In November I went to the Grand Canyon for a week on a trek for Scope, the charity for Cerebral Palsy. By getting students to sponsor me by signing a T-shirt for a suggested donation of 50p, and by selling cards and pictures, holding art classes and organizing various charity art events, the trip raised over £3000.
As well as raising money I had to get fit enough to trek for five consecutive days - not an easy task without nearby hills to practice on.
Thirty four of us flew to Las Vegas and stayed in a huge gambling casino for an overnight stay before heading to the high desert of Arizona and a short acclimatisation trek to the Colorado river. That night was spent in a tatty motel like the one in Hitchcock’s Psycho - a complete contrast to the flashy luxury of the night before.
Early next day we got up in the dark for a huge breakfast before trekking down the Grand Canyon from Hualapai Hilltop. This is the only land access to Havasupai, so foot or horse is the only way other than a very expensive helicopter. The dusty trail began with switchbacks down a near vertical rock face to a dry stream bed where the path levelled out before going further where the red sandstone walls seemed to close in. The vegetation turned lush and the canyon widened as we entered the remote Indian village of Supai, where the post and most other goods are still carried by pack mule. Our base camp on the edge of the turquoise blue Beaver Creek was four kilometers further on.
We camped at the bottom for the next four nights, and from here trekked and explored off the beaten track. The name Havasupai means "people of the blue water", and the turquoise colour of the photograph is true to life. There are spectacular falls in this part of the canyon and most of the group went waterfall jumping while I did some drawing and painting.
The last day was a long one. I started off with the slow party as dawn was breaking, stopping to doodle and photograph, and came in at the top with the tail end of the fast group. There was a storm as I neared the end, with spectacular skies and almost a rainbow. Then we all travelled back in the buses; six hours back across mountains and desert to Las Vegas and a gala dinner.
An eventful trip of extreme contrasts, no aches or blisters though. My thanks to everyone who made this adventure possible!
J. Petrie
November 09
