10/22/2023 Hike

This was a signature day. We got ready early and were on our way to the falls by 6:40. This turned out to be a good thing. Hiked through the village outskirts and saw some cascade falls on the way to Havasu Falls. I didn't notice it at the time, but the elevation drop started not too long after we left the village. It was gradual at first, and we passed by some cascade falls on the way. I thought they might be the major falls but no. Continued on down to the descent to the base of Havasu Falls, which is steep but not overly so. The view at the bottom was sublime, the water color is so blue in the deeper pools. Then we hiked through the campground. It was a little depressing seeing all of the stuff that campers had left behind, gathered up around a picnic table. Onward through the campground, which ends at the top of Mooney Falls. This is when it got interesting. There is a steep rocky descent after some nice views of the falls, and you get to an opening in the rock, with steps leading down a near vertical cave to a stretch of rocks to be descended, followed by another passage through a tunnel. Then you get to the area with chains to hang onto as you descend a slippery rock face, using a log ladder with steps cuts out at one point. More rock face descent brings you to a ladder that drops you to near the base of the falls, by the pool. There are gloves at the top and bottom of this descent, which people use to get more traction with the chains. They were useful. At the base, the mist from the falls is significant. We all got down safely and didn't have to wait to descend. We continued on for a time before coming to the first water crossing. Tom off our hiking boots and put on water shoes. The water was cool but not cold, and it got above my knees. Current wasn't too fast. To the other side, where we continued on the trail, which would periodically ascend through rocks and descend to near water level. Hiked for less than as mile before crossing back to the other side. We just kept our water shoes on for the rest of the hike until getting back to the initial shoe-change point. Water was a little less deep at the second crossing. We continued on through a leafy plant area again periodically heading up and down to break up the monotony. There was a third river crossing, about the same as the first, and here we started down several descents with some steepness and length to them. There were periodic cascade falls in the river, and the water color was sublime. Eventually we got to the approach to Beaver Falls, but before that we had to climb a ladder ascent that was kinda sketchy. The descent to the base of Beaver Falls was not trivial but worth the effort. As far as we could tell, we were the first ones to get there on this day. We had some food and a break, and I tried to recharge my watch, with not much success. After the food break, Connor walked along the water by the cliff edge and through the water to get into the second pool above the last cascade. Eventually the others joined him, so I got my dry bag out and put my phone in it and waded into the water. It was worth it. We walked around that pool, and Charlie and Connor swam further up toward the next cascade. I wasn't set up to do that, so I just hung out in the pool and got some good pics. Others started showing up as well, so that it was quite busy by the time we packed up our stuff and started the ascent. The hike back followed the same route, and the descent on the aluminum ladder was still sketchy. I stopped after this descent and rinsed out my shoes, getting behind the others and having to scramble to catch up with them. We also missed the point where the last water crossing was, following the trail until it couldn't be followed any more. Turned around and crossed at a point that was a little deeper than the original crossing, and I almost lost my footing at one point. Would have gotten my phone wet again, but I kept upright. We made it across and backtracked to the picnic bench where the original crossing was, and we switched out our shoes. Not too long afterwards, we got to the base of Mooney Falls, where it was slippery and muddy and a little chilly. The ascent was, by all accounts, easier than the descent. You could see your footholds better and using your arms to pull you up was easier to do. My trekking poles, which I didn't end up using, kept getting in the way on the ascent, and it made things more dicey at times. Past this stretch, it was just a slog to get back to the village. For the most part, Charlie and Connor walked ahead while I kept my pace the same as Leslie's. I didn't remember there being as much climbing after we got to the top of Havasu Falls. This was the one major time in the hike where we were consistently in the sun, so we lucked out on the hike. I was feeling okay during the uphill sections, but I was getting tired. Made it back to the village outskirts and then into the village proper, where we stopped at the café and had a snack, with me going for the fry bread with honey, chocolate sauce, and powdered sugar. It was pretty good, definitely worth trying. Then it was back to the lodge, which we reached around 3:00. The rest of the day and evening were low-key, showers and dinner and conversation. The portable stove worked very well again, what a cool little gadget. My leg muscles were sore in the evening, will see how they feel in the morning.