Have Media Will Travel

A blog about outdoor adventure, family travel, national parks, media, technology, marketing, fitness and me.

National Parks

Havasu Falls turns to Yosemite

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As I posted recently, my plans to go on a quick backpacking adventure to Havasu Falls abruptly came to a halt. The Havasupai Tribe has cancelled all camping reservations, and access, to the remote waterfall region in the Grand Canyon west region during the month of May.

Bust?
Bust?

My friend, Sabrina, and I had planned the trip as a belated celebration of each of us turning 40. Havasu Falls is a ‘bucket-list’ item for each of us.

So for the last couple of days, we have been in a scramble to find a Plan B, given our flights into Vegas have long been booked.

It couldn’t just be any Plan B. It had to be epic. Havasu Falls would have been epic.

We can’t do Zion, or Grand Canyon, because I only recently returned from these regions. And, our scheduled flights won’t allow enough time to travel all the way to the North Rim to hike.

Thankfully, last night I discovered that Virgin America has $95 dollar roundtrip flights from Vegas to San Francisco.

Bingo! Just like that we have an epic Plan B. We’re going to Yosemite!

Yosemite HD Video 5/4/09 from Chris Falkenstein on Vimeo.

It will be a quick trip, but we can’t wait. It will be a first for both of us.

We just launched MyYosemitePark.com. For several weeks I’ve been reviewing great images, videos and content about the national park. And well, what can I say? I’m completely inspired and intrigued and feel a need to experience its grandeur firsthand.

So that’s what we’ll do.

Stay tuned. In a week or so I’ll be beaming it all to this blog.

In the meantime, I’m telling you firsthand that there is no vacation like a national park vacation. They’re my favorite and we have many in the West. Start planning a memory-making trip that won’t break the bank to a national park. Although Yellowstone, the world’s first, is my all-time favorite (I’ve been there probably 200 times), they’re all unique and special in their own way. Grand Canyon, is an abyss carved by the Colorado River that is 277 miles long and 10 miles wide. Start planning the fun here!

Swine Flu stops Havasu Falls trip

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Dang.

A friend and I have had a backpacking trip to Arizona’s Havasu Falls planned for a few months now. Our flights have long been booked and we’ve been excitedly talking about and planning for our trip.

Havasu Falls(also called Havasupai) is a remote waterfall in the Grand Canyon West region that is a sight we’ve both wanted to see.

We planned the trip as a belated celebration for each of us turning 40. We’ve been talking about the 10 miles we’re going to hike with backpacks on, and, in particular, about the two days of leisure reading and soaking in pools while getting misted by waterfalls. We’d work hard and then we’d enjoy some sweet relaxation. It would be brief, but epic. A quick but perfect adventure.

Not anymore. Thanks to the Swine Flu.

No. I didn’t get the Swine Flu. But I did get a message on my cell phone yesterday evening from the Havasupai Tribe that our camping reservation has been canceled, along with all access, until June 1.

The message didn’t say why; it just delivered the bad news. When I tried calling the four numbers I found on the internet for camping information, they all rang busy all night long. I’m sure there are hundreds, if not more, who are as bummed as I am about the closures.

A Twitter user, I posted a tweet asking the twitterverse about the closure, and within a few minutes @marianmarbury responded it was the Tribe’s effort to try and prevent Swine Flu was penetrating their small, remote community.

Well darn.

I guess we could do what most women who turn 40 probably do… consider a spa weekend? Nah, I’d feel guilty. This was supposed to be an adventure with some hardship but mixed with leisure and great natural wonders, not a catered splurge.

I recently returned from major trips to Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon’s South Rim, the remaining options for short-yet-epic backpacking adventures that can be accessed from Las Vegas, which means our options are limited.

For now, Havasu Falls will remain elusive, and an item on the lifelist.

Any ideas for us, please email me. Thanks in advance.

Angel’s Landing Hike in Zion National Park

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Zion Trip, Pt. 2

Wow. I knew Angel’s Landing was exposed and that as a result of its heights and exposed nature it was to be an adventure.

Important Information.
Important Information.

We had been to Zion a few other times but as a family. Our sons are small so we had been (wisely) advised to stay away from Angel’s Landing… until the kids grow up.

But in early March, Kathy and I were going on a girlfriend adventure vacation and Angel’s Landing would be the “big star” on our itinerary, around which everything else revolved.

Holding on for dear life.
Holding on for dear life.

We got to the trailhead around 7 am to get an early start. We highly recommend that hikers start early. This way they’ll get to enjoy the views and the trail in solitude. I can’t imagine what it would be like hiking the narrow ridge to the top of Angel’s Landing if there was a line of hikers coming up and down. You don’t go hiking in a national park’s backcountry to be pressed and crowded. You can sleep in another time. (Or so we thought…)

We started up. It was pretty mild. A climbing and switchbacking trail to be sure, but nothing too tough to start. However, we had hiked to Observation Point the previous day which was 8 miles roundtrip and a gain/loss of 8,000 vertical feet. So we were “warmed up” anything this hike would throw at us.

