Travel Archives - Habitual Balance

The Unexpected Mental Health Boost of Being a Dog Mom

Shelby — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 21:15:09 +0000

You’ve seen it, heard it, and embraced it most likely several times a day as a dog owner, and if you aren’t currently one, I couldn’t encourage you more to go out and find a rescue that’s searching for their very own human. As we move into the summer months finally and still work long hours at our desks, I’m so kindly reminded with loud barks and furry paws every little while to get up, stretch, and get outside. Here’s a toast to our dogs, and the most beautiful hearts within them. 🐾 (PS, if you’re wanting to learn more about the dog-mom life here at HB, stay tuned because this summer is going to hold lots of adventures for us! These adventures will provide tips and tricks on how to take your dogs with you more often and what products I’ve found work best for said adventuring! Yay!) Protecting Your Energy: The Power of Mindful Choices For years I’ve been searching for the right path. Aren’t we all? It seems like the more we dig deeper, the less we find out. The more stressors pile on and the less confidence we have in knowing that we’re right where we should be. This time will be different, this time will create less obstacles to the end goal, it’s an exhausting game, don’t you think? Choices in Life: What Do You Make Of Them? Protecting our energy for the things we love most is of utmost importance, especially with all of the extra add-ons in our lives like social media, shorts, and endless work hours. No more are we 9-5ing it, no more are we turning “off” now and then, we’re just draining our social and personal batteries until we start running around saying phrases like, “I just can’t relax.” Sound familiar? I’ve had enough of this feeling and so I’ve decided to change it…and you can, too. Why do we have such attachments to problems that make us unfulfilled? Why do we have any desire to stay stuck in a situation that we’re not finding joy in? We only have one lap around the track friends, so why are we wasting it doing something we don’t love?? Dealing with change? Check out this post. What My Dogs Taught Me About Energy I’ve talked about my furbabies a million times on the blog. They are my besties and although they may be the cause of some of this 33-year-old gray hair, I have no complaints. They are full of beautiful energy and a source of encouragement for me to change my environment. I want to be surrounded by fun and love and kindness, not negative energy that strips me of my enjoyment in this life. Lifestyle Transformation: Your Environment Matters More Than You Think Negative energy can come from many different sources. Maybe it’s a family member or a co-worker, or maybe it’s just yourself on a bad day. Whichever it may be, it’s up to you to work on changing it. There’s no room for stress-filled days in this life, and although stress will come and go, it’s something that you can work on choosing to be with, or be without. I’m choosing without, are you with me? From Distraction to Presence: How My Dogs Keep Me Grounded It’s time for a new chapter in this life, and I’m ready to roll with it…taking my dogs (and pets in general) as a source of the purest kind of inspiration. Gratitude is so often forgotten about, so we just go about life moving through the motions. But as I paused my make-believe tv show today because they were barking at me, I recognized how ridiculous I was being. Right then and there, I was choosing an escape route. From what I need to do or from what I want to do, because both tasks would take work. It’s so easy to just turn on a show or scroll on your phone and zone out while you let the hours roll by. It’s so easy to become mindless in a world where becoming more mindful should be the most important part of our day. It’s just like when you go on vacation to a place much different than your own, and find such beauty on that part of the earth. It’s incredible and majestic-like because it’s not your own. However, the people that call that place home, find the same feeling coming to a place like yours. A feeling of new-ness, wonder, and enjoyment from the unknown escape around them. Travel is something that has a way of opening your mind to new places. I think about several travel spots multiple times throughout my day, whether it be an image that reminds me of it or a person talking about something similar. And every single time the thought bubble pops into my head, I realize that I need more. Tips For Maintaining Healthy Eating While Traveling More exploration, more awareness, more gratitude for the everyday life I am living. Dogs have this way about them that every little thing is a huge deal!! They look so forward to those handful of moments they get to spend outdoors each day. They look so forward to seeing you when you return that they trip over things and literally run to the door or window when you arrive. That pure joy and excitement and awe is what inspires me to do the same. So why is it so hard to get there? Pause. Breathe. Reflect. The Practice That Changes Everything I want you to go on a mindfulness journey with me. One where you can close your eyes each time you get a chance to sit outside of work on a 5 minute break, or after work when you can fully unwind, relax and recharge from the mother nature surrounding us. Something strange happens when we put down our phones and close our eyes… We

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We Ran Out Of Toilet Paper On The Napali Coast: Travel Items You Should Never Skimp On

