Kylor is voluntarily sleeping underneath the porch of the camp bathrooms in his hammock. He’s worried that, in the dark, Mikai won’t be able to find out campsite tucked off the side of the trail and doesn’t want him to freeze to death. I find this questionable (I have this thing with smells), but I have to admit – what a good friend.

At sunrise we wake to find Mikai still hasn’t returned. Kylor realized all our computer have passwords and he probably had to drive 3 hours to Phoenix to buy a new memory card. Bummer. 😐

The squirrels have pilfered my cheese along with some of our trash and a metal spoon. Kylor casually mentions that they chewed through his tent last time… we will have to create a better food system. 

Just as we start breakfast Mikai magically walks down he trail into camp. He hiked back to the parking lot, drove 7 hours to LA for a new memory card, then 7 hours back, arrived at 4:30 am at the trailhead and ran down 10 miles. Oh for the love of image making. Mikai I hope that RED footage earns you some serious money.

8 a.m. hiked down to Mooney falls (the one we are camped above) The sunlight sets the mist aglow into swirling light beams at the top of the falls. We climb through tunnels and down ladders, use chain link as ropes to make it down the canyon wall to the base.

A rope swing, the bluest water, and green wavy moss greet us at the bottom like a gosh darn mermaid fairy land. We set up the slackline across two trees at the base of the falls and proceed to slack and explore for the next few hours. The footing sucks, but the view is absurdly beautiful. Famished we hike back up to camp. In the afternoon we walk the half mile up to Havasu Falls and another one mile to Fifty Foot & Navajo Falls. I learn that travertine gives the water here its iconic vivid blue color (thanks signs). We haven’t seen a single person at any of the waterfalls we’ve been to, it feels almost surreal to have something this pretty all to yourself.

6:30 p.m. Squirrels have pilfered again. Hate them. They have somehow figured out how to unzip the front pocket of my backpack and crewed through two layers of plastic to nom half my peppered salami. I cut off the offending bits and we eat the rest. I’m too hungry to let it go to waste and at this rate I’m losing a high percentage of my food to the creatures. We use a dry bag inside a backpack inside of the tent and cross our fingers they won’t eat through the tent while we sleep.

It’s cold, maybe 40 degrees, but the stars are brilliant between the canyon walls. Zipped in and bundled up. Goodnight world.