Canyon Country

The vibrant colors reminded me of azurite-malachite, a blue and green stone that’s said to encourage new perspectives and clear understanding and to bring peace and harmony into your life—so too does the land of the Havasupai tribe, the “people of the blue-green waters”. In 2012 I was in an oppressive relationship that didn’t support adventurous hikes into the wilderness, so when I learned of Havasu Falls, a desert oasis nestled deep in a remote area of the Grand Canyon, I begrudgingly added it to my “someday” list. The canyon called my name. I could hear it begging me to bathe in its tropical-colored waters. I eventually moved on from that relationship and the canyon cries grew louder. Then I started dating someone new, and I shared with him my dream to hike the Havasupai Trail. This past fall, he joined me on that epic journey.

Rays of hot sun peeked over the plateau’s rim as we descended to the canyon floor. A mule train trotted towards us, then vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving the tranquility of the canyon in its dust. Bright red sandstone walls rose up from the earth around us, the crystal clear aquamarine Havasu Creek seemingly emerged from nowhere, and two watchmen (known as wii’gliva) towered over us as we approached the village of Supai, an isolated tribal community that is home to the sacred waterfalls we were chasing.

Beyond the village, the creek exploded over a couple smaller waterfalls and eight hundred feet of travertine terraces. The mind-blowing scene reduced my vocabulary to “wow,” and “oh my god,” and it was immediately clear we should have planned a much longer visit. The sun pierced through the crystal blue water, illuminating the travertines. We began to hear a massive roar as the canyon wall swallowed us up and gave way to a steep cliff. Just then I caught my first glimpse of the majestic Havasu Falls raging over travertine curtains that looked like petrified waterfalls frozen in time, plunging 100 feet into an alcove below. Until that moment, I still thought it was too good to be true, but as the sun shined brightly across the creek, the fiery red canyon face and the Caribbean-like water nearly took my breath away. This was real life…and I couldn’t believe it was mine. I looked over at the man who had traveled here with me, and I was overcome with joy, love and gratitude. It was clear I had made the right choice. If I hadn’t walked away from my previous life, I would have missed out on this otherworldly experience.