Havasu - Supai update

[spethmd]

No one has provided updates regarding the condition of the canyon below Supai. I could not get down there this summer as originally planned and apologize for that. I have countless questions.

Has the trail from Supai to the campground been restored where it used to go, or does it go on the other side? Does the new waterfall between Supai and Havasu Falls provide any recreational opportunities? How is the campground? Has the spring house been excavated? Has the stream been routed back into its original streambed to the right of the campground? Has the pool been reformed below Havasu Falls? Are there any travertine dams and pools between Havasu Falls and Mooney Falls? Is the pool reformed below Mooney Falls? Is the travertine pool still there below Mooney Falls where one used to be able to climb up into the tree above it, swing out on a rope and drop down into the pool?

How are the Indians dealing with all of this? Have many left the canyon?

I would so appreciate hearing the answers to these questions and many more. Possibly someone could provide photos.

Thanks so muc.

Pete Speth
_________________
The splendor of the Earth as it once was, in its natural beauty, must be restored. That is our every responsibility and duty for our children, grand children and posterity.

[azbackpackr]

There are quite a few triplogs available. I don't think any Indians would have left, since Supai Village itself wasn't greatly affected, and they have big floods almost every year, so they know how to deal with it. They had plenty of work to do, working on the trails, and now there's the influx of visitors for them to deal with, all wanting to see the new falls. I've seen photos of people jumping off the new falls, so it does provide some recreation. In the photos the new trail is very wide--it will take quite a while for new vegetation to grow up around it. I believe they had to bring in heavy equipment for some of the work. I know they've sandbagged around the pond below Havasu Falls, which they have done in the past after floods. This method works very well. It causes travertine to form over the bags and creates a new pond.

Your specific questions re the rope swing, etc., are answered in the various discussions, I'll give you some links--you'll just have to read through them. Quite a few hikers who knew the area very well went back and they talk about what is new and what is missing. I've gone through and found some links for you since I had to call in sick today--getting over a yucky cough...nothing much else to do but sit here...

Here are a bunch of triplogs and photos: http://www.hikearizona.com/x.php?I=4&ZTN=58&UID=0

I think this is the one people jump off of:
http://www.hikearizona.com/phoZOOM.php?ZIP=106397

Sandbagged pool:
http://www.hikearizona.com/phoZOOM.php?ZIP=105660

Here's one that gets circulated around quite a bit:
http://www.downthetrail.com/grand-canyon/new-waterfalls-at-havasu-june-2009/

A bunch of recent discussions:
http://www.hikearizona.com/dex2/viewforum.php?f=55

[spethmd]

Thank you very much for the links. I had been away and out of contact.
Regards,
Peter Speth
_________________
The splendor of the Earth as it once was, in its natural beauty, must be restored. That is our every responsibility and duty for our children, grand children and posterity.

[mr2005]

http://www.havasupaihike.com/

hope this helps

[beckett]

Nice photos...thanks!
_________________
"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out."

-- Walter Winchell, American newspaper commentator

[spethmd]

Hi,
Thank you so much for the excellent photos and descriptions. You mentioned how fortunate you are to have seen it prior to the flood of 2008. Can you imagine how we feel having been there regularly since 1975!
One question regarding Mooney --- the tree growing above the first travertine pool below Mooney --- prior to the flood one could climb up into the crotch of the tree where there was a rope. You could swing out and drop into the pool below. I heard that the pool below is now too shallow. Is that true? If so, are any efforts being made to deepen that pool?
You mention that the stream just flows from Havasu Falls to Mooney Falls past the campground without any travertine pools. Are the Indians planning to create any pools along that course with sand bags? And are the Indians planning to recreate any of the pools beyond the main pool they have formed below Havasu Falls?
I suppose that the things I am asking here are not priorities. But maybe when they get done with the priorities, do you think they will consider any of these lost amenities?
Thanks again,
Pete Speth
_________________
The splendor of the Earth as it once was, in its natural beauty, must be restored. That is our every responsibility and duty for our children, grand children and posterity.

[mr2005]

[mr2005]

[spethmd]