An Oasis in the Desert
A 12-mile hike in the beating sun, through slot canyons, vast, arid valleys, and along the edges of steep precipices. I was carrying enough backpacking gear to survive for 4 days, as well as some camera gear - as much as I could with the space left in my pack. After climbing some 2,000+ feet down into the Grand Canyon and camping for three nights, I would have to do it all over again on the fourth day… only this time, going uphill. That’s what it took to get this shot.
An iPhone shot capturing the scene you see above.
This waterfall, fed by a nearby travertine spring, looks almost fake - like a photographer got overexcited with the saturation slider in Lightroom. When you looked at this photo, you probably thought that’s exactly what I did! But this is not a case of over-editing. Believe it or not, this photo is truthful to the colors I saw in person. It really is that blue.
A second waterfall, about a mile downstream of the main falls pictured above.
Pretty amazing, isn’t it?
Aside from the spectacular scenery I hiked through on my way to these waterfalls, I also got to walk through a small, very unique village. This waterfall is located on the ancestral lands of the Havasupai people. These Native Americans have made a living in the Grand Canyon for centuries, and miraculously, still do so. While they were pushed around and mistreated by the US government, they were fortunate enough to have not been entirely displaced, to have not been forced to move thousands of miles away from their homeland. Unlike most Native American people, their home was not taken from them, and so this special little slice of paradise on earth is protected by the Havasupai people who have always lived there.
There are no roads to get to the village, no way to get a vehicle in. All supplies and products are either packed in on mules, flown in via a helicopter, or made right there in the village. Historically, the turquoise waters of this creek breathed life into the village, providing them with the water necessary to grow crops and keep themselves hydrated and fed. This is what has allowed them to thrive in such a dry, otherwise inhospitable environment.
Animals thrive here as well. Great blue herons, bighorn sheep, and western diamondback rattlesnakes are just a few of the species that can be found (and that I myself or people I spoke to saw) in the canyon. The creek also gives these species life, either through simply being a water source, or by providing habitat for prey, like fish, mice, and other rodents.
The creek creates what is truly an oasis in the desert. A paradise for both people and animals, and I feel so fortunate to have been allowed onto the scared lands of the Havasupai people to experience it. These are a few of the photos I came away with… I hope you all enjoy them. I certainly enjoyed getting to experience such a beautiful place to take them.
The Milky Way rising over the falls - taken around 3AM on my final night in the canyon!