Shelby — Tue, 13 May 2025 23:13:09 +0000

Heyyyyyy friendsssss!! A bit blunt you may be thinking, but guys (and mostly gals)…it’s a real problem that I’m sure a lot of us out in the backpacking world have. We worry about the teeniest bit of additional weight on our backs, and end up skimping on the things that we *definitely* should not be. But I’m here to send a massive reminder of why you should be sure to keep an extra set of all the essentials and leave room on the way out for any trash…but guess what!? I have a secret weapon for your trash problem when it comes to TP on the trail! Read on to find out what it is!! Must Have For Hiking: The Kula Cloth Long ago, way back in the wilderness of my childhood home, I dreamt of becoming an avid adventurer, an epic explorer, a truly trusted super duper hiking madwoman, if you will. And then when I grew up and learned all about the amazing world of REI and other similar stores, I fell in love even further with nature and it’s awesomeness. Not only could I hike, camp, travel and backpack like a pro for less (check the Re/Supply aisle for discounted gear!), but I could also have the opportunity to find epic equipment and the kinds of gear that I had only dreamed of before then. As we’ve dove more and more into the outdoor world, some things just made more and more sense to invest in, and sometimes, that’s exactly what it is, an investment. I highly recommend snagging things on clearance or on sale, or heck even from the secondhand world, but it’s also nice sometimes to get certain things brand new and for only you to use…like the Kula Cloth! The Kula Cloth is something I wish I’d have known about a few months before I found it. If I had only discovered it’s well thought-out design and super cute patterns as we planned to backpack the Napali Coast in Kauai, I most CERTAINLY would have purchased myself one. But alas, hindsight is 20/20 as they say, and well my friends, we done ran out of tp. No joke. Be Resourceful When Backpacking When we arrived on the island, we knew that we would need to grab a few things for our trip from the nearest backpacking store or a Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, the whole place is pretty tiny, so we had limited options at the Wal-Mart, and instead found this awesome Pitch-A-Tent place that stocked us up on dehydrated meals. They have a bunch of other things available as well, but toilet paper for backpackers was not one of them. And your girl was 100% not dragging along full-sized TP rolls through the jungle, mmkay. Luckily, we did think and plan ahead, (a vital thing you need to do when you’re planning on backpacking), and made sure to pick some up at the REI back in Pittsburgh before flying out. They were the little squished rolls that don’t come with the cardboard in between, so it does save some space and ounces in your pack which is nice. 😃 What I Thought Was Enough… But Totally Wasn’t However, it does absolutely suck, (especially if there aren’t any compostable toilets along the way,) if you have to drag all of that back out with you! So therefore, we packed a few rolls each, (I believe 3 per person, since we would be out there for almost 4 full days), but my friends…it was not enough. As the last day arrived, we knew we were getting low. What went from generous pieces of toilet paper, turned into a few squares or even one square at a time. It was no bueno. I am happy to report that I did in fact already find this gem though, the PeeSport bottle, that helped incredibly with keeping bugs out of the tent at nights and in other situations as well. But if I knew then about the Kula Cloth, it would have been an actual life saver. My Secret Weapon for Hiking / Backpacking Hygiene The Kula Cloth is unique in its own way, because it is antimicrobial, reusable, and did I mention super cute yet? Yes, yes I did. Because it absolutely is! It’s handy to use in a pinch, doesn’t require being aware of your surroundings while trying to pee in the wilderness hoping no one is coming down the trail, and also doesn’t require being aware of any puddles underneath that you may accidentally drop your last roll of toilet paper into. The fear though. 😳 It snaps to your backpack for easy, quick use, and (get this), also has *reflective thread* to make sure you can easily locate it with a headlamp! Seriously, these gals have thought of everything. Did I mention that it’s made with eco-friendly and non-toxic materials? Because this company has got your back and nature’s back as well. PS! There’s no need to carry wipes or hand sanitizer in a nearby pocket (although I still suggest you do for other issues that may arise), because it’s also waterproof on the flip side, ensuring your hands stay superbly clean and ready to snack on those encouraging goodies in your brand spanking new clearance aisle fanny pack. (That’s what us old people call those new-fangled shoulder bags)… …but seriously. I found a new one at the REI Re/Supply section and it’s been an actual game changer of how I store my go-to goodies and essentials on the trail. Treat yo’ self. Backpacking Hygiene Just Got Easier (And Free for You!) As for the Kula Cloth though, I’d like to offer something special for new subscribers to HB. You are all an incredible part of this journey, and it’s high time I give something back. As a new subscriber, you’ll have the option to choose one of the two of these beautiful new Kula

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Our Favorite Place To Stay In Phoenix: Relaxing and Recharging After Havasupai Falls

