A Grand Adventure

Last weekend I went on a crazy hike and camping trip to Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon. It was quite the adventure from the beginning...

We were all a bit misinformed about the nature of the hike, and only after I mentioned it to my parents the day before the trip did we discover that we were about to embark on the most intense hike of my life. Fortunately, my dad had been on the hike, and was able to outfit us as well as advise us to get mules to carry our stuff. So, with some apprehension on my part, we set off from my parents' house in Gilbert.The trip included Brian, a friend of Lori's from Washington D.C. (the trip was his brainchild and wouldn't have happened without him), Lori, Dustin, Hannah, and Steve, Hannah's boyfriend. We drove up to the top of the ridge, and, after a small snowstorm and narrowly avoiding hitting a cow on the road, we camped out, trying to get rest for the hard hike ahead.

We set out the next morning in good spirits, if not fully rested.

The hike down was beautiful, and I couldn't have asked for better company. I'm not naturally a hiker, and I don't often hike, so I was definitely worried about a trek of this magnitude. We took our time, however, and with the encouragement of my team I was able to enjoy most of the day. Unfortunately, around mile 10 I got really discouraged. Even though I had made the effort to break in my hiking boots before the trip, I got some blisters, and between the pain and the fatigue, I began to feel defeated. I've had some pretty hard experiences throughout my life in which I was the last or the slowest or somehow kept a team from reaching a goal or winning a race. So, as I began to move slower and slower, those feelings of inadequacy crept up in my heart, and I began to feel foolish. However, God wouldn't let that stand for too long. He used my team to speak truth where I was hearing lies. As we talked, we continued to walk, and seemingly all-of-a-sudden, I came upon a sight which took my breath away.
I wish I could convey the sound of the rushing water, the sight of white cascades splashing into crystal clear blue pools below, the feeling of the mist gently caressing my face, and the all-out majesty of God's creation in Havasu Falls. As we sat admiring the general splendor, I felt like I heard God say, "this is my creation, and it is good. You, Krista, are my creation too, and you are fearfully and wonderfully made." In the presence of this magnificent sight, Hannah and Lori came with me to God in prayer. It was a milestone for me, connecting with God, hearing truth, and taking in a bit of His might and creativity all at the same time. It was incredible.

We spent some time at the falls, and then continued down into the campsite. We decided to stay an extra day, partly to enjoy the beauty of the place we had just entered, and partly because the idea of hiking out again the next day discouraged us all. Fortunately, we were all pretty new at this backpacking thing, and we packed in way too much food for our original stay. It ended up working out just fine that we could stay for a whole extra day.

So, on Sunday, instead of hiking out of the canyon, we spent much of the day enjoying the sun and the water. We picnicked by the falls, swam in the pools below, and just chilled.

We had heard that it was possible to swim behind the fall, and we watched some other campers as they did so. It was a little crazy, because at some point we lost sight of them, and so it was hard to tell if they were okay until they swam back out again. But, swim back out again they did, and so we decided to try. With Dustin leading the way, five of us jumped into the freezing cold water and began to swim along the rock wall leading to the fall. At the edge of the fall, there was a point where you had to hoist yourself from the rock wall to a ledge on which you could sit behind the fall. There was a gap between the two, however, and so it took some maneuvering. Dustin got onto the ledge and Hannah went next. She fell into the water, but with Dustin's help was able to get up on the ledge. Watching Hannah fall gave Lori and I second thoughts, but we had gone that far, so we went for it. Lori went next, got onto the ledge, and then it was my turn. I fell. Fortunately, Dustin was right there to grab my arms to try and pull me up. Unfortunately, it was pretty difficult, and with each failed attempt to climb up, I got more and more exhausted. Finally, with the help of Dustin pulling my arms from above and Steve pushing my feet from below, the three of us got me onto the ledge. I huddled together with Hannah and Lori until Steve joined us, and then we just took in the fact that there we were, behind the fall. Everyone was fairly cold (although I think adrenaline from falling in kept me from shivering like the rest of them), so we didn't actually spend much time there, but it was pretty amazing. I mean, how often do you get to sit behind a waterfall and look out from it instead of into it? It felt a little Last of the Mohicans - esque...

The victorious swimmers:

I'm grateful for Dustin's Herculean strength, and at least for a little while I'll have a memento of the occasion in the bruises on my arms.

This picture was taken a couple hours after we got out of the water, and I must say it doesn't do justice to the black and blue on both of my arms today. :)

We enjoyed the falls, enjoyed each other, and enjoyed star-gazing in a sky untainted by city lights. Then, on Monday, it was time to hike out once more. It was probably the hardest hike I've ever done, but God did the coolest thing in my heart. He protected me from discouragement, and even allowed me to enjoy the trek. We hiked through the bottom of the canyon

and then up a series of intense switch-backs along the canyon wall to the top.
With our successful ascent, we had to celebrate. We had the perfect thing waiting for us in a cooler in the car... a little wine, bread and cheese. It was the perfect way to end our time at the canyon.

God is so good!