Retirement Reimagined

Setting out on the next phase of life…

Exploring Havasu Falls and Havasupai Campground in Northwestern Arizona

Hillary shocked me last year by saying she wanted to see Havasu Falls and would be willing to go camping to make it happen.  Hillary had never camped and the thought of sleeping on the ground, sleeping in a tent, eating backpacking meals, and carrying 35-40 pounds on her back had always been beyond consideration. Yet here we were, she was willing to go camping for the experience!We were thrilled to have the opportunity to visit Havasu Falls in...

Climbing Down to Mooney Falls and Hiking to Beaver Falls

At the very end of Havasupai Campground you will find the climb down to Mooney Falls.  In fact, you can't proceed toward Beaver Falls and The Confluence at all without climbing down. There is effectively a massive cliff at this point in the canyon which must be scaled to proceed.We had watched numerous videos on YouTube in advance of the climb so we knew it was steep. We had also seen young(ish) children in these videos of maybe 8-9 years...

Exploring Supai Village, Navajo, Fifty Foot, and Havasu Falls

For our third day (day 1 being the hike in, day 2 was Mooney/Beaver Falls) we decided to head upstream from Havasupai Campground to explore the other big three -- Fifty Foot Falls, Navajo Falls, and Havasu Falls.  Among other things I really wanted to go swimming at the base of one of the falls and had been disappointed that Beaver Falls seemed a bit too risky for my liking. With luck one of the falls today would be amenable.Rather than simply...

The Hike In and Out of Havasupai Campground

The hike to Havasupai Campground begins and ends at Hilltop at the end of Indian Road 18. It's a long way from anywhere. We left our Airbnb about 5 AM for the two hour drive from Kingman Arizona. Leaving this early provided a great opportunity to see the sunrise over the desert, note that the temperature dipped into the high 20s, and arrive at Hilltop before the vast majority of hikers arrived.It's 10 miles from Hilltop to Havasupai Campground....

Changes to the 2024 Plan, Already… Ecuador is out.

We were very excited at the start of 2024 about two major experiences.  One was Ecuador and the other was the possibility of getting permits to hike Havasu Falls.  Barely a month into the new year and there are major updates to share. Ecuador is out and Havasu Falls is a go! /*! elementor - v3.21.0 - 30-04-2024 */ .elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title...