Shelby — Wed, 07 May 2025 23:48:43 +0000

So! If you guys and gals have been following along on this series, you’ll know that we’ve come to a bittersweet end with this post. Boo to that! But on the bright side, that means today I get to tell you all about our favorite place to unwind, recharge, and relax. While I’ll also touch on a few other close seconds that we may definitely check out again in the future. Hint: It’s an app you’ve already heard of! (Can you tell that we really, really, really like Arizona??) And guess what…we’ll be flying back out in June to hike the North to South Rim of the Grand Canyon! So be sure to stay tuned for more travel posts to come. (I promise I’ll be adding some non-desert ones in between there as well…) Staying at JW Marriott Phoenix: The Perfect Post-Hike Escape After every major hike, we really like to just veg out for a day or two, typically at a hotel so that we can get just a teeny bit pampered after coming off several days of backpacking with no toilets or running water. If you had the chance to check this post out, you’ll get to see why we break our trips up into stages so that we can plan accordingly on what to bring and how to mentally prepare for which stage of the trip we’re on. Why We Love Hotels with Laundry Service After Backpacking We also love to utilize their laundry service if they have one available (did you know that most regular hotel chains do!?) While this can be somewhat costly if you have a lot of items, we try to keep it minimal by choosing things that really need a good wash so they don’t stink up our luggage, or we pack more minimally overall and just wash everything once to wear those same items again at the hotel stage of the trip. Once we made our way back into Phoenix, we checked into the JW Marriott in Scottsdale, by far one of the most beautiful hotels we’ve ever been in. If you check out the Marriott Bonvoy app, you can usually get lucky and snag a good deal if you’re willing to check back frequently and are flexible with your dates. (For example, we only spent $200/night when we went in September, but when we booked for April, we couldn’t find any dates less than $600/night. Gulp.) However, since we saved so much moolah backpacking and camping throughout the week and using Airbnbs for our first 2 nights, we decided to go ahead and book since we didn’t have flexible dates for the rescheduled days of Havasupai Falls. At the end of our stay, we still appreciated being able to take in the Phoenix sunrise and sunset from our rooftop balcony, but did recognize that next time we’d try out some more Airbnbs for the last stage of the trip. Why? Because although enjoying a chilly NA margarita poolside (with no work involved on our end), was absolutely wonderful, we’d prefer to put those funds toward a trip to come and enjoy some mediocre ones made by yours truly instead. Don’t get me wrong. Hotels are amazing and we use them often when needed. We try to get affordable ones when available near the airports, or use them for spending a date night downtown in the city. For yinz all wondering, Pittsburgh, PA is our home base, which I’ll be sure to inform you of to-dos and hikes nearby in the future! Rest & Recharge at JW Marriott But on this day of course, we’re back in sunny Phoenix absorbing the hot rays and chill days. When we got in the first night, we arrived in time to walk around the resort and order in some amazing steak dinners to enjoy on the patio. It was a blissful, stress-free evening compared to last year when we got stuck in SUPER LONG traffic on our way from Sedona to the city. It was a total bummer since it rushed our last evening there, which is why we vowed to make sure we booked two days from then on instead of just one. (We changed hotels last minute as well, which seemed like a good idea at the time, but only created more unnecessary chaos when it came to booking and rescheduling the other later on. A lesson was learned…sometimes, we just need to stick with the original plan!) In the morning, I considered setting an alarm for the sunrise. But as you probably know by now, I have a strict *no alarm on vacations* rule that I try to follow as much as possible. Since we’ve seen the sunrise from here before, we chose to sleep in and rest our aching bodies from the grueling hike just a day before. Once we got up and into the world, we enjoyed some Starbucks which they offer nearby, checked out the gift shop so I could snag myself a new fun necklace, and soaked up the vibes at the pool as previously mentioned. After that, we decided on a last minute couples massage, although looking back I’d have much preferred a chill dinner watching the sunset again on the balcony. This was only our second time booking one at a hotel, and although they were great, they cost a fortune and we would much prefer putting that toward a future endeavor. If you’re considering one when you’re in hotel land, keep this in mind and maybe save that dough for a few sessions at one near home instead of one while there. The last day was a breeze. We slept in again, grabbed some breakfast that was *SO GOOD,* and went at a snails pace. Usually, we’re packing and hustling to get to the airport with anxiety oozing all over. But since we attempted to prevent some of that this time around, we made sure to

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Hiking Out Of Havasupai and The 4 Hour Drive To Sedona

Shelby — Fri, 02 May 2025 22:22:46 +0000

As you can probably tell by now, we had a great adventure on our hands with the Havasupai Trip. If you’re just joining this series, make sure to go back and start from the beginning so you don’t miss any tips or tricks! This journey was both amazing and memorable, and I’d recommend it to anyone determining whether or not to sign up for that permit. It’s something that is really very unique in person, especially with all of the filters on social media these days. Yes! The water really is that clear and blue. Yes! You can only get there by hiking (or with a helicopter…we’ll get to that later). It’s a magical place that you should try to see at least once in your lifetime, I promise it won’t let you down. Here is how our Havasupai hike back out went, what we did the rest of the day, and how we felt after leaving. Legggooo! The Challenge and Reward of a True Havasupai Hike Not only did we get to take in some epic sights along the trip, but we also got reminded why *anything* in the Grand Canyon is a great battle. It takes a toll on both the mind and body, and is not for the faint of heart. Although you can get to the falls by helicopter, (see how to do that by clicking here), I highly highly highly recommend doing it the harder way and trekking down into the misty falls with just a backpack. There are mules that can assist with your packs if you choose, but I’d truly only suggest using this option if you absolutely have to. Hiking down into the canyon (in any part of it), is a true wonder to spectate. It boasts beautiful views that you can really get no where else on earth as far as I’m concerned, and although each time I hike out I vow to never do it again, I can’t help myself but to keep coming back. Out of the 4 times we’ve been to Arizona so far, 3 of them have landed us on one of the trails in the Grand Canyon. Someone asked me today, “Don’t you ever want to go lay on a beach and just chill?” To which I replied, “Yes, but that’s why we schedule days after our trip to rejuvenate.” 🤷‍♀️ Choosing Adventure Over Escape: What the Havasupai Hike Taught Me Dear Internet friends of the hiking and backpacking world… Don’t ever let someone tell you what that what you consider is fun is weird. I challenge you to push back and look at the other side of things such as, do you prefer to be challenged or do you prefer to shut down? In my opinion, I would choose experience over escape any day. I want to feel alive, bountiful in my blessings and not afraid to push my boundaries. Being fully present, I want to feel encompassed by my feelings while immersing myself in all of what nature has to offer. I want to feel strength and courage and face my fears a little more each time I go out into any kind of wilderness. That, to me, is the perfect getaway. Of course, vacations don’t have to look the same for everyone. They can be relaxing in different ways, and that’s okay. One of the most relaxed states I was in was when we were on Crawlers Ledge of the Napali Coast in Kauai. Never did I ever think I would be chill as a cucumber traversing a rocky cliff face in the rain. But I wouldn’t trade it for one single day sitting in a beach chair with my toes in the sand drinking a cold beer. (PS I gave up drinking nearly a year ago, check out this post to learn more if you’re into giving it a try). I don’t regret tacking more days onto the ends of our trips. I don’t regret my sore muscles and achy, blistering feet. Because for those handful of days, I feel as though I can be my most authentic self, living, breathing, and enjoying the best of this world. Early Mornings and Rituals: Starting Our Final Havasupai Hike Day As we began our day with a watch alarm, (this lady does NOT like alarm clocks, so we used his Garmin to vibrate when it was time to wake up). Although I was 100% already awake and ready to go by 3am, wanting to beat the heat and get packed before the rest of the campground. However, we decided to wait a little longer and get up about 4:30 instead to ensure we were fully rested and ready for the day ahead. We have a decent routine when it comes to packing things up. He’ll take care of the outside of the tent while I pack up the items inside. Usually, we’ll be done about the same time and can begin working on finishing our packs. I’ll leave our coffee, tea, and granola easily accessible, and make sure to pack what we need the night before if we plan to get up in the dark like we did on this trip. It took around 30 minutes to get everything together, then we made one last bathroom trip and started out of the campsite. It was sad to leave so early but we weren’t the only ones. Even though the stars were still out, there were several groups packing up getting ready to head out before the sun came up. As we passed by Havasu Falls one more time, I was able to snap a pic with the headlamp light. We then continued on past the fry bread tent and the bridges before making our way through the village. The Helicopter, and the Hikers: Leaving Supai Village As we arrived near the helicopter pad, there were a ton of groups already waiting or getting there to

