After a long previous day hiking, our intentions were to have an easy day with fewer miles, so I went out for a walk through the village center and around the village outskirts in the morning while the others were getting ready.
Total distance = 3.15 mi
Elapsed time = 56:57
When I got back, they were pretty much ready for the day's hike, so I got ready quickly and we were off. We headed back down toward Havasu Falls, but took a detour on the way to try and find several other falls. Our first stop was 50 Foot Falls, where Leslie had gotten some intel from a Facebook page about how to find the trail, which is not well marked. On the way there, we were passed by a four-wheel drive buggy carrying passengers and some Amazon Prime packages. Classic! We found the sign pointing us in the right direction, and after one false attempt to avoid hiking in water, we backtracked, replaced our boots with water shoes, and waded through the trail to get to the falls. The area was busy with other hikers, different from when we had gotten to Beaver Falls on the previous day's hike. Still, it was a nice vibe. The water was not as clear, and there was a lot of wading needed to get into a good position to see the falls. Also, the bottom of the pond into which the falls emptied was pretty uneven, so I had trouble keeping my footing. I put my phone into the dry bag and felt a little safer, although I dunked my smartwatch a couple of times. The others went further in their exploration of the falls, and eventually I made my way over to the other side of the falls from where we came in. I decided on the spur of the moment to go into the water and stand behind the falls to get my picture taken. The water spray was cold, and the feeling was exhilarating. But I was chilled when I got out. We stayed there for a bit longer before hiking back out the way we came in, this time keeping our water shoes on. We followed the trail and, after a little searching, found our way to Navajo Falls. Similar vibe there, a fair amount of people around. Some guys decided to get into the water and make it up to a little cave behind the falls. I followed them, and it was scary having to navigate the rushing water by the cascade falls, then pass through a waterfall itself to get to the little cave. Connor followed me in, and we stood there shivering for a minute or so before retracing our path to get back out. Some more pictures afterward, as the falls started to look quite different in direct sunlight. We hiked out and up to the trail leading to Havasu Falls. Hiking in water shoes on this trail was not so comfortable, but we made it work. Back down to the base of the falls, where we had lunch at a picnic table next to the pool. Charlie and Connor went into the water after lunch, and eventually I joined them. The current formed by the falls into the pool was pretty intense. All three of us had a go at trying to swim as hard as we could to get through and behind the falls, all unsuccessful. Took some cool pics while we were there, and we hiked over to another cavern, this one beside the falls. Final stroll over to see where the water continued to cascade downriver, then we started our hike back to the lodge. It was uneventful, although I ended up losing my water bottle somewhere along the way, as it fell out of the pocket in my backpack.
Total distance = 5.78 mi
Elapsed time = 2:50:44
The afternoon was laid back, just hanging out in the room and on the porch next to it. We walked in the late afternoon to the store and got some junk food snacks. Dinner for me was the TVP and rice soft tacos, and they were easy to make. The TVP could have used some more salt and pepper, and maybe other spices, along with hot sauce packets. So, thoughts for next time. In the evening, the Astros were eliminated by the Rangers, which was a little disappointing but not so surprising to me. Their pitching was uneven throughout the playoffs, and it seemed like a matter of time before this would catch up to them. I spent time getting all of my gear packed up into my frame backpack, which was noticeably lightened by the absence of much of the food I ate during the trip.
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