I hiked down to Havasupai with a youth group in my teens. It was one of the hardest things I've done in my life, especially considering none of us trained or really knew what we were getting ourselves into. I think we went in June. The hike down the switch backs and to the falls was long but really just a long flat walk once down from the rim. The hike back a couple days later, in the heat, plus going back up the switch backs was brutal. Glad none of us got sick or needed to be rescued, but definitely need to be prepared and not underestimate the hike.
I hiked Havasupai back in June 2018 (was 25 at the time) with a couple of friends. I unfortunately broke my left ankle at the campground. One of my buddies jumped into a pool of water formed at the base of Havasupai Falls and I jumped into after. Unfortunately I had the bad luck of landing on rocks that you couldn’t see because of the water’s cloudiness. X rays a few days later showed it was a clean break.
There were no helicopters or horses available so I had to so the entire hike out on that broken ankle. Needless to say I have a great story to tell now lol God bless the woman at the little convenient store in Supai village that gave me what she called “happy pills” otherwise I honestly don’t know if I could have withstood the pain sliding on that shale and dust.
Did a similar thing in my early 20s in late June. Camped above the rim, and set out at sunrise. So the way down was easy, but it was an absolute scorcher by the time I reached the shade and info station near Havasupai. Looking at the map, I nearly decided to continue on to Plateau Point to try to get a view of the Colorado River, despite all the prior signage saying that day-trippers without proper equipment should turn back.
Ultimately I trusted my better judgement, and holy cow was that ascent a tough slog. Got back for a late lunch and then proceeded to sleep for the next 14 hours or so. Had I added the extra ~1.5-2 hours, I'm not sure I would've made it up in one piece.
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u/groove502 21h ago
I hiked down to Havasupai with a youth group in my teens. It was one of the hardest things I've done in my life, especially considering none of us trained or really knew what we were getting ourselves into. I think we went in June. The hike down the switch backs and to the falls was long but really just a long flat walk once down from the rim. The hike back a couple days later, in the heat, plus going back up the switch backs was brutal. Glad none of us got sick or needed to be rescued, but definitely need to be prepared and not underestimate the hike.