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Our Third and Final Full Day At Havasupai Campground: Visiting Havasu Falls and Beaver Falls

Shelby — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 23:00:58 +0000

Hello friends! Sadly in this post we will be talking about the third and final full day at the Havasupai Campground. It was majestic, rejuvenating, and enlightening. I’ll share with you my favorite campsite location, where to find drinking water from a fresh local spring, and what I decided I will *not* be bringing with me next time on a multi-day backpacking hike! 🥵 You’ll see photos from Beaver Falls and Havasu Falls…but not the local fry bread because your girl ate it ALL before remembering to snag you a pic! You’ll just have to grab some permits and go for yourself! Why We Skipped Beaver Falls (And Saved The Best Day For Last) Hey! My name’s Shelby and I love to hike really epic places. The more remote, the more challenging, the more mental workload involved, the more I’m game. If you’re just joining me in this Havasupai Series, be sure to go backwards (and subscribe to find future posts!) to read all about our recent 9 day trip that was centered around the one and only, Havasupai Falls. Thanks for being here, you awesome human you. As the last post left off with us coming back to camp from the Confluence, I’ll share with you why we passed on Beaver Falls, and why we saved Havasu Falls for last. Beaver Falls is revered as one of the most beautiful parts of this entire place. However, it is also on the way to the Confluence, and down the crazy steep incline of the well-known Mooney Falls. To get there, you’ll hike down the stairs with the chains beside the falls, and hike about 4 miles (each way) further into the rugged backcountry of the southwest side of the Grand Canyon. Although we had full intentions of visiting Beaver Falls as more than passersby, we decided to continue hiking past it on the way to the Confluence. We didn’t know just how long getting to the end of that hike would be, so we wanted to be sure we wouldn’t take too much time stopping at all the sights along the way. We figured that we would hit it up on the way back, but once we returned to that point in the hike again, we were sore, exhausted, and nearly out of drinking water. So, we continued on our trek back to Mooney Falls to climb the cliff face, and then onto our campsite not far from the top of the climb. We were lucky enough to go two different ways around Beaver Falls though! (Not on purpose, which is why I highly recommend pinning your location every so often to remember where to turn when you start getting more tired. Check out this previous post to learn how to drop a pin on your iPhone or Android). The first time we went past, we were looking down at Beaver Falls. It is SO much bigger in person and just as amazing as the pictures online make it seem. The hikers that stopped to chillax in them looked so tiny from where we were. They were waiting for the sunrise as it creeped along the blue-green water and down onto the next set of falls. On the way back, we were down beside it, and realized that we were on the trail to Beaver Falls, not back to the campground! This is when we decided to snap a few pics, readjust our footing, and got back onto the correct path back home for the night. It really is a must-see in person to not underestimate its magnificent and one-of-a-kind beauty. A Recovery Day at Havasu Falls Inside Havasupai Once we got back to the campground that night, we heated up some meals, filled our water and turned in as soon as the sunlight was running out. When we got up to face Day number 3, I felt sad that we would be in the tent for only one more night, but relieved that we had gotten the bulk of the hiking out of the way and were able to spend the day at rest. After some morning granola and coffee or tea, (Which do you prefer on the trail? Drop your favorite trail drinks in the comments or tag us in a pic on Instagram!), we packed up our Osprey Sportlite pack to head over to Havasu Falls. Since we were pretty far back in the campground, we had an “active recovery” hike as I like to refer to them as. Although I wouldn’t change where we were staying, it was a bit of a haul to get to the drinking water or to Havasu…or to the fry bread. Yum. We hung around in the hammock napping and reading until about 10am when the sun was too much to bear, and then headed to Havasu where we enjoyed hanging out in front of its awesomeness until around 1 or 2. After that, it was getting busy, the sun was leaving the top of the canyon, and we were ready for lunch. We also wanted to start packing for the next morning, as we planned to get up early and beat the heat as much as possible. Speaking of lunch, be sure to use this day to rehydrate and refuel with calories. As in, more than you think you need and way more water than you think you can drink. Of course there is the problem of drinking too much water, but at this point in the trip, you’ve been in the desert for a few days dehydrating yourself on hike after hike. Drink up, my friends! I really enjoyed reading and laying under the sun next to Havasu Falls, but I still have to say that Mooney Falls really has the more epic rock face around it and is so much bigger as well. They are all unique in their own ways, but Mooney is still my fave. I finished

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Exploring the Confluence: Grand Canyon’s Hidden Gem via Havasupai

