SUPA FUN IN SUPAI

Another awesome trip wonderful world of Havasu
Falls.  This time I have the privilage of hiking with a really nice couple that I know from a Rim2Rim backpack trip last year.             


Here is a pic of our good friend David.  He is getting a new horse "saddle broke".







For our layover day, we had a nice time exploring Fern Canyon. 

Waiting for the traffic jam on the steep trail down Mooney Falls to clear up.  It really pays to have patience.






The cottonwoods are fully leafed out and provide much appreciated shade for one of the new picnic tables.

The folks on the trip were really into hiking, so we got to explore alot!  After lunch, we make our way up to New Navajo Falls.

It is amazing to see how these new falls are evolving into a more mature ecosystem.


A great big thanks to Tom and Karen for coming on another Four Season Guided adventure.  It was great to see you guys, again, and get to know you better. 

HURRAY FOR FIELD DAY

Eagan Ford's first field day.  All the kids at his school took to the soccor field for a day of fresh air and play.  Here he is mixing it up with some of the older kids. 

Mz. Danielle sure has her hands full with these kids.  What a bunch of babies.

LAUGHING AT THE SUN

Well, maybe not really laughing at the sun, maybe we will call it "agressively managing the sun".  High heat equals higher risk.  The trip is two nights at the world famous Phantom Ranch backpacker dorms.  The people on the trip are two sisters, from the mid-Antlantic, and a super active retired couple with their jet-setter amiga.  Because of the higher temps, Four Season Guides sent two guides along to ensure that this adventure was safe, fun, and successful.

 

Here is the view down the "chimney" of the South Kaibab trail.  It is early, shady, and coool. 

                                                                                 

Looking off at O'neal Butte and the North Rim from Ooh-Ahh Point.  The day is perfect.

                                                                                                        I think this is a great shot of Dave, of the much appreciated DAVE LOGAN BAND, leading the group through the Muav Limestone.  The day is starting to heat up and everyone is doing awesome.  The retired folks are fit and from Phoenix and the sisters trained and really prepared for the trip.  We are cruisin' right along.                                                                           

It is after lunch and well over a hundred degrees -true Grand Canyon heat.  Dave and I are armed with mister bottles and plenty of water to drench everyone and keep them cool.  Here we are looking down on the Black Bridge and some shady switch-backs, to get us down to the mighty Colorado River.  Everybody is stoked and smiling.  We are almost to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.          

For our layover day, we took a nice leisurely walk around the River Loop after breakfast to help loosen up the muscles.  Here are some mule deer browsing in front of the Rancher's Residents.

The wildflower this year are INCREDIBLE.  Here is yellow prickly pear showing it's full pride.

For the hike out day, we are up and at 'em pretty early.  This is one of my favorite views along the Bright Angel Trail.  Every layer in the Grand Canyon can be seen from this vantage point.  You can find it along the infamous Devil's Corkscrew.

We just had second breakfast at Indian Gardens -bagels with PBnJ and cream cheese and walnuts.  YUM.  The thermometer is reading 115f in the sun and everyone is taking good care of themselves and having a great time.   

This pic is taken from the 3-mile Resthouse, looking up at the "hour glass".

We rim out around two and make our way to the Backcountry Office for some Four Season Grand Canyon Sandwiches.  A great day of Grand Canyon hiking.  Everyone trained, took care of themselves by eating and drinking while on the trail, and had a super awesome experience.  I thank everyone that came on the trip -especially the sisters, who could always be counted on to have good humor and a positive outlook on everything.  Thanks a bunch.

RYANNE THE BIRTHDAY GIRL

Ryanne just turned another year.  And to celebrate, we loaded up Eagan up for his first bike ride.  He was super excited.  We rode downtown and played in the grass at Wheeler Park.

Here is the proud mama on her birthday.  After a bit of park fun, we walked over to Criollo and met some friends for dinner.  Flagstaff is such a great place to live. 

HAVIN' FUN ON THE HERMIT

I just finished up with a super fun backpacking trip out on the Hermit trail.  This picture shows the trail from the Cathedral Staircase, looking down upon the confluence of Hermit Creek and the Inner Gorge.

Stopping for a snack break on the saddle between Hermit and Monument, I snapped this shot looking back on Hermit rapid.

The wildflower are popping out like crazy now.  I thought this shot scene with the beavertail in the foreground was stunning.

The young couple on the trip were really excited about getting down to the river.  So, at our Salt Creek camp, four of us made the adventurous route down to the might Colorado, while two stayed back at camp. 

 

It was an eye popping sunset for our dinner at Plateau Point -or as I like to call it, Chateau Plateau.

Leaving Indian Gardens, we had a nice cool start to the morning.

