One more full day at Havasu - I wish I could spend a week here! Today we climb up to the rim above the campground. There's actually a series of trails here, with horse droppings here and there. Not sure where the horses come from, but obviously there's a way. We wander along the edge, checking out Havasu Falls and our campground. We eventually make our way to Mooney Falls, but it's still in shadows. We return to our spot above Havasu Falls, where the views are great, but I'm having problems getting good pictures because of the shadows. Descending, we head back to camp and a leisurely lunch. Goat cheese, sun-dried tomato spread, and salami make us sigh with contentment. After a meal like that, a nice nap by the pool would be perfect, so off we go to Havasu Falls. The warm weather has the bikinis in abundance, so we settle in. I relax with a book, then go for another pummelling shoulder massage from the waters. Mike also introduced me to his favorite spot - the "jacuzzi" - where the water boiled all around us.
In the late afternoon, we stir up enough energy to go back to our campsite and grab our headlamps. We return and head up the side canyon past Havasu Falls to a mine on the righthand wall. We wander up and down the passages, together with a couple we met down at the Falls. It was mined as recently as WWII, and contained a high percentage of lead which was in short supply at the time and worth the expense of mining it 60 miles from the nearest railroad. That evening, we worked on finishing off as much food as possible. It wasn't hard - the fajitas were delicious (dehydrated ground beef)!
The hikers Matt and I met on our hike to the Colorado yesterday told us they were leaving around 7 PM tonight, hiking out, and sleeping at the top. Not only did it save them an extra night, but the cool weather and full moon would make it a lot easier. That sounds like a great idea to both of us, particularly as Richard wasn't in the best of shape. Mike agrees, but convincing Richard is a little harder. We finally agree to a 4 AM wake-up call...but somehow my alarm goes off at 1 AM. We break camp and head off. Two dogs join us for our walk. We take our time, resting whenever Richard feels tired. Halfway into the hike, we run into an Indian, hiking without any flashlight, who gets a big greeting from one of the dogs. Turns out it's his dog, so they promptly disappear behind us. We give the other dog a look, are you going to abandon us too???? Evidently not, as he accompanies us all the way to the top. We improvise a bowl using aluminum foil and give him a big drink as well as some crackers as a thank you. We celebrate by having a beer that we had kept cold for just this moment. And let me tell you - cold beer at 7:30 AM is awesome! After a half hour on top, we head off to Kingman and a massive breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Fresh orange juice, apple pancakes, and flush toilets! Toto, we're not in Havasu any more...at least not until next year!!
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One more full day at Havasu - I wish I could spend a week here! Today we climb up to the rim above the campground. There's actually a series of trails here, with horse droppings here and there. Not sure where the horses come from, but obviously there's a way. We wander along the edge, checking out Havasu Falls and our campground. We eventually make our way to Mooney Falls, but it's still in shadows. We return to our spot above Havasu Falls, where the views are great, but I'm having problems getting good pictures because of the shadows. Descending, we head back to camp and a leisurely lunch. Goat cheese, sun-dried tomato spread, and salami make us sigh with contentment. After a meal like that, a nice nap by the pool would be perfect, so off we go to Havasu Falls. The warm weather has the bikinis in abundance, so we settle in. I relax with a book, then go for another pummelling shoulder massage from the waters. Mike also introduced me to his favorite spot - the "jacuzzi" - where the water boiled all around us.
