Once upon a time, there were two twin brothers who were born near Mooney Falls in the lower part of Havasu Canyon. The older brother was stronger than the younger brother. They both then came to upper Havasu Canyon. There was no water in that part of the canyon then, and it was quite hot. The younger man said to his brother that they should find a place that had abundant reserves of water and corn. Both of them reached the Hopi Trail, which stretches through the upper part of Havasu Canyon. The brothers then traveled to the forest lands to hunt in order to secure a huge bundle of buckskins. They decided to continue their journey in search of better land. They carried extremely heavy loads on their backs and the younger brother started to cry. He said that it was not possible to for him to go further than the Little Colorado River. Both brothers agreed to sleep and rest for a while before deciding what to do next. When they woke up, the younger brother told the older one that he wanted to return to Havasu Canyon. The older brother decided to continue on to the Hopi Mesas and he gave a small bit of corn to his younger brother to plant upon his return to Havasu Canyon. Because of this token amount, the Havasupai do not grow very much corn. The older brother found the lands that are now inhabited by the Hopi and began to reside there. He grew plenty of corn because he had brought a large supply with him. Meanwhile, the younger brother discovered water when he returned to Havasu and planted his little bit of corn there.
— Havasupai Origin Legend
The Havasupai are a native american tribe. They have lived in the Grand Canyon for at least 800 years. “Havasu” means Blue-Green water, and “Pai” means people. The tribe was displaced multiple times including at the creation of the Grand Canyon National Park. The tribe is now concentrated in one of the most remote places in the continental US, a village called Supai which is on the Havasu Creek, which contains a series of stunning waterfalls and canyons before it gets to the Colorado river. The village is only reachable by a dirt trail by foot or by mule, or also by helicopter.
It was an unforgettable backpacking trip to hike the 12 miles from the trailhead to the campground to visit this magical. The water is a stunning Blue-Green from the stones in the area, and it is at a constant 20C (68F) all year round. This is a series of photos taken during the 3-day weekend trip for Bakulia’s 30th birthday (She gets photo credit on some of the photos).
Truly spectacular! What a wonderful journey – thanks for sharing it with us.
Thank you Marady!
So fantastic – thanks for sharing!