one down
when i was a teenager, i remember GQ releasing an article defining "30 things to do before you are 30." i wish i could recall or find that list. as i think of it, there is a very strong possibility that it was crap. i'm sure it contained things like owning a custom-made saville row suit, summitting everest or cruising around the world. you know, things that the average real man will have a difficult time accomplishing. frankly, pursuing a list made by someone else is a complete departure from the whole intent of the reasoning behind a list of this type. the point of something like this is to discover activities or goals that inspire the individual. when inspiration is the driving force, exhilaration and fulfillment are possible. otherwise the result is reminiscent of edward norton's character in "the italian job." though he had won untold wealth, he had no imagination with which to enjoy his fortune. instead, he copied the fantasies his former friends had described to him. sad.
i do remember dunking a basketball being on the GQ list. bully for me.
in the past couple of weeks, i have accomplished something that has been on my personal, ever-evolving, unwritten list of things to do before i die. i made it to havasu falls.
i first read of havasu falls about 20 years ago. some magazine had done a story about the falls and their remoteness and unsurpassed beauty. as one of my favorite things in the world has always been to swim in natural water sources, havasu was immediately deposited into my mind as a future pilgrimage. though i have come close a couple of times in the past, it wasn't until last week that my desires came to actual fruition.
like frodo, i set off as part of a group of eight companions. included were many of my favorite people: my brother, my dad, brian, dave smith and his son mason, brian's girlfriend andrea, and most importantly - my son. i was a little nervous about him since the hike into the falls would be pretty strenuous and he had never done anything this ambitious. he did very well.
there a few good things along the way to supai:
we saw billy the kids alleged gravesite.
anytime i go anywhere near blue hole, i am stopping for a swim. the day there was beautiful, and the water was as refreshing as always. it took j-man a long time to get in. eventually he did.
we returned to the el rancho in gallup. we only had a meal there; but, it's always good for a visit.
i finally visited the painted desert and the petrified forest. it's really not much more than an afternoon of activity; but, as with all things in the desert, i was fascinated.
perhaps rashly, we rushed on up to the grand canyon's south rim. it was a bit late in the afternoon by the time we got there, and there was a thick blanket of haze in the air; but, nothing could have diminished the unyielding grandeur of this singular sight. no picture can capture or even approach its magnificence. i must return for a better look, and a stiffer hike.
finally we were off to the havasupai reservation. after hiking 10 miles through water starved red-rocked canyons and then following the sounds of the rushing water of havasu creek, we rounded a corner to find ourselves at the top of the falls.
often, the actuality of a thing fails to meet the exectation. to tell the truth, i think it usually falls short. this place is the exception that defines the rule. i think it was everything i had hoped it would be. it is an unbelievably beautiful place. quiet. rejuvenating. the waters were a lovely blue-green color yet, nearly as clear as i have ever seen. the force of the water falling over the cliff and impacting the surface of the pool if sufficient to create a constant wind down by the falls, and the infusing of water into the air causes the temperature surrounding the falls to be strikingly cooler than just 50 yards away. the cottonwood trees rising from the desert are a welcome respite from the unforgiving sun. the limiting of tourist numbers employed by the tribe insures that the experience remains true. a crowd of people will ruin nearly anything, and the havasupai seem to do much to prevent this situation. i thank them. i had a supernal experience on their lands, and am thankful they allow us to visit.
on the other hand, the 7 to 800 dollars our group spent over two days should go a long way to guaranteeing that we will be welcomed back any time in the future.
a return trip to havasu? i need to put that on my list.
i do remember dunking a basketball being on the GQ list. bully for me.
in the past couple of weeks, i have accomplished something that has been on my personal, ever-evolving, unwritten list of things to do before i die. i made it to havasu falls.
i first read of havasu falls about 20 years ago. some magazine had done a story about the falls and their remoteness and unsurpassed beauty. as one of my favorite things in the world has always been to swim in natural water sources, havasu was immediately deposited into my mind as a future pilgrimage. though i have come close a couple of times in the past, it wasn't until last week that my desires came to actual fruition.
like frodo, i set off as part of a group of eight companions. included were many of my favorite people: my brother, my dad, brian, dave smith and his son mason, brian's girlfriend andrea, and most importantly - my son. i was a little nervous about him since the hike into the falls would be pretty strenuous and he had never done anything this ambitious. he did very well.
there a few good things along the way to supai:
we saw billy the kids alleged gravesite.
anytime i go anywhere near blue hole, i am stopping for a swim. the day there was beautiful, and the water was as refreshing as always. it took j-man a long time to get in. eventually he did.
we returned to the el rancho in gallup. we only had a meal there; but, it's always good for a visit.
i finally visited the painted desert and the petrified forest. it's really not much more than an afternoon of activity; but, as with all things in the desert, i was fascinated.
perhaps rashly, we rushed on up to the grand canyon's south rim. it was a bit late in the afternoon by the time we got there, and there was a thick blanket of haze in the air; but, nothing could have diminished the unyielding grandeur of this singular sight. no picture can capture or even approach its magnificence. i must return for a better look, and a stiffer hike.
finally we were off to the havasupai reservation. after hiking 10 miles through water starved red-rocked canyons and then following the sounds of the rushing water of havasu creek, we rounded a corner to find ourselves at the top of the falls.
often, the actuality of a thing fails to meet the exectation. to tell the truth, i think it usually falls short. this place is the exception that defines the rule. i think it was everything i had hoped it would be. it is an unbelievably beautiful place. quiet. rejuvenating. the waters were a lovely blue-green color yet, nearly as clear as i have ever seen. the force of the water falling over the cliff and impacting the surface of the pool if sufficient to create a constant wind down by the falls, and the infusing of water into the air causes the temperature surrounding the falls to be strikingly cooler than just 50 yards away. the cottonwood trees rising from the desert are a welcome respite from the unforgiving sun. the limiting of tourist numbers employed by the tribe insures that the experience remains true. a crowd of people will ruin nearly anything, and the havasupai seem to do much to prevent this situation. i thank them. i had a supernal experience on their lands, and am thankful they allow us to visit.
on the other hand, the 7 to 800 dollars our group spent over two days should go a long way to guaranteeing that we will be welcomed back any time in the future.
a return trip to havasu? i need to put that on my list.
posted by cm at 8/04/2007
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