Havasu 4: Supai Village

Yesterday I detailed the first eight miles of trail to Havasu Falls. Now Irving and I are approaching Supai village, or at least that’s what this sign tells us. We’re tired but still feel pretty good.

After this sign, we follow the trail past rich vegetation and the sounds of gushing water. Shortly thereafter we encounter a crystal clear stream.

The glowing walls of the canyon continue to impress.

These signs are tantalizing… how close is the village now?

Right around this spot, a few local women washing clothes in the river call out to heckle us. It’s our first encounter with Supai village people and I fear it doesn’t bode well, but this turns out to be an isolated incident. We ignore them and move on.

The tribe has diverted water from the main stream so that it runs along this path to the village — this way everyone can access water more easily.

Here’s our first glimpse of the village area — there are around 450 Havasupai tribespeople on the entire reservation, and about half live in this village.

Since Supai village is not reachable by car, animals like horses, mules, and donkeys are important modes of transportation for this community.

On certain days of the week, there is also helicopter service between the hilltop parking lot and Supai village (eight miles apart on foot). I wrote more in depth about this in yesterday’s post — a helicopter flight costs $85 one-way and anyone on tribal business has priority over tourists, although if you put your name on the list by mid-morning you’re guaranteed to get on a flight (weather-dependent). The helicopters also fly bags and various goods (for a fee), as evidenced below:

This is the main street in town:

Did you catch the satellite dish in the above photo? Here are a few more I spot on rooftops in town:

The helicopter pad for Supai village is located right in town. I feel bad for the people who live in the immediate vicinity — for up to four days a week in the high season, they have to listen to the sound of helicopters flying in and out every 10 minutes. The choppers load or unload super quickly and then turn it right back around to go again, all day long.

The first order of business for anyone arriving in town — via flight, foot, or hoof — is to check in at the tourism office in town. It’s this turquoise building below:

This building is where you pay for a permit to access Havasu Falls, located two miles further down the trail. Info on Havasu permits is confusing — I can tell you that Irving and I paid a total of $80 each to spend two nights camping there, and that was it. Several websites report that it’s $35 to enter and then $17 per person per night to camp plus a $5 environmental fee — but in total, we were only charged $40 per person per night. Even if you stay at the inn in the village and then walk to Havasu Falls as a day trip, I believe it’s still $35 per person just to hike there. In other words, it seems like a good deal to only pay an extra $5 per night for camping privileges.

This whole permit business is especially confusing when you consider what Irving was told when he first called to inquire about them. He called the main number to ask about our specific camping dates and was told no problem; there’s plenty of availability, just call back when you’re ready to confirm. We then chatted to solidify our plans, and 20 minutes later he called the same number again but a different person answered. Irving told that person the same dates he told the first person, but this time the response was, “We’re booked solid for months, try again for a weekend in November.” WHAT?! He explained that not 20 minutes earlier a different person told him the opposite information. He was put on hold and eventually the original guy got back on the phone and explained that they were using different reservation systems, hence the (drastically) different responses. Isn’t that nuts? If the first person had told Irving that they were booked up until November, we would’ve nixed the trip right then and there. There would’ve been nothing to pursue. But thankfully he got an affirmative answer first so he knew to push back when the second person tried to turn him down.

Bottom line: the good people running the reservation line don’t all seem to be on the same page, so call back if you get a weird response on your first try.

Thankfully, the process of picking up the permits is very smooth. We had read that anyone who shows up without reservations is charged double — so $80 per night to camp, including all permits / fees — but they find our reservation in the system and we pay the anticipated rate with credit card.

Next we stop at this building, which is the cafe — it’s right next to the helicopter pad:

The inside is simple. They serve plain and slightly (although not severely) overpriced meals and beverages. There are public restrooms and a fountain to refill water bottles.

I order a burger and curly fries. Irving goes with the local favorite — Indian fry bread.

This one comes with meat, beans, and cheese. We find out later that there are two fry bread stalls next to the campsite that sell plain fry bread with honey, or traditional style with beans and cheese (no meat, though).

And right across from the cafe is the local grocery store, in this building below. We pop our heads in and the offerings are pretty meager.

Along this same square is the local elementary school.

They appear to be partially government-funded, and a US flag flies out front. Since we are on official tribal land I was curious what their schools looked like.

Here’s the school yard:

There are public bulletin boards right on the same square as the cafe, grocery store, and school — and reading these fliers is the most fascinating glimpse into Havasupai life.

A closer look:

Allow me to transcribe a few of them, since they’re hard to read:

“NOTICE: 3 Days session on child abuse prevention starting April 14, 15, 16, 2015. It’s important for everyone to come and attend the sessions, and learn what it means and what we can do.”
“NOTICE: Children run on 4-15-15 from 8:30am to 10:00am. Head Start will start from the store to Velma’s. Elementary School will start from the store, run loop halfway around the village, cross the middle bridge and return to the store. Thursday April 16, 2015 from 8:00am to 9:00am, adults run from the store, go around the village, and return back to the store. Elder walk from the store to the rodeo grounds and back to the store.” (Note: obesity is a tough problem for this population, hence a town-wide exercise program.)
“4 workers needed for 5 days, sign up at Tourist Office.”
“Dress up clothing for boys is limited, please if you have anything to donate we would greatly appreciate it.”
“Raffle! $2.00 a ticket, see Jackie for tickets. (photo of backpack) Drawing will be held on April 21, 2015 on basketball court at 12:30pm.”
“Raffle! $3.00 a ticket, see Jackie for tickets. (photo of purse and totebag) Drawing will be held on April 21, 2015 on basketball court at 12:30pm.”
“Raffle! $5.00 a ticket, see Jackie for tickets. (photo of iPad) Drawing will be held on April 21, 2015 on basketball court at 12:30pm.”
“Walk the good road, be dutiful, be respectful, gentle and modest… be strong with the warm, strong with the heart, be the earth.”
“Hangyu for the person that brought back the wheelbarrow. Hangyu.” (Note: I assume ‘hangyu’ is a version of ‘thank you.’)
“Respect each other and stop bullying!”
“Free Healing Clinic: Acupuncture, herbs and oils for pain and health. Monday afternoon at Community Center and Head Start starting at 3pm. Tuesday all day.”
Flier for suicide prevention lifeline: “Havasupai young people, some of you are drinking, or smoking stuff, and doing bad things. All those things, don’t do them, leave all that behind and live well.”
“4th Annual Hualapai Sobriety Festival – Campout III, Twenty Pines, Arizona, May 14-17, 2015. Faith in the Little Things. Everyone Welcome, No Registration Fee. Seminar, guest speakers, wellness walks, social singing and dancing, AA meetings, kids’ activities, arts and crafts, games, music.” (Note: Hualapai is a neighboring tribe.)
“Sign up for root tiller.” (farming photos)
several Job Announcement fliers with print too small to read the job description from this photo.