My Alpha and me

[Doc]

Looks great, both the kilt and location! Kiltos to you sir!

[Riverkilt]

"Little side canyon??" I don't think so Muffin Man...that's one long haul. You didn't tell these folks that the trail is slick rock sandstone - my last hike in a lady in the party slipped and broke her wrist trying to ease her fall. That led to my first helicopter flight out. A beautiful ride but a long wait since tribal members fly first. Then they load packs at your feet and even in your lap for the folks that paid to have them flown out. And hiking you have to carry water about equal to your weight. And the horse and mule trains racing back and forth on the trail kick trip size rocks all over the trail so you pretty much have to walk with your head down watching for them.



Of course its beautiful once you're past Supai village which seems to grow larger each visit. Havasu Falls is a scenic classic. Mooney Falls is an adventure to climb down and back up through the travertine, but once you're below Mooney Falls its like Eden must have been.

My best trip down my camera broke up at Hualapai Hilltop...so I took it all in with my eyes instead of through the lens of the camera.

Great pics...we need more kilties down there!

Ron

[O'Neille]

Nice pictures. I used to spend Thanksgivings down there. Sometimes housed w/ a dr. friend of mine and sometimes camping. I usually carried double packs the last mile. There was always someone hitting the wall that needed help.

[Riverkilt]

Muffin Man is MUCH too modest.

To get down Mooney Falls you have to clamber through travertine caves and then climb down using a chain...a chain that is always wet from the waterfall spray. I don't have a pic of it but there's one place where you walk along a very narrow travertine ledge and there is a safety chain that's about one foot high along the ledge...as if that somehow will keep you from falling to your death if you slip.

Here's an old pic of the Mooney Falls caves and safety chain...think it was taken about 21 years ago in 1987.



Them are BRAVE lads that climbed down, and back up, that slippery cliff.

Ron

[Riverkilt]

Sorry Muffin Man...a sharp looking Alpha Kilt for sure, but what you and your Boy Scouts did is incredible...and I wanna prove it to the rabble that haven't been down to Supai Village before.



This is near Hualapai Hilltop where the trail starts down from the trailhead. You can see a bit of the trail in the lower left of the pic. Some "little side canyon."



The left pic is the bottom of the cliff after switchbacking down from Hualapai Hilltop. The right pic is the "little side canyon" about halfway in to Supai Village I'd guess. Might be closer to the trailhead since the canyon walls are still pretty low.



This is Havasu Falls back when it was a LOT fatter and I was a LOT thinner.

So hey....there are four of us so far that love Havasupai...there have to be a lot more....and I'm guessing a bunch of rabble who'd love to visit and experience the beauty of Grand Canyon West. Maybe some sort of Rabble Retreat...no booze on the rez....well, there is...but not really...but there certainly isn't any pub there.

Visions of the Supai wondering about an onslaught of kilties hiking in, riding mules in, and (me anyway) arriving by helicopter.

Would probably have to plan for next year to be able to get reservations for a group...there is a lodge/motel down in Supai Village for those too old for sleeping on the ground anymore.

You wanna see stars...the bottom of the Grand Canyon is a great place to see stars.

Am I crazy here, or is anyone interested?

Ron

[Riverkilt]

Here's a pic of the helicopters that fly folks in and out for folks that don't wanna spend most of the day hiking in or out. Was $85 each way a couple years ago. I'm sure its a bit more now with gas prices up.



Maybe before or after we could all rendezvous on the Hualapai reservation and to a group kilt walk out on that glass walkway 4,000' above the Grand Canyon....??

We could test our various kilt models in canyon winds.

[SexyButler]

Am I crazy here, or is anyone interested?
Ron

Ron, I think you already know my feelings on AZ, I'd go back in a heartbeat!
That particuar area is spectacular, breathtaking, well...pics never do it justice.
Di

PS: I will gladly 'ref' the wind experiment!

[MuffinMan]

Well Ron as I was last down that chain, and though I yelled out "everyone turn your head" I did hear a few "Jeez Mr Ivey, that's gross" as they thought they found out the age old question on what we wear underneath. I being experience on what to expect had my hiking undies on (tight boxer length in uber material). There are alot of easy ways down if you have some coin, I did see at least three outfitters catering to folks with big tents and stoves.
The portapotties is the worse experience there, but if you are lucky enough to be there on monday then you'll see this

more Pics




Finally the wierd picture, my boys with rainbows, yes they are my pots of GOLD!

[Riverkilt]

What beautiful pictures! That's gotta be a great camera.

The portapoties are probably the number one reason to book a room at the lodge. And they take priority over tourists with the helicopters - as I guess they should. Part of our long delay flying the injured lady out was the chopper was flying portapoties back and forth four at a time.

I wonder if the Worst Jobs guy has thought of the folks cleaning them at Hualapai Hilltop?

The photo of the Scouts climbing down Mooney so bravely is a classic. Someone's got them deep into the "Brave" part of Scouting.

And, jeez...I got so enthusiastic about the Mooney experience I forgot all about getting down and back up kilted!

Your pics have my mind off on a Kilt Trip fantasy run. The rabble flies in to Las Vegas...then off to North Rim to hear the sun get piped down. On to Lees Ferry, rafting down Glen Canyon kilted, a kilted hike down Cathedral Wash into Marble Canyon, a vist to Cameron, Arizona the Scottish named town on the Navajo reservation, Little Colorado River Canyon, South Rim, a Kilt Walk on the glass walkway over the Grand Canyon on the Hualapai reservation, then a hike/mule ride/helicopter in to Supai Village and Havasu Falls with a kilted rabble clamber down Mooney Falls, and finally back to Las Vegas for dinner at Nine Fine Irish Gentlemen.

Kilted in the canyonlands is the ONLY way to go!

I know you told your Scouts how brave they were to climb down Mooney, but be sure and tell them there are a bunch of other kilties out there that admire their courage too.

Ron

[Doc]

Incredible Pics gentlemen! What a place, your scouts should be talking about this trip for years.

Ron, I had that same campy t-shirt. Were you a cyclist back in the day?