The Havasupai Shuffle
A love letter to the Havasupai tribal lands
Hiking the final 1.5 miles straight uphill, carrying 30 pounds of camping gear, I did wonder for a moment if the trip was worth it. But only for a moment. Looking back out over Havasupai valley as my heart rate returned to normal, I felt accomplished.
I could still do hard things. I could hike 30 miles in 3 days, my desk job and too many hours commuting in Southern California traffic be damned. And nature could still stun me and fill me with wonder.
In mid-November I hiked to Havasu Falls, on the Havasupai tribal lands in Arizona. Since 2020, I’d logged into the Havasupai Campground Reservations website, hoping this would be the year I’d nab a permit. No joy. This year, a friend had checked for cancellations on a whim and gotten lucky. I’d jumped at the chance to go. Friends who'd hiked it told me it was a ‘don’t miss,’ and I’d looked longingly at photos online of the aqua-blue falls, with that blue Gatorade colored water that looked doctored.
Sure, I doubted the water actually looked like that. No way, right? Water that color didn’t exist in nature. Passing Havasu Falls on the first day hiking down the valley, I concluded that no, the photos didn’t the water color justice. It looked even more unbelievable in person.
With thighs shaking from nearly 10 miles downhill, and full of Havasupai Taco (beef on delicious fry bread) from Supai Village (no photos allowed), I hiked on to the campground. Even the campsite views were unreal. I set up camp in the secluded valley as it dove into darkness.
Over the next two days, I scaled down wet chains to the bottom of Mooney Falls, soaked and exhilarated. I waded through frigid river crossings (the highest up to my waist) on the way to Beaver Falls. I walked over sketchy wooden planks. I felt alive.
The Jungle, canyon walls on both sides, covered in ivy, with trees over the river, competed for the most beautiful hiking I’d done anywhere. I stopped so often to gawk and take photos the hike took twice as long as the All Trails estimate.
No cell phone service. No distractions. I was surrounded by nature, in this wild and remote place. I felt my battery recharging. I couldn’t even remember those Outlook messages from a few days before.
The trip ended too soon. Hobbling through Arby’s after the hike, a guy in line laughed and said, “Oh, I see you’re doing the Havasupai Shuffle. How was the hike?”
It was magical.
Awesome read. These falls are now 100% on my to-do list.