Shelby — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 22:30:56 +0000

Ahh, the Confluence. A short and sweet hike down into the Grand Canyon…not! Don’t let this hike fool you guys, it is difficult, hard to follow, and pretty exposed. It’s much different IRL than on a video or blog post, so please be sure to research, research, research before you decide to embark upon this epic trail while you’re in the beautiful Havasupai Campground! This post will cover how we planned ahead for it, what we brought with us, and how the trail was in 2025 (after the flash flood in 2024). Let’s go!! What Is The Confluence? The Confluence is where Havasu Creek meets the Colorado River, located deep in the Grand Canyon and accessible via a strenuous trail from Havasupai. Known for its bright blue-green water merging with the Colorado’s darker current, it’s one of the most scenic and remote day hikes in the region. Why We Decided to Hike The Confluence from Havasupai Would I do it again? Yes. Was it extremely annoying? Also yes. Let’s start from the beginning. I have nothing but love for trails of all kinds, especially the ones that put me to the test through both mind and body. It’s the endurance, the amazing views, the irritability that comes and goes as I move through states of mind along the quiet and questionable pieces of the hike. The steep drop offs, the straight uphill climbs, the wandering off trail a whole bunch, it’s all going to happen when you make your way onto the Confluence Trail. Some YouTubers we watched afterward do the same trail said it’s not worth the trip, but I beg to differ. Once the pain creeped up my legs, once my foot cramped for the MILLIONTH time this trip, once a stick poked through my sandals and catapulted me into the abyss…that’s when I knew this was my kind of trail. Despite my RBF the entire time. 🙂 I love these kind of hikes, they’re both challenging and perfect in so many ways. On that video, they mentioned that it was “BORING.” Like, what? Did you forget where you are at? Allow me to remind you. 👇 “Are We There Yet?” Syndrome I think that is something that comes along with grueling activities. It seems like a great idea until we actually do the thing, where we soon find out that “oh, the thing is really hard,” so our brain switches from “this is so much fun!” to, “are we there yet?” Which ironically is something I continually work on in this life, learning how to accept the suck. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable. Because every time I tackle yet another one of these battles, a new feeling of accomplishment rushes over me, knowing I was able to successfully do the thing without giving in. Let me explain what I mean by “giving in.” Sure, your body will fizzle out at some point. Mine seems to check out around mile 6-7. I’m usually feeling super amazing up until then, chatting up the hubs about our next adventures and bee-bopping along with no external motivation needed. And then, around mile 7-8, I notice a significant drop off in my energy level, no matter how much I prepared ahead of time. This is when you need to dig deep, find that inner strength and pull that sh*t out of you…(Millennials, you’ll know the line). But in all seriousness, it becomes all mental after that. For the next 8 miles, I went into my own head and decided I would become present and see the beauty around me instead of checking out and waiting for the ride to end. Packing List for The Confluence Day Hike Once we knew for certain we’d be packing not only for the Havasupai Falls trail, we made sure to bring a daypack that would allow us to hike to the Confluence without lugging our giant backpacking packs the 16 (approximate) miles there and back. Of course, carrying an extra pack seemed a bit annoying, which is why we determined that just one would do the trick instead of bringing both of our daypacks. (We were supposed to switch on and off throughout the hike to the Colorado River, but the hubs was nice enough to notice my struggle and carried it the entire way instead). <3 Yay for awesome partners! We really love the Osprey line of packs, I’ll link a few below that we use most often. Check out our trip back home post (coming soon), to see which luggage options of theirs we’re loving as well! After seeing a few couples with really lightweight, more packable style backpacks, we were grateful to have suffered the extra weight to be able to have a backpack that was fully supportive with padded shoulders and a thick hip belt to help distribute the weight evenly. A lot of the trail was gradually uphill and downhill, but there were several parts that shot straight up or down as well. Here’s what it looked like after a bunch of creek crossings on the way there! Our favorite current go-to packs by Osprey: Osprey Sportlite 25 Hiking Backpack (I like the purple one, he chose the green, they are both beautiful!) Osprey Eja 48 Ultralight Backpacking Backpack (I chose the one in this link, the hubs liked the plain gray) Here’s what we opted to carrying with us to the Confluence in case you’re wondering! JetBoil stove (including waterproof matches, a windproof lighter and a small fuel canister) Water filter in case there were any stops along the way to fill our water bladders…there wasn’t 3 liter water bladder filled to da brimmm A few snack bars for us each Stinger Energy Chews, Salt Stick electrolyte tablets, and of course, grape jolly ranchers Two lunch meals and sporks (<— one of my favorite words) Chapstick (which you’ll soon find for purchase on Habitual Balance! Yay!), sunscreen, bug spray, and hand sanitizer

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The Treacherous Traverse Down Into The Famous Mooney Falls

