Copper Canyon 3

We knew it was going to be hot in the inner canyon. And it was. When we got dropped off after the “safari” ride down, we had a plan suggested to us of hiking up about 4 miles to a small Tarhumara village called Guadalupe. It was supposed to have a lovely church from the 1700’s and real deep Copper Canyon feel to the village.

We were told not to take the suspended foot bridge across the river because of “bad pine”, which I assumed was rotten boards. Broken English and my own poor Spanish determined to stay on the road that follows the river. Well after walking a about 2.5 miles of 100 degree dry heat along a horse road next to the river, we saw the walking bridge. A really cool narrow long suspension bridge swaying gently above the river.

We heeded the advice kept following what “we thought” was the road. It went under the bridge and began to rise along the canyon walls. After about 40 minutes of switch backs and getting further from the river…we got the feeling we missed something, and we were no longer where we should be. I vaguely recalled a drawing in the sand from Tito when he said don’t take the bridge, but follow the river….drawing a line to the right of the bridge. We went left.

So we turned around, having added a mile or two of hot walking in the sun, and got back close to the bridge. This time we saw an older Tarahumara woman walking as pleasant as could be across the old suspension bridge. At the same time as we back-tracked to the bridge, we saw two 4-wheel drive trucks drive into the river and cross the shallow water on the rocks just to the right of the bridge. This must have been what Tito meant…don’t use the bridge, but walk “through” the river to the other side! Welll, we looked up and thought if that lady can cross the bridge we can! J We watched and then walked under and could see boards that had been replaced…and figured Tito had old news…we walked back the trail to the part that leads out to the bridge, and crossed un-eventfully, even casually and excitedly swaying over the river.

We reached the other side, re-found the horse road trail and walked another parched, scorched earth miles getting precariously close to the end of or planned water usage. We were told there was a small store where we could buy Cokes or water in Guadalupe.

As we cooked along the road, we started to rise again and pass a few small village huts, or adobe houses. A few small children came out asking for “foto? Foto?” and for a peso or two we took their pics, giggled with them and let them escort us along the trail until they figured we were done passing pesos. It was getting long…too long, and too hot and we did not see the markings of town.
We decided rest a minute and take a few more small swigs of water. And then agreed we do another switch back or two so we could see more ahead of us. The cool river behind us was really looking to good to pass up and a swim was calling to us. It was at the last rise in the road, where a snarling typical Mexico dog came barking along his fence line, but this gate was open. He stood barking and baring teeth, which has been pretty atypical of the loud but generally friendly mongrels we meet everywhere. We held our ground a little, and he inched at us barking, snarling, and salivating.

We decided the river and a cool swim was waaaay more interesting than the hot dusty town of Guadalupe anyway and turned around. We walked back, passed the happy kids again, shared our binoculars with them much to their amusement, and then walked out in to the middle of the gorgeous rocky Urique River. We found a pebbly outcropping that formed at a bend making a nice deep pool of clear blue-green mountain water, stripped down to undies and plunged into the cool refreshing river!

3 more stops along the hot trail back was the only way were able to survive the dwindling water supply and heat. It was very nice, gorgeous canyon walls and wonderful swimming. We met a couple from England that was just completing a 3 day back country hike with pack mules and a guide and they were coming from the outfitter we had originally planned to do. They looked exhausted, and we were glad we did not pay extra to have someone march us three days through the canyon inferno.
We met Tito back in town in the afternoon at the appointed time, had a couple of cold beers in Urique, walked the small 2 street village and rode back up the canyon. We drove inside the truck with Tito until the sun got low enough where a lot of the walls were shaded, and then had him stop the car, strap us back on top “safari” style and we laughed the last hour and half home back up onto of the world enjoying the tremendous views of the receding canyons.



That night was spent resting around the fire with margarita’s again, another huge homemade dinner of tortillas, fresh grilled fish, beans, salad and Mexican rice…..good living!

