Arizona Hiking: Gearing up for an adventure and birthday in Havasupai

After a decade and a half, I’m heading back to Havasupai for a three-day, two-night adventure.

My bag is packed – probably with too many goodies – and I’m ecstatic to see some waterfalls, blue-green water, and sleep under the stars. Even better, I get to turn 26 surrounded by friends and amongst nature – is there anything better?

The hike itself will be mundane for the most part. It’s about 10 miles with ~ 8.5 of it being flat as your trudge through sand/dirt to the Havasupai village (and then some more to the camping spots). The only difficult part, on the main trail at least, will be the final switchbacks getting us back to the cars.

By that time all the goodies will be eaten so I’ll hopefully have a light pack for the final push!

What is not ideal is the mini-cold front hitting us as we head out. Our Tuesday AM start may well begin with the temperatures below freezing at the top of the trailhead and will stay under 70 degrees. Overall, the day temperatures should look something like this: 66 on Tuesday, 79 on Wednesday (good enough to go swimming in my book), and 72 on Thursday as we hike out.  (It’s forecasted to hit the 80’s and/or 90’s the week after we’re there.)

This is my first big backpacking trip as an adult and I’m full of excitement and nerves. I doubt anything will go wrong but whenever there’s no clean running water and you only have your water purifier to rely on, there’s always a risk. (I did my pre-check and it all works… don’t worry Dad.)

I’ll have plenty of pictures and blog posts to share once I get back.

Until next time adventurers, take care and be safe.

You can follow along for the journey on Facebook and Instagram or shoot me any questions and comments about places to go. And don’t forget to subscribe to the blog to get notified when new posts come out!