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| - (Long but lots to say) Our family and friends had the chance to participate with AOA in a specially customized trip to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and to Havasupai for hiking, camping, photography and scenery gazing. The trip was spectacular, but it would have been hard to be anything less given the locale. Even with the Havasupai Falls and waterways running muddy because of rain for 2 of our 3 days there, we were awestruck.
AOA made the adventure even better! The information packet they put together left out no details. By the time I read it, I knew what to expect, and the excitement grew. I also should say that I am absolutely NOT a camper. Even after the AOA trip, I'm still not a big fan of tent camping, but that has everything to do with me and nothing to do with the AOA accommodations, which were excellent.
We rode to the Canyon in a 15-passenger van driven by Megan, our lead guide, who kept us entertained, informed and within range of potty stops all the way up. We visited the South Rim before we checked in at our motel just outside the Park. Later, after checking into our motel outside the park, we had a group celebratory dinner (for several anniversaries) at El Tovar. As we walked up to the lodge, we were greeted by an elk grazing on the lawn and then got to watch a big male elk stroll up the driveway to enjoy the grass.
The next day, it was back to the Canyon for an open agenda, each person choosing to do whatever activity they wanted, which was great given the diversity of our group's interests. Later in the day, we headed for Havasupai.
After spending the night at a kitschy motel close to the trailhead, on Friday (I think...I lost track of time, which was the point), we started the Havasupai part of the adventure. I'm not in great shape so a friend and I opted to take the helicoper to Supai where we'd meet up with the group that hiked the 8 miles down from the trailhead. Another group took horses all the way to the camp. I got to sit in the front seat of the helicopter, and I was speechless at the panorama that exploded before us!
Once we landed after the 4 minute flight, we waited in the cafe for a few hours while the hikers caught up with us, and then we all hiked down to the AOA campground.
The actual camping experience was better than I expected. AOA's equipment is well maintained in excellent shape and is pretty comfortable. We rented sleeping bags and linens from AOA so we wouldn't have to deal with them on the way in and out. It was a good decision.
Compost toilets were only about a 45-second walk from our campsite, far enough away that we didn't "benefit" from any nasty odors or traffic from other campers yet close enough to get to in the middle of the night without too much trouble. Compost toilets aren't like home, but they're FAR BETTER than those horrible porta-potties or latrines.
We couldn't believe the quality and variety of the food!! One of our fellow campers goes on fishing trips with a chef, so he's used to good food on his trips. He told our guides that the food AOA served us was every bit as good (if not better) than his friend the chef's offerings. We had steak, chicken, salmon, quinoa, vegetables of all types, appetizers and dessert at every dinner, and on my birthday, they made pancakes that spelled out Happy B-Day.
Megan and Chris were our guides and we couldn't have been in better hands. Megan took special care to accommodate my vertigo, and by the end of the trip, I'd developed more confidence in my ability to navigate hiking trails than I'd ever experienced before. I'm itching to get back out hiking again, something I didn't think I'd say.
I can't say enough good things about AOA and how well they organized and executed our birthday/anniversary trip! Thank you, Megan and Chris!!
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