I did, join an organized hiking tour.
Arizona Outback Adventures (AOA), the only outfit with a base camp in the area, has a variety of four and five-day trips to Havasu and handles all the details from supplying tents and transporting your bags, to cooking gourmet meals and taking you to places that would be difficult to find on your own.
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Our 16-km hike takes place early one morning in mid-April.
During a briefing, we are told the terrain consists of descending switchbacks for the first 2.5 km, followed by 10.5 km on a wide flat path with rocks, and then 3 km of sand, before we reach our camp, located 792-metres below the canyon's rim.
From the start I find myself stopping frequently to photograph the many scenic vistas, occasionally stepping aside to allow pack horses, carrying supplies, to pass. Somehow I expect to see more hikers on the trail, but encounter only about five dozen or so in all.
Havasu, located in the heart of the Grand Canyon, receives between 18,000 and 30,000 visitors per year, compared to the 5 million that visit the South Rim. I'm glad to be here in the spring when the temperatures are ideal for hiking and various flowers, such as the orange Globe Mallow and yellow Prince's Plume are in full bloom.
The ever changing scenery includes some notable points of interest along the way -- a narrow rock passage known as "bear meets man," and later Supai -- "the most remote village in the U.S.," where mail is still delivered by mule train! It is home to 300 members of the Havasupai Tribe, who have inhabited the canyon for generations.
One surprise on the hike is the discovery that our destination is actually a canyon within a canyon within a canyon!
"That's why it's so lush," guide Stephan Guenette explains. The Albertan has made dozens of trips into the canyon.
We had hiked about 5 km before seeing the first tree -- a cottonwood -- but the amount of vegetation increases the farther we descend.
My legs ache, but the pain is temporarily forgotten as I round the final canyon and catch sight of Havasu Falls, whose waters cascade 64 metres into turquoise pools below.
A two-minute walk from here is our base camp where tents are set up along Havasu Creek, lined with trees. Our first dinner in the canyon is a memorable feast of barbecued shrimp, chicken and steak with quinoa and asparagus and scrumptious carrot cake for dessert.
During the next two days we hike to the spectacular Mooney Falls and Navajo Falls, search for fossils on the canyon floor, explore an abandoned mine, and encounter lizards, rabbits and squirrels along the way.
Evenings can get cold in the canyon but during our stay the night air is calm and warm. I look up at the sky one night, expecting to see a canopy of stars but instead glimpse a brilliant full moon rising up over one of the canyon walls.
IF YOU GO
Arizona Outback Adventures is the only outfitter in Havasupai providing a "five-star camping and dining experience," all just a few hundred metres from Havasu Falls. The five-day Canyon Adventure includes round-trip transportation from Scottsdale, lodging, experienced guides, meals, hot showers, park permits and camping equipment for $1,675 US per person. Sturdy day packs are available for rent.
There are three options -- hike in and hike out; hike in and helicopter out; or helicopter in and out. For details, visit aoa-adventures.com, which has a good slide show of the trip, or call 1-866-455-1601.