Day 18: Sedona AZ to Havasupai Canyon Campground

We had planned to leave our Sedona campground and perhaps hike in Oak Creek Canyon before going to Flagstaff and figuring out what to do. North of our campsite turned out to just be a viewpoint without any spectacular hikes in sight so we found ourselves at a Mickey D's in Flag at about 11am. A quick call to Havasupai Reservation revealed that we could not delay, they only had reservations available for tonight and tomorrow night...and we were a 3-4 hour drive and a 10 mile hike away from the campground. 

Time to ZOOM! We zipped miles to the west and then 60miles north on an Indian Road up to Hualapai Hilltop parking lot. There we hastily packed our daypacks (bummer didn't bring our multiday packs) and strapped on tents and all sorts of things onto the outsides (ooh, so heavy and awkward). We then joined the mule trains heading down the steep switchbacks leading to the valley floor and began our hike as fast as we could to get to the Supai village office by 6pm and to the campsite before dark. 3 hours and 8 miles later we registered and then hiked the final 2 miles in the dark to find the campground pretty full and spaces limited. A friendly couple called us over and we set up near them and chatted into the night while bugs whapped off of our faces, attracted to the table light, and bats mercifully snapped them up out of the air above our heads. 

The stars were awesome! Havasupai canyon is one of the canyons off of the Grand Canyon and if we had it in us, we could have hiked to the Colorado and laughed at the National Park closure cuz we would have still been there!! But, it was 14mi round trip, too long, too tired, too little time. Next time. 

A delicious freeze dried meal for dinner (thanks Grandma!) and we called it a night. Nothing like falling asleep in a tent outside without a rainfly, looking up at the starry night sky, shooting stars every twenty seconds or so. God's creation is amazing!