Angel’s Landing is a 5 mile, roundtrip hike. For the first two miles, it’s a climbing trail but on a good trail that isn’t scary. Then, at two miles, the trail’s personality changes, big-time.

When we arrived at a narrow slick rock ridge that had chains/cables on which to hold, I thought to myself: “This must be where we get our money’s worth… This must be what all the fuss is about.” Even though I’d heard it was exposed and that small children shouldn’t go on the hike due to heights, for some reason I wasn’t mentally prepared for the reality.

Chains to hold onto.
Chains to hold onto.

I think it’s safe to say that Kathy, a flatlander from Omaha, was even more surprised than I was.

We ooohed and aahhhed and took in the views in all directions. I knew we hadn’t received the prize yet, but I think Kathy thought we had reached the end. Certainly the views were breathtaking and spectacular. The views at that point would have met my expectations in terms of scenery, no doubt.

But then when I was capturing some video I noticed that the cables/chains went all the way up, much further over a knife’s edge and to a precipice about a quarter mile away, yet.

The Prize – well worth the anxiety.
The Prize – well worth the anxiety.

Kathy’s response when I pointed out the cables that followed the very narrow steep ridge to the “top” was priceless. But she’s a trooper and we were off.


It was a thrilling adventure that left us anxious at times. The views at the top, and all the way up and down really, were striking and beyond words. The beauty was worth the hike, and all of the anxiety is stirred in us.
For an 8-minute clip of the “middle” of the Angel’s Landing Hike/Trail:

Zion National Park or Bust

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(Zion Trip, Pt. 1)
In early March, I met Kathy, from Omaha, in Vegas. Our destination was Zion National Park.

I was looking for an adventurous getaway where I could capture some video for the MyZionPark.com website we’re working on while getting some great hiking and sightseeing in. It would be a short adventure vacation.

My husband, Jerry, and I and our sons had been to Zion a couple of times. We had done some serious hiking even with our kiddos, including the 8-mile, steep Observation Point hike. But that had been about 5 years ago and I was eager to do it again, and this time with a digital camera and Flip Video in tow.

Most exciting was our plan to hike Angel’s Landing. On my previous trips with our kiddos, Angels Landing had not been an option. But, since I first learned about it, it beckoned. It’s been like an itch that needs scratched.

Kathy is a chiropractor and is married to my cousin, Jody Kloewer. They have three kids. I was a bridesmaid in their wedding in 1990, and Jerry was a groomsman. That’s how Jerry and I met, so Jody and Kathy hold an extra-special place in our hearts.

Kathy, my partner in crime.
Kathy, my partner in crime.

Kathy is in great shape, is a real trooper, loves nature and photography as much as I do – and very important, she has an easygoing (great) personality. I knew if she accepted the invitation to join me, it would be a fantastic trip. Also, did I mention she’s a chiropractor? That can come in handy on a hard-charging hiking trip.

Getting our rental car.
Getting our rental car.

So, we met in Vegas, rented our yellow Corvette and off we went toward Zion.

In a few hours we were pulling into the Desert Pearl Inn, our home for the next four nights. Desert Pearl Inn has loads of raving reviews on the internet, and many people claimed it’s the best place to stay while visiting Zion. By the looks of it, I was sold and we booked our stay.

Desert Pearl Inn, near Zion National Park.
Desert Pearl Inn, near Zion National Park.

Normally I’m only interested in a clean roof over my head, especially on these hiking adventures where not much time is spent in the hotel and all I need is a bed to plop on and a shower to clean the grime off. But this time, since we’d be hiking hard, I figured we’d splurge a little. What the heck, we’d be deserving of nice accommodations.

Some people, including myself before this trip, would say that a hotel can’t really be a reason to visit a place. Until this trip, I agreed. But Desert Pearl Inn made me change my mind. Desert Pearl Inn is situated under the shadows of the towering Watchmen red rock cliff and its back yard is cut by the Virgin River. Our room had a balcony with deck and we had the luxury of the sounds of a babbling brook in the background thanks to slightly-opened windows during sleep after a long day on the trails. But that’s not all. We had a kitchen, a wide screen television, big comfy beds, wood floors, great earthy and rustic interior design, and even a – get this – bidet.

Beautiful, spacious rooms with comfy beds.
Beautiful, spacious rooms with comfy beds.

A bidet you ask? Well, being a small town girl from Wyoming, I definitely didn’t know what it was. It looked like a mini-me version of the toilet, but it had a faucet. Hhmm. But after Kathy told me how it’s pronounced (It’s French and it’s pronoucned bee-dey), I sensed whatever it was, it was special and it was a luxury to have one. Suffice it to say it’s not a small sink for your kids…

If you’re visiting Zion National Park or the other national park wonders accessed by southwestern Utah, Desert Pearl Inn offers truly a wonderful retreat after a day of exploring nature’s wonders.