We made some new friends.  Here is long time Flagstaff resident, Sue, sporting the Coconino Cycles tee shirt.  It is good to hear Steve Garro is still putting together the best hand built bikes around.

We also saw some more familiar faces.  No, this grainy photo isn't of Bigfoot, it's our good friend Gary.  He must have made a wrong turn at Albuquerque and got on the train to the Grand Canyon.  I can't even count how many trips this guy has done with us.  He is so much fun to have around.

Four Season Guides is looking  forward to seeing you this summer in Yosemite, Gary.

TEACH A MAN TO SAVE A LIFE.....

The other day, I went out to Window Rock, Az to help my good friend Jason teach a CPR/first aid class.  For those of you who don't know where Window Rock is, it's way out in the middle of the Navajo Nation, almost on the New Mexico Border. 

We went there to teach the school bus drivers how to save lives with CPR and first aid.  I found the Navajo cultural view of the dead (a big taboo) to be an interesting consideration when teaching CPR.  The class was alot of fun and the students were awesome.  I am getting pretty excited to teach my next class, coming up this week, at the Flagstaff hospital.

EASTER HIKE WITH THE FAMILY

Easter morning and what a beautiful day it is.  Wanting to get out and enjoy some trail time, Ryanne and I chose  Mt. Elden.                                                                        Here Ryanne and Solo are making their way up the stout incline of Lost Burrito Trail.

Eagan and I taking in the scenery of theUpper Dry Lakes.

 If anyone can ID this flower please let me know.  The closest thing I could find in all my flower books is the wallflower.

    Looking down on the town of Flagstaff, from the top of Dry Lakes.

HAVASU FALLS JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER

 I just got done with another incredible trip to Supai.  This time, with a really nice family from Virginia.  It always makes me smile to see kids (siblings) get along so well.  It must have something to do with their parents being awesome.  They were both engineering types -one of them with NASA.  So, needless to say, they had lots of interesting stories to share.

Here is a picture of the greeting committee -the two stone towers that watch over the village. 














On our way down the steeeep trail to Mooney Falls, we saw this family of deaf people working their way down the chains.  If you look close, you will see that there is a toddler in that guys arms.  It was interesting to see how they communicated with each other in order to make it through the more difficult sections.

The redbuds are in full bloom.  Theses showy clouds of purple are a sure sign that spring has sprung.

HAMMERIN' ON THE SOUTH KAIBAB

I took a couple of Chicago marathoners on a day hike, yesterday.  We made it all the way to Skeleton Point, had lunch, and back up to the rim in three and a half hours.  Here you can see Phantom Ranch and a little bit of the "mighty Colorado River."  It felt good to hold the quicker pace, but these guys really put the screws to me.  Thank you guys for the good speed work-out.  See you next time.

HOW I SPENT MY WINTER BREAK

 My brother-in-law and father-in-law have been wanting to see how my remodeling project has been going.  Well, the bathroom is pretty much finished.  I built it this room from the ground up.  It measures three-feet by seven-feet. 

This has been a big project for me and I learned alot:  plumbing, electrical, tiling, install windows, everything.  I still have quite a bit to do until I finish the whole master bedroom, but hopefully I will be able to piece it together in between my hiking trips.

SPARKIE'S GREAT ADVENTURE

I had the great oppurtunity to spend my last two trips with Sparkie, a dynamite little gal  from Hawaii.  We hiked all the way down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon with a couple of buddies from Tennesee.   It was great.  The biggest snow storm of the year and we were staying inside at the Phantom Ranch backpacker dorms. Here is a view from the tunnel to the Black Bridge.

This shot looks out and across the Bright Angel Trans-canyon fault.  A freak March storm dropped over a foot on the rim.

After our Phantom Ranch trip, Sparkie and I said farewell to our Southern friends.  We then met up with a couple of spring breakin' teachers for a few days of fun in the sun -Havasu Falls style.  The wildflowers are just now starting to pop out.  Here is a Cardinal Monkeyflower standing proud in the middle of Havasu Creek. 

A great big THANK YOU to Sparkie and everyone else who made these trips so special.  I hope to see you all for more hiking fun, in the future.

DAY HIKES FOR SPRING BREAKERS

I have been getting to take alot of super fun day hikes with some really nice families.  The South Kaibab Trail is a great experience for hikers of all ages -outstanding views along the ridgeline and not as much snow and ice as other trails.  I thought this picture, looking up at "the chimney" was a pretty good one.  I hope you like it.

ONE FOR THE GRANDPARENTS

                                                "Stayin' alive, ah ah ah ah, stayin' alive."
No.  Eagan hasn't been watching the John Travolta classics.  This adorable pic is of him trying on his suit for his cousin's wedding. 