Shelby — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 22:57:52 +0000

Supppp peeps! If you’ve been following along on the Havasupai Series, you’ll know that we left off by arriving to the campground! Yay! This post will cover what we did in the campground the first night and second morning, including our traverse into Mooney Falls. Don’t forget to stop back later this week to read all about our trip afterwards down to the Confluence! Yay again!! Mooney Falls Hike: Facing Fears, Climbing Chains & Finding Magic in the Mist As you can see by now, this recent trip has a lot to unpack. Which is why we love staggering our stays into several stages (which you can read more about in this post!) By doing this, it allows us to take our time, prepare accordingly, and feel at ease while we’re in traveling mode. I used to have such angst while traveling. Whether it was at the airport or packing beforehand or finding the nearest gas station when we got into our rental car, I was usually a mess mentally. Nit-picking would come easy because I would have no plan on what to do next, and no idea of the area surrounding me or where we were going because I wouldn’t take the time to research before we left. (Because, who has extra time, right?) When You Quit Trying to Control, You Can Begin Living But this time was different. As we made our way into the Havasupai campground and got unpacked, it felt unreal. Unreal that I was finally in this beautiful place after so many months of planning and unreal that I had so much less anxiety than I ever used to. Every trip into nature, especially the backpacking ones in my opinion, are like mini rebirths every single time on my own little journey. It’s enlightening to see how much further you grow from the last one, or to recognize how much growth you still have to conquer. Backpacking heals me. Seriously. Even though we got to completely relax and veg out in Parks, Arizona before this excursion, I still longed for that “off-grid” type vibe that I was looking forward to for so long. And, once I got out of the tent that first morning, I remembered why the blisters aching my feet and the nearly 40 pound pack wasn’t a bother anymore. Base Camp Vibes: Easing Into the Mooney Falls Hike Even though this hike was centered around the Havasu Falls, the more pressing task on my mind was the fact that to go *literally* anywhere else from there, we would have to hike down to Mooney Falls. Now, this may not seem like a big deal to you, especially if heights aren’t an issue. But for humans out here like me, it was actually kind of a big deal…especially when Ben (the hubs) decided to take an evening stroll to the top to see the staircase the night before we had to get after it. (see the pics above for reference!) I knew from watching previous YouTube videos that it would be a bit of sketch, but when I saw it in person, my heart literally sunk. I remember turning to him and saying, “like, I don’t know if I can actually do this.” He probably thought I was joking…I was not. The feeling that I got when seeing how tiny those people looked on the side of the cliff, the feeling when I could barely see the rock cut out where the “steps” were by the chains that you’d need to hold onto, was the same exact feeling I’d gotten the night we camped out on the Napali Coast. Of course, I felt accomplished. I’d tackled one of the most dangerous hikes in the world (so they say), during a time when the trail was shut down from weather right after we’d entered hours earlier. I’d tackled Angel’s Landing in Zion, (future post to come!) even though it took some persisting to get me past some of the harder parts. And I’d tackled Humphrey’s Peak, the tippy top of Seneca Rocks and the list goes on. (Check out the blog page to more travel posts!) But as I laid next to the ocean waves crashing beside me that night, I thought, “Why did I put myself in this position?” This is the same as what happened the first night we camped in Havasupai. Not realizing that I’d have to yet again face my fears to complete my conquest of the day, I worried that I would be ruining our whole trip if I couldn’t make it down. To my surprise though, we did it! And it was MUCH more slippery (and straight down) than we had anticipated. Caves, Gloves & Muddy Steps: Beginning the Mooney Falls Hike Descent When we got up, we decided if we were feeling okay to keep hiking. Since we felt pretty good still, we had some dehydrated berries and granola for breakfast, packed up the one day pack we brought, my new found little waist pack, and hit the trail. (PS, make sure you use the bathroom at the top! There won’t be anymore along the way if you’re going to Mooney Falls, Beaver Falls, or The Confluence). As we made our way down, we hit the spot where the cave is. It’s pretty cool actually, (including the view that peaks at Mooney when you’re going from one cave into another, see below) and I’m really grateful that we got to experience it. We waited for a few folks ahead of us, (try not to get too close to people ahead of you especially on this descend/ascend, let them go at their own pace with what they feel comfortable at so that you don’t make them feel rushed), and then continued on our little adventure down the muddy mess. Once you’re at the top of the “steps,” you’ll notice some extra gloves others leave behind for hikers to use. We

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Our Epic Hike Into Havasupai Falls: What to Know Before You Go

