Hi Dave,
It was nice to meet you at the pre-trip meeting for the recent Havasupai Falls Tour I participated in with Matt as our guide (Oct 4 – 7). Thank you for the great, informative meeting as well as answering all my questions in a timely manner before the trip.
I would seriously be remiss in not telling you what a great time I had on this trip. I had never gone on a guided hiking trip before as I am a fairly seasoned hiker/backpacker, but I really wanted to hike to Havasu Falls and couldn’t get a permit, so I figured, “Why not?” I was a bit concerned as I am not much for groups as I am a bit of an introvert, but I lucked out with our small group of 4 as they were truly wonderful individuals.
So about Matt. You are very lucky (as you know) to have such an amazing person on your team. He was professional, knowledgeable, patient, respectful, funny, a great cook, and really made the effort to ensure everyone was well taken care of. Had I hiked this trail on my own, I would have seriously missed out on learning about the different layers of the Grand Canyon, the history of the trails we hiked, the Havasupai people, the waterfalls, fossils (that guy can spot them like nobody’s business), petroglyphs, and just all the great stories he took the time to share with us. I learned so much and came away with a different perspective and great respect of the Grand Canyon. It is truly a sacred and special place and I will definitely come back for more exploring.
The very first day, as you may know, the electricity was out when we checked into our hotel (due to a storm), so we were unable to get dinner. Matt took our orders and drove all the way back to Seligman to get food for us and this is after a long day of hiking and driving 2 hours while socializing, so I’m sure this was the last thing he wanted to do, but he did all this never losing his composure and keeping a smile on his face. We ate by headlamp around 8:45 that evening with Matt sharing entertaining stories.
The hike down to Havasu Falls was great fun! Matt continued educating us every step of the way, taking plenty of breaks, bringing out a wide variety of snacks, making us a fantastic lunch, and just having a leisurely day of hiking to camp. The packer was late bringing out gear down, so I believe Matt helped other guides get their sites set up while he was waiting and even though it was dark when our camp was finished, he quickly whipped up another great, filling dinner, and we had a very pleasant meal by lamplight.
By the way, the coffee was fantastic. That French press is a winner and Matt kept the coffee coming so we were all well caffeinated!
The day we were to hike down to Beaver Falls he thoughtfully decided to not tell us about the “extreme” staircase we would need to descend until we were basically on the edge of it. He’s right – what good does it do to tell people ahead of time and cause unnecessary anxiety of the unknown? He encouraged us each step of the way and we all felt a sense of great pride after we all arrived safely at the bottom. The hike that day was amazing and adventurous and it will always be a special memory for me, as will the entire trip, but that day especially. Except when half my sandwich was stolen (nooooooooo!). Ha ha!
The last day Matt got us up and moving before it got too hot. One member of our party was struggling a bit due to sore legs so Matt slowed the pace while still keeping it steady. He gave us plenty of breaks and snacks and we arrived to the top while it was still cool out. Matt encouraged us and made us all feel very proud for our accomplishment.
This trip had everything – adventure, beauty, challenge, great companions, and perfect guide. I will definitely plan to take another guided trip next fall with Matt as the guide and will recommend your guide service (and Matt) to others.
Again, thank you so much!
Sonya