21-Oct-2003 -- With the cooperation and support of the Hualapai Tribal Administration, Dave Brooks and I, accompanied by two tribal representatives, visited the confluence about 10:15am. On October 20, 2003 we met with Tribal Chairwoman Louise Benson, and after describing the project she contacted the Tribal Forestry Office and arranged to have them guide us to the road closest to the site. Because we were accompanied by the Hualapai officials and after getting approval from the appropriate offices, they determined obtaining a permit was unnecessary. They noted that getting a permit for such an activity would be nearly impossible without approval from the Chairwoman or Tribal Council.

After about a thirty-five mile drive on pavement and ten miles on dirt roads, we parked within about 0.9 miles of the site. We parked south of the site and hiked through pinon/juniper over one ridge and found the confluence on the slope of the next ridge. The walk was easy and the Hualapai officers were impressed by the GPS’s ability to so quickly locate the position. The forestry division has just recently issued GPSs to the officers and they used this as a learning experience. The San Francisco Peaks, the highest point in Arizona, were visible 90 miles to the southeast, the Grand Canyon to the northeast. There was evidence of lots of elk, both from droppings and small trees stripped of their limbs and bark as the animals rubbed the velvet from their antlers. After the forestry officers built a small cairn at the site, we walked back to the trucks, following the drainage and avoiding the hill we walked over on the way in.

There were a lot of people involved with making this trip possible and setting up the meeting with Chairwoman Benson. Those who facilitated this and need to be thanked include: friends at the University of Arizona Office of Native American Student Affairs, the UA Agricultural Extension Office in Peach Springs, the Arizona Commission on Indian Affairs, the Hualapai Nation, and especially our interesting, willing, and helpful escorts to the site, Charlie Murphy and Dallas Quasula, Sr.