For the last day of our amazing challenge, we leave the magic scenery of the canyon behind as we have a tough, but exhilarating trek back up to the canyon’s rim. Once at the top, we will be met by our vehicles and transferred to the thrilling city of Las Vegas with a side trip to the Hoover Dam. Tonight we mark our achievements with a Vegas-style celebratory dinner!
I have already decided that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas especially any money I have.
Today we start with a visit to Supai Village for a Tribal Blessing from one of the Havasupai elders, who will share the story of the tribe’s history and offer an official tribal welcoming and blessing. We then proceed to Rock Falls and Little Navajo Falls for lunch with the inevitable quick dip. The afternoon offers exploration of Carbonate Canyon and the mine and if we have enough energy then we trek an old trail with views of Havasu Falls. For our final evening we will relax in the shade of spreading cottonwoods while enjoying our last back-country dinner.
Today we begin our exploration of one of the most beautiful places on the planet! The enchanting turquoise waters of the creek and the breathtaking waterfalls of the canyon are a tropical paradise and a true anomaly in the southwest desert. Our hike involves creek-crossings, climbing in and out of gorges and plenty of scrambling around as well as swimming and jumping from some of the falls. Once the group has had the chance to appreciate the full grandeur of the canyon we will make our way back to camp for a delicious dinner.
It’s five am and I can’t sleep. It turns out I’m not immune to jet lag in the way I’m apparently not immune to death. Yesterday we walked the rim (yes, that’s hilarious).
It is so beautiful out there. It’s like someone fired a shotgun into the Earth and just let the raw wound of twisted rock sit and scab. As far as the eye could see only accounted for 10% of what the total of the Canyon is. Grand Canyon National Park itself is 1.2 million acres. The parks here are as big as the portions and GC has been super sized (*makes a note of that for the book and congratulates oneself*). Everyone here is so friendly it puts me on edge. They all want to know how I’m doing and they won’t settle for anything less than “swell!” as a response. We went for dinner in the most American “family restaurant buffet” going. There was an old man in the corner doing bad covers of Creedence Clearwater Revival songs and the man on the table next to us was wearing a masked intruder t-shirt and kept disappearing, leaving his young family to fend for themselves. The waitress tottered about remembering everything off the top of her head. I refused to eat food I hadn’t heard mentioned in the Hollywood movies of my childhood so got a plate of brisket, shrimp, corn dogs, mac n cheese and ice tea for dinner.
I’m tired but I can’t sleep.
I’m hungry but even the bread tastes like diabetes.
I’ve seen enough tarantulas but not enough hiking.
Today, as Jamiriquai famously said, we are going deeper underground.
After an early breakfast we head along the canyon to the Hualapai Hilltop and the trail that represents the only land access to Supai Village, home to the Havasupai tribe. The hike begins at 1,645 metres and descends, before leveling off in a beautiful red sandstone canyon. After 13 kilometers of hiking and a descent of 600 metres, we arrive at the Supai Village, where the Havasupai Indians have made their home for many centuries. A further 3 kilometers brings us to Havasu Campground where a spectacular dinner and exploration of nearby Havasu Falls will round the day off.
We start our challenge with one of the highlights of the trip today. We leave our lodge in Grand Canyon Village and start our walk along the canyon trails, some of the most popular and visually stunning sights in the United States. From our trail the views along and into the Canyon to the roaring Colorado River are breathtaking. Our guides will be with us along the way to bring life to the views with history and geology. After lunch and a good chance to soak in the incredible scenery we head back up to the village. From there we transfer to the local town of Williams after an amazing and unforgettable day at the Grand Canyon.
We depart from London Gatwick on a flight to Las Vegas. I’ve been instructed as usual not to pack my hiking boots but to wear them to the airport and on the flight. If your bag goes missing then you can replace anything except your hiking boots.
We transfer from LV airport to the Grand Canyon National Park. We have already been instructed to get an early night.
Two weeks from today I will be heading to the airport to take part in the third of my charity treks. For those of you who follow my blog closely you will know that this year the trek is across over 70km of the Grand Canyon over five days. I’ve never been to America and the idea of this being my in is very exciting. It is impossible to not be influenced by American culture and some of my favourite writers are from the States and wrote at length about their love for the country.
I first signed up for a trek because of Kerouac. Although he became fairly problematic as a person and became a troubled, bloated and alcoholic version of his former self. The version of Kerouac featured in on the road was not the man he was by the time the book was eventually published and hippies and beatniks hunted him down seeking some kind of sage. It doesn’t matter what the man was like, his words will be here forever and his thoughts on the great stretches of America he traveled across as well as his spirituality and understanding of the universe are what remain. That’s what I love and that’s what I wanted to gain from traveling and writing in the way I do.
I’ve been preparing myself physically and mentally. I’m eating well. I’m running a couple of times a week and heading out on lonely treks through the Essex countryside with a thermos and some sandwiches trying to spend as much time on my feet as possible. I tend to fall off the routine for the rest of the year but in the run up to a trek I get ready to emerge myself in it completely. I can’t wait to fly out. It’s one of the things I enjoy the most.
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Paul Schiernecker 