Its breathtaking beauty makes Havasu Canyon in Arizona an attraction for hikers from all over the country.

“This is a very sought-after trip. You know, the hiking trip of a lifetime,” said Paige Renae.

Renae and Whitnye Raquel, friends from Fort Worth, have not yet unpacked their bags for their trip to Havasu Canyon last week, where they experienced the wonders and power of Mother Nature.

“Honestly, I still feel like I’m in shock because I’m still processing what we really went through,” Renae said.

After several days of camping, they headed to one final waterfall before planning an eight-mile hike out of the canyon.

“When we left Fifty Foot Falls, we were pretty wet and there was thunder and lightning all around us. We thought we’d better get out of here and started running towards the village,” said Raquel.

Within minutes, flash floods crumbled the canyon walls, turning the turquoise water brown and washing away campsites.

“We see people returning from the campsite with fewer and fewer belongings and telling increasingly tragic and frightening stories: ‘My tent was taken away, my bag was taken away, I don’t have a phone, my hearing aids were taken away, my daughter was taken away,'” recalls Raquel.

Three days after the flood, the body of an Arizona woman was discovered 20 miles downstream.

Boulders made the path impassable, so survivors report that they had no choice but to fly out of the gorge by helicopter.

Raquel and Renae say they waited a day and a half for their flight.

“We were elated, we were alive, our tears were uncontrollable, we were relieved and we hugged strangers with whom we flew out in the helicopter,” said Raquel.

More than 100 trapped tourists had to be evacuated by the US National Guard.

Raquel and Renae returned home early Saturday morning.

“Grateful,” Raquel said through tears. “Grateful to be here.”

They say they want to work with local authorities to develop safety protocols that will help people better in emergencies.