Shelby — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 22:00:54 +0000

So you’re probably wondering why we keep coming back to Arizona. That’s because it is beautiful in so many ways and legit has endless activities to do and places to explore. For example, this week we’ve been hiking a lot, backpacking and rejuvenating at our fave hotel, but I want to talk right now about the hike down into Havasupai Falls Campground. It wasn’t as brutal down as I had anticipated, but going up was WAY MORE work than I’d have liked it to be. However, I’m going to walk through each step of the trip this time in order, so if you want to repeat our process you’ll have the perfect blueprint to do so! While this post will highlight the trail into the canyon, make sure you stick around to hear more about what we did when we got there and how our day back out went as well. Let’s get into it! Why We Woke Up at 4:30 AM in Seligman for Havasupai Falls When we started out from Seligman, (which you can refer to the specifics here!), we made sure to set our alarm (which I absolutely loatheee doing on vacations, although certain situations such as these make it necessary). We got up around 4:30am, headed out around 5am, and got to the trailhead around 6:30am. If I could do it again though, I would have started a wee bit earlier around 3:30am so that we could have started the trail when it began getting light out. I’m always hesitant to sacrifice sleep on these trips, so we try to be in bed by around dark at latest, often making that about the 8:30pm mark. But since we weren’t doing much in this town, I think we could have hit the hay an hour earlier to be up earlier as well. I’d mentioned we started to pack our backpacks at the previous tiny home that we rented but that didn’t include last minute items such as snack purchases or bathroom products. We also made sure our outfits were ready, filled the water bladders, and packed our luggage into the rental car, so that in the morning all we had to do was hit the road. (Next time, I’m making sure I leave an outfit for after the hike easily accessible so I’m not rummaging through our luggage in the parking lot!) Although we left early, we noticed a lot of peeps ahead of us on the road out to the campground, as well as a handful turning out of Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn, that we tried to book before the boutique hotel in Seligman but it was already full! I do believe they offer cavern tours as well but they may still be on pause if you want to check them out if you’re ever headed west! Why We Woke Up at 4:30 AM in Seligman for Havasupai Falls Watch Out For Cows and Elk As we made our way into the vast nothingness of the one road (Indian Route 18) leading to the campground trailhead, we noticed several cows and elk grazing on the sides of the road. Make sure you keep a lookout for these guys and practice the speed limit so they have a chance to know you’re coming! Not to mention if you break down out there, it may be a long while before you’re able to get service or assistance. Check out the beautiful view of Humphrey’s Peak as well on that road! If you’re up for an exhilarating day hike, check out this post to learn all about our experience hiking the mountain! Once you get to the checkpoint, there may or may not be tribe members present. If so, they may check your stuff out to ensure you aren’t bringing alcohol or any other prohibited items into their village. (Check out the list below to see prohibited items). Campground Rules & Policies Prohibited Items for the Checkpoint Alcohol is NOT permitted. Littering is NOT permitted. Drones are NOT permitted. Campfires are NOT permitted. Diving/jumping is NOT permitted. Taking photos of Havasupai people or property is NOT permitted. Thank you for being respectful of the people who have opened up their canyon to outside visitors. Camping is NOT permitted anywhere other than in the actual Campground. The following are NOT permitted: alcohol, drugs, smoking, drones, amplified music, littering, nudity, jumping, diving, climbing, fishing, hunting, horses, dogs, pets, animals, wagons, carts, bikes, vehicles, fires, fireworks, firearms, weapons, water guns, boats, rafts, kayaks, paddle boards, inner tubes, pool floats, pool toys, styrofoam, filming or photography for commercial purposes, taking photos of Havasupai people or property, and anything else that may be hazardous or discourteous. Proper attire is required, please dress appropriately. Gas canister backpacking cooking stoves are ok, but all other types of flame/fire are NOT permitted. Honestly, even though I quit drinking almost a year ago, (yay!), I still would advise against anything hindering your ability to be totally present down there as it would take away from being immersed in the beauty and also would be quite dangerous traversing down into Mooney Falls! Stay tuned for another post highlighting our time getting down into Mooney, it was epic and scary and amazing! Trailhead Essentials: Parking Smart, Last Stop Bathrooms, and Prepping for the 12 Mile Trek Now, once you’ve passed the checkpoint and gotten closer to the parking lot, you may notice a ton of vehicles parked alongside the cliff face. Please don’t opt for this if there are other options! Keep in mind you’ll be down in the canyon for about 4 days and many rocks can tumble down between then! There are also a lot of options to park on the other side or in the parking lot. It isn’t huge though, so as previously mentioned, make sure you’re starting early! There are two bathrooms in the two different sections of the parking lot, which you should definitely consider using

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Seligman, Arizona – the Birthplace of Historic Route 66

Shelby — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 00:27:14 +0000

Hey ladies and gents of the internet world! Seligman, Arizona was not something I’d ever dreamed specifically of visiting, but as we prepped for our trip to Havasupai Falls, it came into our radar when other nearby options were sold out. Here’s a quick bit about our short time there, must-stops, and what you can get to nearby. Leggoooo! The Cutest Boho Hotel We Found Last-Minute in Seligman About a year ago we were booking our trip when we noticed a lot of nearby places were already sold out. So I decided to check out Airbnb to check out what availability they had instead. To my surprise, they had a cute little boho-looking boutique hotel on there as well, which I promptly took the option to reserve! It looked just like the pictures. It was cute, aesthetic, and newly remodeled. And super close to where we needed to be the next day for the trailhead. I was so excited that it was not only my favorite colors, but clearly the new owner took great pride in keeping things clean and updated as well. (There was even a paper strap across the toilet that ensured it had been cleaned! Something I’d never seen before even at upscale luxury hotels). Boutique Hospitality and Small-Town Charm in Seligman There was even a nice set of chairs outside the room on the cement to watch the stars from at night, and a digital keypad to keep things modern and fast-paced! Even though the whole vibe of the town was geared more toward the 1950s, I thought it was refreshing to have a bit of a break from that all once we stepped foot back onto this quaint little property. We arrived right at opening, where Christina checked on the rooms and made sure her team had prepped everything perfectly before guests came into town. She was so kind, genuine and helpful even when we needed her help with the keypad. One of my favorite parts that I wish I got to spend more time in was the little gift shop area near the check-in desk! It had the most adorable jewelry selection and a few pieces of clothing as well. Now I love dogs and was missing my own greatly. So when her little pup came over to greet me when we walked in the door, I was more than ecstatic! There was also a sweet antique car out front. If nothing else, to keep your interest while you await your turn at the desk. If you’re ever passing through on Route 66 in Seligman, I would highly recommend staying at The Postcard Motel. It was a brief stay, but pretty perfect nonetheless. Related: Havasu Falls Hike Preparation: Our Backpacking To-Do List Exploring Seligman: Gift Shops, Ice Cream, and Small-Town Charm Once we got checked in and unloaded our luggage, we headed out to walk around the town, (which probably in total took us a whole 45 minutes to walk up and down both sides. It’s super tiny!) It was great weather, which was basically t-shirt kind of warm compared to what we experienced in Parks, Arizona just a day beforehand! It was such a pleasant walk along the sidewalks, popping in and out of local gift shops that had so much to offer! We picked up a new tee, a bracelet, and some dinner (at the same shop! LOL) which hit the spot before we had to hit the trail in the AM. Check out these cool mannequins on the rooftop! Another favorite spot was an iconic ice cream shop that we most definitely couldn’t pass up. They had this awesome car out from with a Christmas tree on it! I was yearning for some ice cream all day so it was ironic that we stumbled upon one of the best places in town! The workers there really make every effort to make you smile, it was super fun watching them squeeze fake mustard and offering real straw instead of drinking straws! Definitely check Delgadillo’s Snow Cap out if you’re ever out this way! . . As we walked back to our room, we discussed what time to get up and made sure when we returned that everything was good to go. We did some last minute prepping and showered once more before using wipes for the next few days! Then we set our alarm and turned in for the night after having some Oreos on the patio. PS, if you’re searching for the best wipes to use on your backpacking trips, we’ve tried them all. These Venture Wipes are by far our favorite so far with their size and “cleaness” feel so I’d highly recommend trying them out! I loved that they offered them in single serving packs, which we determined bringing 4 each for us for each day. (2 for the mornings and 2 for the nights). Early Mornings, Granola, and Dinos on the Road to Havasupai In the morning it wasn’t too hard to get up, knowing that we would have another 1.5 hours drive to wake up until we got to the trailhead parking lot. We passed the Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn, (along with some dinos) and not a whole lot else along the nearly 90 mile stretch. Since we already had our bags packed and loaded into the rental car, all we had to do was keep out some granola packs for breakfast when we arrived. I kept these on the outside straps of my bag to make sure they were easy to get to when we needed them. I also realized that carrying the mugs on the outside straps was super handy to break out for coffee or tea when you’re getting a little chilly! Here are some of the contents of my bag only. Since he already had his packed up perfectly, I’ll

