Lincoln and the Venture and Varsity Scouts had a great time at their High Adventure activity at Havasupai from July 14 to July 17. They had a blast! The hike was long and hard, and it was around 120 degrees outside, but Havasupai is one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Lincoln had been there before, as a 12-year-old Scout, and again as a 14-year-old Varsity Scout, but this was the first time he'd been there since,
19 years later. He did pretty well on the hike, given how old he is! Amazingly, he had no blisters to show for his efforts, although he wished his pack was a little bit lighter on the way down. He was really grateful that each of the guys was tough and did not complain one bit.
He also had the chance to see parts of Havasupai he had never seen before. He had never seen the "New" Navajo Falls before...just the original Navajo Falls. There have been several floods since he last was in Havasupai, the most recent big flood happened in 2008.
He had also never gone past Mooney Falls before this Trip. On Friday, he and a group hiked the extra 4 miles each way through rough terrain (and even having to go rock climbing on one part of the trail) to reach Beaver Falls, the 4th of the 4 Waterfalls that make up Havasupai. The clear, cool, turquoise pools along the trail make for quite the scene. The lime deposits from the water form amazing travertine sculptures and formations. The water temperature was perfect. He and the group stopped and swam about 3 times on their way to Beaver Falls, which was fun. The group also discovered a couple of freshwater springs, old mining caves, and a rope swing that was perfect for jumping in the pools. Lots of the guys did some cliff jumping as well.
There were 12 young men and 5 adult leaders, and we had a very memorable trip. We were also a little lucky, because the following Monday, 160 campers were evacuated from the Campground due to flooding from the Monsoon storms. We had great weather, and we talked a lot as a group each night about missions and mission preparation, and likened it to the trip.
It was a great trip, and a great getaway. He was glad to go, and glad to come home. And he was happy that the group came home in one piece. Outside of a few little complications that made them come home several hours later than planned, the entire trip went off without a hitch!
Steven and Taylor atop "New" Navajo Falls, getting ready to jump
Lincoln in front of Havasu Falls
Bro. Maughan going up the canyon wall leaving Mooney Falls
Lincoln in front of Havasu Falls
Mooney Falls with Mist
On the Way to Beaver Falls
One of the mini-falls just before Beaver Falls
They couldn't resist!
Lincoln and his hiking buddy Spencer arriving at "New" Navajo Falls
1 comment:
So pretty!! Howard and I have that as our goal to hike Havasupai. hopefully next summer? Neither one of us have ever done it!
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