The 7 Falls of Death

During long Arizona summers I like to go with a few friends up to a sequence of waterfalls that always flow heavily when the monsoon season arrives. The area can be overly touristy at times, but without a doubt, it’s a nice hike and a breath of fresh air. One of my friends had done some scouting on Google Maps the day before and noticed what looked like a trail following a little path up the canyon where water would probably be flowing. To me, it seemed like a good way to get around the crowds and cut a few miles off of the hike. So naturally, I said it looked awesome. We eventually did reach the falls, but not exactly gracefully.

To start with my minimalist trail shoes completely ripped, leaving me barefoot for close to the entire hike. The Cody Lundin in me welcomed the changes happily, but I didn't even reach the halfway point before my punished feet deeply missed my flimsy shoes. Shortly after that we reached a small cliff diving spot, and after a bit of coaxing from my friends, I reluctantly tiptoes myself to the edge of the cliff, and very gently threw myself off. The day continued fairly smoothly until a naturally crafted slip-n-slide swept me away with the backpack holding not only our lunch, but our phones as well. Needless to say the phones didn't survive and we ate soggy sandwiches for lunch. Regardless of the way we turned a 4 hour hike into a 7 hour hike, the falls were great. There were lots of good people, lots of energy, and some nice cliff jumping.

P.S. We ended up taking the trail back.

By: Jonathan Terry