WELCOME TO SUPAI

First trip back into Havasu Falls was AWESOME.  The family I took down there was so fun to hang out with. Mom, dad, and two boys -ages 10 and 12.  We got to explore down around Mooney Falls and swim around in the water there.  The boys got really fired up to check out the old mines in the area. 

WI had heard that the tribe had raised the permit fees by a considerable amount. So, I was really interested to see what changes had been made in the campground and to find out what our camp was looking like this year. 

Well, Dave, Scott, and the rest of the guys did an incredible job of setting up our campsite.  It is BY FAR the nicest spost down in the campground.  And to give the tribe credit, they have been working super hard on cleaning up the area, putting up new signs, and MOST IMPORTANT of all, they have really been keeping the bathrooms clean!

SPRING IS IN THE AIR

Well, Spring Break is definately here.  I have been doin a bunch of great day hike with some super fun families.  The trails are still a bit icy, but nothing to worry about.  The weather has been unbelievably beautiful.  I captured this iconic image of the mule wrangler adjusting his sandle during nice picnic lunch at Cedar Ridge, on the South Kaibab Trail.  I hope you enjoy the view.

AHA's newest CPR instructor

Always trying to improve myself, I have just completed the American Heart Association's course to teach CPR for healthcare providers.  My first class was yesterday and was I nervous.  They always place the most experienced students in first-time instructors class.  The first couple of minutes were pretty blurry, but then I got into the flow of it.  Everything came together pretty well and I learned alot.  The students were really great and the instructor-monitor was very encouraging.  Thanks to the staff at Flagstaff Medical Center for all your support.  I really look forward to working with you all in the future.

Earthship Trip

Taos Mountains from Rio Grande Gorge

Months ago, when my friend Erik invited us to stay with them at an Earthship, in Taos, I was intrigued.  Ryanne and I had a little time left before we started back to guide work and it sounded like a super fun trip with some cool people.  So, we decided to make a mini-vacation out of it.

To break up the drive a bit, Ryanne made reservations at the Casitas Suenas, in Albuquerque.  The Casitas were built by a colony of artists back in the 1920's.  The place was a little rough at the edges, but it was really cool place to explore the gardens and grounds.  Besides, the casitas were pretty cozy and homey and they had a kitchenette to cook dinner.  Being a bed and breakfast type of place, they offered a delicious hot breakfast of your choice.  mmm, yum.

After unpacking all our stuff and getting settled in, we set out to find the Albuquerque Rattlesnake Museum.  Our freebee cartoony map showed the museum to be only a few blocks from our place -walking distance.  We walked a full circle around the block before we came upon a small door with a little sign announcing the Famous Albuquerque Rattlesnake Museum.  Whew, we found it.  It never looks good when a couple of guides gets lost, but the map showed the museum was the entire block.

Anyway, it was not quite the petting zoo I was hoping for, but we still had lots of fun.  They had tons of different kinds of rattlers, as well as other critters.

-like this spooky black widow.

The next morning, Ryanne had a tour scheduled at Rio Grande Jewelry Supply.  Their safety guy, Mike, showed us around their awesome, 100% solar, facilities.  I was really impressed by the positive vibe and sensible way the facilities were run.  Ryanne got some valuable tips of how to photograph her jewelry better.

EARTHSHIPS!!!! 
I had heard rumors of some guys in New Mexico that are big into solar, but I had no idea....  These houses have no utility line or pipes coming to them from the civilized grid.  The passive solar keeps this place about 70f even on snowy days.  There is 8000 gallons of water store from the rains.  The Electricity is, of course, solar.











Check this place out.  Named the Phoenix, this earthship was built by hippy mad-architect Michael Reynolds.  A large percentage of the materials used are salvaged trash.  I think that those guys must drink a LOT of beers to have enough cans and bottles for construction.

Here is view of the inner gardens, taken from the outer jungle.  And I mean jungle:  bananas on the tree, a talapia/koi pond, blue and yellow birds.  I was strongly reminded of being in the Yucatan.  Walking through the hot humid climate of the jungle room, on your way out to cold, snowy outside was definitely a strange experience of contrasts.

FAMILY CLIMB TIME.  Just a few minutes from the Phoenix was the Rio Grande Gorge.  We headed down to the John Dunn Bridge and found some good basalt climbing near the Black Rock Hot Srings.  Keep your eyes peeled for petroglyphs on the surrounding cliffs!

A great big thanks to Erik and Estee for setting up the stay at the Earthship Phoenix and everyone else in attendance.  This was definitely one of the funnest weekends that I have had in a long time.
THANK YOU