Havasupai - The Rope Swing Experiment - Chance

More, Havasupai Hike Pics.

Chye and Mike;  Cody and Laurie in front of the vast grape vine valley.

Chance and Tara in front of the grapes, May 2012

Cody holding proof of where we were headed.

This was a sort of marking rock.

Tara and Chance.

The rope swing from Havasupai

We really had a good time on the rope swing.

Swing.... Baby, Swing....

Chye was game to swing on the rope swing.

Swing.... Mike!

Cody, the Albino Squat-ch.

Chance, with a group of paparazzi, looking on.

Tara even took a turn to swing out.

Laurie is as much of an adrenalin junky as her hubby is.

GASP.... from the waterfall!

   The water was cold.... We all had to gasp for air!

Havasupi

Feet Extrodinair - Havasupai Hike -

Chance and Tara went hiking (this may already be a mistake, considering Tara's aversion to the "recreational activity")

We went with Chance's brother Cody and his wife Laurie.  Chyelin and Mike were able to come too.

Just a quick overview of what this hike entails.  It is up at the Grand Canyon in Northern Arizona.  When you finish your long drive up to the trail head, you begin the hike by going down a bunch of steep switch backs.  Then there is a descent into the actual canyon which is not too tough, but it does have a small incline.  Finally, the Native American village is reached where you check in and pay for your camp site.  What is not said is that the hike is supposed to be 8 miles in and 2 more from the village.  Those numbers are a LIE!  Realize that it is more and then the frustration on length is not as great.
Once we finally got into the camp site, we were exhausted.  We still had to set up camp and eat something.  Cody choose the camp site.  It turned out to be a great spot.  We were on a bit of higher ground which was good because occasionally, there are flash floods in the canyon.  We were next to a stream.  Thank Goodness!  We waded in and soaked our feet and calves.  The water was COLD.  But the numbing factor was delightful.  After we ate a little, we went to the closest of the four waterfalls.  It was Havasu.  We waded in and cooled off.  Some guy told us that we could get behind the waterfall and dive through it.  So of course that is what had to happen!  Tara did not go (no water shoes and the bottom of the water hole was like sand paper).  But some awesome shots were taken of some diving through the falling water.  Check them out.

Chance diving through the waterfall.

Victorious Chance

Four adventurers Scalling the rock to get to the waterfall.

Laurie Diving through the falls

Mike Diving through the falls.

little hike in the Mountains of Arizona

Chance and Aaron took their girls hiking in the Mountains of Arizona.

They had a really good time.  January is a Grand time to hike.  

The weather was sublime (very low 70's)

Natalie and Aaron

sidneyjade

 

jessica, sidneyjade, natalie

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Thanksgiving 2011 - Nice

I really like these shots.  They are just really nice. 

Family Fossle Springs trip Sept 2011

Chance and Drex had so much fun, we all decided to try it.  We went the first part of September

It was too hot again.  And the hike is 8 miles round trip.  OH what a big mistake.  I about died!  Sidney Jade twisted her ankle.  We ran out of water, and Drex had to save us all.

We were about two miles from the top (going steeply up) and all of us were out of water.  Drex offered to go and get some more out of the car (that is two miles out, and two back in to where we were, and two more back out to the car again.  Drex actually had on three packs, his, mine (Tara) and his sisters... and ran out of the canyon! Just so you get a glimpse of what Drex was taking on in 110 degrees).
We agreed and continued slowly climbing out of the canyon.
Drex caught back up to us about 25 minutes later with  the water.  We had made it about half a mile.
Thank you Big ol boy... you saved us.  (by the way, we did go in in with lots of water.  Chance had 10 water bottles, Drex had 8, I had 8 and Sidney jade had 6 bottles.  So it was not like we went out to hike with no water)

Apparently there were others he encountered on his trek out that had the same issue of water.  Drex came up on a lady in her 20's.  He paused on his "run" (because that is actually what he was doing out of the canyon) and asked her to get the water bottle out of his pack , which was under my pack and SidneyJade's pack. She told him her story.  She and her boyfriend had run out of water.  The boyfriend ran the rest of the way out to get her more water as she slowly finished the clime.  Drex also saw a lady with several capri sun juice drinks that she was taking in.  Drex chatted in passing and she was the one sent to bring back hydration for her husband and little boy.
When Drex got to the car and was dumping the packs.  Some guy in a car hollered a greeting something like "good job! you made it out"  when Drex explained that he was going back in with water for his family, the guy gave drex some fizzy energy tablets that desolve in water (like vitamin B and such) and a positive words.

It was really nice to see how helpful and kind strangers can be when there is a problem.  They all wanted to be as helpful as possible.

In short... Hiking Bad!  Just kidding.  But Hiking is good in mild weather.

Just thought I would put in some of the pictures that we took.  It was really pretty and we had a great time in the water.

Fossle Springs -Chance and Drex June 2011

Chance and Drex hiked up to this little oasis in Arizona in June -  Maybe April would be better next time.  It was HOT!

But the falls are fantastic!

ahhh- beach life

California Beaches....what a way to play.










digging in the sand















































Chance....Just relax under that umbrella.













Drex got very cold in the very cold water. Wrap up Boy!

Magic Anniversary

Sometimes I am so grateful for a break.... Spring Break! Chance and I went away for our Magic Anniversary. We had seventeen years on March 17th. Ta dah!

We went hiking through a cave called Peppersauce in Oracle Arizona. Pretty fun! It was nice and cool inside the cave. We wore helmets....boy was I glad too. I Kept conking my head on the ceiling as I was climbing through.

Anywho.... I am so grateful for a good man! Thanks Chance.... Kisses and all my love... Tara