Copper Canyon 2

The train trip through the canyon is a real treat. Lisa has always really liked trains and we spent a great deal of the ride in a small space between the cars hanging our bodies out over the precarious cliffs and tunnels right next to a giant sign reading “For your own safety, positively no standing in this area!!” It seems a good manifestation of a really big difference between Mexico and the US. It is said here in Mexico that “Mexicans live outside the law, while Americans live inside the law”. There are laws in Mexico, but basically it is a free for all. People sort of do what they want, as long as it does not get out of hand. What that really is I don’t know….but it is a interesting and unique difference. In the US, we are so anal about rules, laws, scofflaws, permissions, keep off this, do not enter that, buckle-up it’s the law, you must wear a helmet!!! etc etc. In Mexico, it’s more like...”Just behave, and live and let live” and basically people do. Anyway…I digress….it was a lovely illegal space to enjoy the unobstructed view of the canyon.
We started the ride at around 650 feet in elevation, and in approximately 250km I think, it rises to 7,800 feet! Its amazing…you can actually see, hear, and feel the train pull up slopes I would have a hard time biking up hills that long and steep! The rails sort of switch back, but more like going around a mountain a few times, rather than straight hairpin turns. There were many, many really cool sharp turns, but mostly you could not tell that much. Many tunnels and a bunch of great bridges, some quite tall river crossings. And the scary thing was…at every bridge, if you looked down either at the start, or the end, there was always 3 or 4 old rusty crashed railcars down below on the river bank…hmmmmm?!
We got off the train in a town called Bauhichivo. It was about after 4-5 hours, and a total rise of 5,000 feet. From here we were met by Tito Munoz from San Isidro Lodge. (checkout http://www.coppercanyonamigos.com/index.html) It was a really nice place tucked back in the mountain near the great canyon rim of the Urique Canyon which is the main deep canyon on the area. We stayed in a private cabin, 3 HUGE meals a day included, and they even tossed in a nice margarita happy hour around the campfire each afternoon. A very friendly well run, knowledgeable, family run place. They provided a family member to take us out on bird walks into the canyon, nature hikes to the rims so you don’t get swallowed up and lost, and just good service!

The two highlights of the 3 nights we stayed were 1) Lisa and I signed up for what they called the Copper Canyon Safari. Basically it is 2 bucket seats bolted precariously, but sturdily to the top of a Toyota 4Runner. We rode the entire 5000 feet down the hairpin single lane rocky dirt trail to the base of the canyon and the town of Urique on the interior! Unbelievable! We almost could not stop laughing it was so much fun. Its not exactly like us to jump on what looked to be a “touristy” way to go down the canyon…but it so intrigued us, and made Lisa laugh, that we decided to go for it. As it turns out, we started by riding in the truck for the first ½ hour to get to the spectacular point of the start at the rim, and once we got out and up onto the top…everything changed. The sounds, the view, the 360 degree access to the walls, canyons, the hairpins, and scary rocky narrow overhangs he careens around made it like a 2 hour fair ride down a mile into the center of the earth!! Very fun! And then…we find out when we were leaving, we were the first, and only 2 to ever sign up for the Safari!!! Too much fun.See pics.
Secondly, we were very much treated to a world famous athlete, and one of the most revered Tarahumara Indians in all of Mexico. Victoriano Churro, at age 55 years old, took on the world’s most elite 100 mile Ultra-Marathoners in Colorado to win the first race he ever ran….and he beat the pack wearing home-made sandals made from cutout rubber tires from the dump found the week before the race. The Tarahumara are world famous distance runners. There is a lot on the web about him, and the running and Tarahumara, check out this quick though: http://www.ss-tours.com/tara-indians.html

We not only met him, but he gave us a tour of his modest bachelor pad. He is now 70 years old and lives alone in a very traditional 2 room mud-adobe house, with a garden and a small log food storage locker for his corn and apples that he grows and lives on. Very humbling. BUT…the other part is, Victoriano is also an acclaimed rain dancer and hunting party dancer, and he joined us at the camp fire at the Lodge and performed 2 Tarahumara Rain, and Rabbit dances for us. There is NO WAY I could have kept up with his dancing and hopping for 20 minutes in a pair of flat rubber sandals…this man is made to move and just keeps moving. A very powerful, entertaining, and memorable day and night. (see pics)