As we went along the Havasupai Trail it started to get really narrow.
You have to be somewhat alert that the pack animals that come quickly around these corners won't plow over you. We never had that issue, but it was on my mind. Eventually the area opened up.
Eventually, the area opened up and we were almost to the village. It's hard to get the perspective on how big this area is from my pictures. You can see members of my party up ahead and on the left. It was not too far ahead that one of the locals was taking a pack of mules out. I got off the trail, smiled, and told him "good morning"! He said the same to me, and then told me I had about a mile to go to the village. I thanked him and was on my way. Not to be too sterotypical here, but the way he spoke and greeted me was exactly like you might see white man and Indian interactions in old westerns.
As I show pictures of us entering the town here I should say that I did not have many conversations with the locals here. I kind of expected that since the people who live there get flooded with the tourists who are really there to visit the falls beyond the town. It is kind of the way the locals are there, and I was fine with that. Of course, the simple silence I encountered was something I appreciated.
In the above pictures, just ahead and to the the left, there is a store that allowed my companions to get breakfast. We sat down and small dog came over to greet us and allow us to pet it. There were a bunch of horses, mules, and a few dogs around. Most were behind the fences. From there I zoomed in to the two unique rock formations looking down on the town.
These are called the Wii gl'iva. The sentinels or guardian spirits of Supai. There are various stories about these you might read or hear about. One thing you have to do when you enter the town is enter the tourist office to pay your fee on entering the reservation. Since we were not camping, but spending the night in the lodge we ended up paying that fee at the lodge. Around this point while waiting around near the tourist office I saw one of the locals with a pack of mules.
One thing that I did that I thought was really cool was send a post card to myself (and a few others) that was actually sent out on one of these packs. The postmark I added to my picture here. This is one of only two places in the U.S. (the other being also located in the nearby Grand Canyon) where mail is still transported in and out by horses and mule pack. Again, another reason I felt I had glimpses of the Old West here.
This is the local church. I heard people singing here when I went by there a few times since it was Sunday. The lodge we spent the night at is on the right and in the background. I should mention you have to have reservations for the lodge or the campground. There were two beds so we ended up having to share beds. They don't have televisons or phones. It's basic, but we didn't care since we were so tired anyways that evening.
After we checked in we headed off to check out the falls which will be next.
To Supai (Youtube Version)
To Supai (Vimeo Version)
