Hikers fall ill during trips to Arizona waterfalls

DDozens of hikers say they have fallen ill during trips to a popular tourist destination in Arizona that features towering blue-green waterfalls deep in a neighboring canyon. Grand Canyon National Park.

Madelyn Melchiors, a 32-year-old veterinarian from Kingman, Arizona, said she was vomiting profusely Monday night and had a fever that lasted for days after camping on the Havasupai Reservation.

She finally walked to her car weakened by the sweltering, hot weather and was grateful that a mule carried her backpack several miles up a winding trail, she said.

“I said, ‘If someone can pack my 30-pound backpack, I think I can keep limping,’” said Melchiors, an experienced and regular backpacker. Afterwards, “I slept 16 hours and drank a lot of electrolytes. I’m not back to normal yet, but I’ll be fine. I’m grateful for that.”

The Federal Indian Health Service said Thursday that a clinic it oversees on the reservation is providing timely medical care to people who have fallen ill. Environmental health officials from the IHS regional office were sent to Havasupai to investigate the source of the outbreak and implement measures to prevent it from spreading, the agency said.

“Our priority is the health and well-being of our Havasupai residents and visitors, and we are working closely with local health authorities and other partners to manage this situation effectively,” the agency said in a statement.

While camping, Melchiors said he drank from a source tested and listed as potable, as well as other sources using a gravity-fed filter that filters out bacteria and protozoa — but not viruses.

“I did a great job using hand sanitizer” after going to the bathroom, she said. “It’s not like you can use soap or water easily.”

Coconino County health officials said Tuesday they received a report from a group of people who hiked to the falls about “gastrointestinal illnesses” but did not know how many people were affected. The tribe’s lands are outside the county’s jurisdiction.

Still, county health spokeswoman Trish Lees said hikers should take extra precautions to prevent the spread of disease, including filtering their water.

“Be aware of the first symptoms of norovirus, such as stomach pain and nausea, before traveling. Norovirus spreads easily in camps, especially when drinking water supplies may be limited and handwashing facilities may be nonexistent. Isolate people who are sick from other campers,” the county said.

Thousands of tourists travel to the Havasupai Reservation every year to camp near a series of picturesque waterfalls. The reserve is remote and accessible only on foot, by helicopter or on horseback or mule.

The hike takes tourists 13 kilometers along a winding trail through the desert landscape before reaching the first waterfall. Then comes the village of Supai, where around 500 members of the tribe live throughout the year. Another 3 kilometers down the trail are campsites with waterfalls at both ends.

Tourism is the Havasupai tribe’s main source of income. The campsite that has a stream running through it has limited the infrastructure. The hundreds of campers staying overnight each day can use on-site composting toilets and are asked to bag out their trash. Recent reports from hikers on social media indicate that the trails are littered with trash, including toilet paper, plastic bottles and fuel canisters.

The Havasupai Tribe Tourism Office says it tested water last week from a local spring that visitors rely on for drinking and found it to be safe for human consumption.

FOX-10 TV in Phoenix first reported about the illnesses Wednesday, saying some groups opted to take a helicopter out of the canyon because they were too sick to hike.

Dozens of other people have posted on social media in recent days describing their struggles with gastrointestinal issues.

“I definitely have a literally bitter taste in my mouth right now,” Melchiors said. “I think I would approach things a little differently.”

___ Sonner reported from Reno, Nevada. Lee reported from Santa Fe, New Mexico.