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Before the Havasupai Falls Hike: Where We Stayed, How We Prepped, and Why Parks, AZ Was Perfect

Shelby — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 22:09:37 +0000

Today, I went full potato. I napped, I vegged, I cooked beautiful and delicious food, and watched the sunset with my husband before indulging in some hot cocoa while reading. It was a good day. Today marked the first actual day of being fully in Arizona, in which we typically use to prep our gear and fuel our bodies with rest and good grub before backpacking 60-70 miles with dehydrated meals on our backs for the next 4 days. Here’s a quick bit about our time in chilly, amazing, perfect Parks, Arizona. Back in September of 2024, we were scheduled to hike the incredible trek to Havasupai Falls. (We can call it Havasu though since “Havasu” means “blue-green water” and “Pai” means “people.”) If you’ve been following the Habitual Balance journey, you’ll know that we were forced to reschedule only a few weeks before our trip due to a tragic flash flood. Although we considered traveling elsewhere when we found this out, it was eventually decided that we would stick with the original plan and work around those few days we were to be at the falls. I couldn’t be more pleased with how that trip worked out. We camped for several days at different locations that had totally different weather. First outside of Sedona where we found a small swimming hole that we could kayak into a cave on the other side, and next here in Parks, at an awesome little Hipcamp spot that we got to enjoy in the wilderness right outside of Coconino National Forest. Our Tiny Home Stay Before the Havasupai Falls Hike Since we were the only ones present at the time, it was quiet, almost eerie how silent it was at night when we got up to go to the outhouse. We heard coyotes and horses and woke up to frost on the ground which was much different than sleeping super hot outside of our sleeping bags the previous day near Sedona. However, we loved the area so much that we immediately booked a tiny home that they had on the property for 2025 when our Havasu trip was rescheduled. We planned to use it as a recovery day from traveling and to get out of the work mindset, to relax and unwind and cook yummy food, and to get a small active recovery hike in before the big one in a few days time. …Which leads us to the here and now! The owners of the property have made this place 100% one to remember. It has been just as amazing as last time and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to stay here again. The tiny home was perfect and since no one was in the other unit they even upgraded us to a bigger one! Which ended up working great for the space we needed to organize our gear and hang out for a while. If you’re wanting to check out what they offer, check out their site at thetinyhomeinn.com! Although the weather could have been slightly warmer so I could have stayed on the hammock longer (boo!) I still got to enjoy it for a little while and we were able to immerse ourselves in the beauty of Humphreys Peak which we hiked last time as well. Check out these incredible views just a 1 minute walk from our spot!! Not only could we enjoy the sunrise, (check out one of the pics above to see the sunrise from the bedroom!) sunset, and mountain nearby on this property, but they have also allowed us into another magical place nearby just a short hike away. Sycamore Canyon is an underrated Arizona bucket list place in my opinion. It’s vast and wondrous just like its bigger sister only a few hours away, but I’ve never heard anything about it until coming here! While the spot they mention that you can go to is quite perfect with its swimming hole and epic scenery with the rocks and pines, I challenge you to check out the rest of the canyon as well if you ever make it here. (Which you totally should). We decided to keep going and did about a 5 mile trek mid morning when it was warmer and crisp. This is my absolute favorite kind of hiking weather. Cool enough that I’m not super sweaty, but warm enough that I’m not shivering the entire time. I thought it was cool that these rock piles were kind of like the same idea as the cairns you see out in Sedona and other areas with the red rock and less vegetation. Also, check out this neat bone we stumbled upon during our hike! *Did you know? Mineral precipitates, such as salts, present in the soil matrix may crystalize on the bone surface resulting in calcium carbonate encrustations, which may bleach the bone causing a white discoloration. According to Google…A bone that is completely bleached white throughout, meaning even on the inside, indicates that it has been heated to a high temperature (over 600°C) for a sufficient time, burning away all organic matter like collagen, fats, and proteins, rather than being a measure of its age. 🧐 Why We Prepped Early for the Havasupai Falls Backpacking Trip Once we were back from the hike, we got our gear ready for the upcoming trip by placing everything on the floor from our luggage and organizing it into the backpacks. (Which we decided we would be doing FIRST next time, due to spending less time organizing while on vacay!) We also realized that if we would have packed the backpacks before leaving home, that we would likely have packed less clothes due to recognizing that we needed less than we actually brought. Supes annoying. *eye roll* I always have a tendency to overpack but I’ve been getting probably 10% better with every trip. If you worry about over packing or overthinking your items needed for an upcoming

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